LED Switchback for the EU Mustang - Yes it's real! (and almost plug'n'play)

I know many of you guys are impatiently waiting for this, and I can really understand because lights in this car are the field that needs major improvement.

In short... YES, we can have switchbacks (white\amber) in our euro cars, and why not, in other markets too! (aus\asia\japan\etc)

Now, we don't know each other in person but you probably already know that when I have something to say, I made some verrrrrry long posts, with many many info I can get to help you to be informed and decide if this is a good mod for you (yes, it is!).
So.. let's start!

Back in october 2015 I made a thread for discussing about switchbacks (man.. seems a life ago) so I grab the basic info from there.

First of all, what is a switchback lamp? It's a two-bulb-in-one lamp. It has white leds for parking lights that goes off when turning, when it blinks amber
(actually, in some cases parking lights could also be amber)

There are two switchback type:
- TYPE 1: when blinking, it's amber-white-amber-white
- TYPE 2: when blinking, it's amber-off-amber-off

We are now focusing on type 2 (we don't want a strobe light..)

US Mustang turning light specs
Front park and Direction indicators 7444NA (amber)

From another forum:

They are confusing. 7443 and 7444 are both clear/white automobile light bulbs and 7443NA and 7444NA are both Natural Amber/yellow automobile light bulbs. All four bulbs are dual filament which means they are two light bulbs in one. 7443/NA is rated at 12 volts 21/5 watts and 7444/NA is rated at 13.5 volts 28/8 watts which means 7444/NA is supposed to be a little brighter. My Mazda CX-5 owner's manual listed rear turn signal as WY21W/7443NA which is definitely wrong as only single filament bulb is required for the application and the equivalent number should be 7440NA which is rated at 12 volts 21 watts. Although if you plug in 7443NA or 7444NA dual filament bulb it still works due to the design of the contacts within bulb socket. It is just that the lower wattage filament will never be used. If you plug in 7440/NA into a 7443/NA or 7444/NA bulb socket it also works but you lose lower wattage application as 7440/NA is a single filament bulb. Equivalent LED light bulbs will have different results depending on car manufacture wiring by the way.

Click to expand...

So 7444NA is the one used in US Mustang (amber parking and amber turning) and 7443 led switchbacks are the ones that US guys use to obtain switchback functionality with white parking and amber turning.

Obviously since our turning lights aren't always on when driving (as parking lights) as in the States, something is different.

From EU manual:

Front direction indicator. PY21W

Click to expand...

This is BA15S socket (similar\identical to 1156 socket)
BUT! Manual is wrong - yes it's true - and our connector is 7440.
Where are the differences? Simple, 7443\7444 has FOUR pins (like parking (white)+, turning (amber)+, ground, ground) while 7440 has TWO pins (like.. turning (amber)+, ground)
We are missing the parking pin, but luckily parking light is next to turning light

After thinking at how much adapters\connectors I should buy and solder, I just did a simple search on ebay and found that the solution already exists!!
I found this ebay seller (actually it's not so rare, many vendors have this bulbs) with the perfect equipment: led switchback bulbs with 7440 connector and a spare wire to get power from parking light!

This is the ebay link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/27160338541...49&var=570436738526&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
These are only 30 USD :clap2: there are 25 USD shipping costs to Europe but if you use Stackry (the package forwarding service that many of us already tried) it's free shipping within the US.





After a while they arrived (with my giant Stackry package) and, no surprise, they are exactly as in the auction.





Build quality seems very good, with no imperfections or issues.

I also ordered a 10-pack of small T10 (W5W) led lights, these will replace the parking lights and are suitable for many other use (map, trunk, glove box lights) and it's only 9 USD for the entire pack. These were recommended from another user in US section.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251620379636?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

The only issue with this auction is that the seller won't ship to Italy (and probably to Europe), but with Stackry being in New Hampshire.. no problem



First, bench test and comparison with stock bulbs (I build a new test bench so I use it every time I can )

Led switchback, parking (white) light (camera didn't get the '1' but voltage is 12v)

(no corresponding stock light exist for this, so no comparison)

Led switchback, turning (amber) light


Stock bulb, turning (amber) light

(I almost got burnt by this bulb after only few seconds of it being on..!)

I also wanted to test the switchback functionality:

[ame]

You can notice an important fact: current consumption for amber light is very similar (2,04A for switchback, 1,79A for stock bulb) and probably this is the key to have these switchback working. Obviously it's the resistor that causes it, but it does not get hot when I tested it - keep in mind that turning lights have low usage, and intermittent.

Led bulb, parking light


Stock bulb, parking light


Not considering the light temperature differences, this worried me a bit for the different current consumption (0,05A vs. 0,35A). Hopefully other users already tried that with success. Also, the switchback white side will drain some more current from parking light wire (another 0,21A) so this could 'foul' the car thinking that all lights are stock (oh yes :headbonk

I also tried those small led bulbs with a multimeter to identify poles, because the can break if inserted backwards. Simply put your multimeter to "continuity" and test them: if you got a value around 0,890 ohm it's the wrong way. In the right way you will get '1' and the led should be weakly lit.
I marked all bulbs to avoid errors:



Ok, theory finished, let's go practice!

(end of part 1)

Part two

This is the starting situation

(OMG these led sidemarkers are so cool )





I removed the bumper (with my wonderful GUIDE!)
(a quick note: removing the bumper is NOT needed for installing this mod. You can simply remove the wheel and the inner fender cover to access with ease at the lights setup. I removed the bumper because I had to do other mods - fog lights and front lower grille - and to take pictures!)



removed stock turning light, inserted the 7440 connector from switchback in socket and, since it will stay out of its housing, I covered it with auto agglomerating tape (once placed it's waterproof)



to avoid it being loose I used some zip ties to lock it in permanently.
This is not needed, the connection is strong, but I want to avoid removing the bumper again for a loooooong time



I extended the parking wire with the provided extension (it's intended for a different usage scheme so I cut it in half and used a chunk for every side) and covered it too with the tape



the good job I did when installing modified headlights with tribar DRL, it comes handy now and it's easy to connect a new wire in parking wire.

Now it's the turn of parking light. The small T10\W5W bulb fits perfectly but is a bit loose, so to avoid it falling inside the light housing, I stopped it with a piece of adhesive tape. Small and easy fix - now it's rock steady



This is the test #2 setup:



At every step I did a test to avoid have to remove bumper again

[ame]

Ok, everything works so I can place the wonderful plastic bag to protect all connectors from water (I found no moisture inside the bag so it's a safe method)



This is taken with bumper on, from the fender well



As you can see the switchback is inserted in the turning light housing and, thanks to the rubber base, it fits perfectly. Also, the resistor can't be placed on a metal surface to dissipate heat (wires are too short) but it hangs magically in the air so no problem

Some final shots, indoor
Parking lights on



headlights on


closeup




Test #3, Indoor

[ame]

Outside shots









Finished setup!

Locking\Unlocking
[ame]

Turning\Hazard\Mixed tests
[ame]

Final word:
It's an awesome mod!! It's cheap, it's easy (ok, you need to remove bumper even if probably with some contorsionism you can also do it via the fender well) and it's very effective! Combined with Tribar DRL mod, US OEM LED fog lights and US OEM Ecoboost lower grille, you will get a spectacular appearance

Thanks to all who read all the way until here!
:cheers:

Thanks a lot mate for all of this.

You are definitely the lightning king for the EU 'Stang :cheers: :first:

Damn you, now I'm ready to order one set for me too :headbonk:

Thank you, probably I spent more time doing video, taking pictures and writing these posts than working on the car :lol:

For sure you need one set! Oh BTW I found this seller but has no feedback about that.. I hope these lights will last long, but there are probably many other seller with an equivalent product. Feel free to share them here!

I've a set from China in order (just put the order after watching your thread :headbonk

For sure I'll give you my feedback here

Can I ship you my Mustang and you fix it up and ship it back? DHL same day delivery?

OMG... I so want to get rid of the fuglies up front and have that tribar... but so much work! (I can change bulbs, and mess with wires, but removing the bumper?!)

I'm actually a bit confused now - what does the US lights really look like? Looks like you've got a lot going on up front...

(mind 99% of my time with the Mustang is inside it so I don't even know much about how the lights look from the outside )

Hi Stefano,

After all that modification have set your light switch to auto or other position.

This is an awesome mod. So this can be accessible through the fender, because im not sure id like to mess with taking off the bumper. also you spliced a wired correct.

John577 said:

I've a set from China in order (just put the order after watching your thread :headbonk

For sure I'll give you my feedback here

Click to expand...

Great, other sources and feedbacks are welcome

gojensen said:

Can I ship you my Mustang and you fix it up and ship it back? DHL same day delivery?

OMG... I so want to get rid of the fuglies up front and have that tribar... but so much work! (I can change bulbs, and mess with wires, but removing the bumper?!)

I'm actually a bit confused now - what does the US lights really look like? Looks like you've got a lot going on up front...

(mind 99% of my time with the Mustang is inside it so I don't even know much about how the lights look from the outside )

Click to expand...

Actually removing the bumper is not so difficult. The first time it took me an half day but this time I did it in 30 minutes
And actually you can also do this via the fender well, removing the wheel and the interior cover.

US version has amber parking light AND amber turning light, these are both always on with parking lights on (or even with lights off? I am not sure). Our US friends that want a more modern look change the turning light bulbs with led switchback white\amber and parking lights with white led bulbs to have the same appearance I got

yellowpony said:

Hi Stefano,

After all that modification have set your light switch to auto or other position.

Click to expand...

I always keep the lights switch in AUTO position, it works really well.

mustangv6magn said:

This is an awesome mod. So this can be accessible through the fender, because im not sure id like to mess with taking off the bumper. also you spliced a wired correct.

Click to expand...

You can access it via the fender well but removing at least the wheel and then the inner fender cover (there are only push pins) you can do a pretty good job.
Yes I spliced a wire, sorry that part is not too clear because I already have modified all the cables for the tribar drl mod. You need to splice (maybe using a quick splice connector) the positive wire from the parking lights near the turning lights, and connect to the spare wire from the switchback.

But I see you are from Texas.. this is only for the EU model (and will probably works in other markets too). US model is way easier

Nice work my friend

Ciao Stefano lavoro stupendo, ma bisogna proprio smontare tutto per fare le modifiche? ho intenzione di ordinare i fari anteriori, posteriori et i faretti diurni.

Ciao buttimax!
I prefer to write in english here (despite the big effort it requires me) so our international friends can read it
If you want to mod headlights you absolutely need to remove the bumper. For switchbacks it's not mandatory, I removed it because I had many other mod to do (front lower grille, fog lights..).

Just a quick note: this thread shows this mod as a big goal even if the mod itself it's neither difficult nor complicated. This is because a few expert users told me that switchbacks will not work in euro mustangs. There should be some differences in electronic management that won't allow these type of bulbs to work properly.

Others said that simple switchbacks will work but more complex ones, with control module, will not work.

So, I don't know if I had luck finding the right switchback set, or.. something else. However they works, and are beautiful

Thanks Stefano,
I also have a lot of difficulty will write in English (thanks google traduction) could you tell me, or give me the link where you made your purchases.

Thank you

Ps: for info are Ligure (La Spezia) and I live in belgium

buttimax said:

Thanks Stefano,
I also have a lot of difficulty will write in English (thanks google traduction) could you tell me, or give me the link where you made your purchases.

Thank you

Ps: for info are Ligure (La Spezia) and I live in belgium

Click to expand...

you have a PM

Very nice papinist good job !!
I just talked with john577 about this mod and now we have a good feedback

Just one question: Did you test it in the night? They're not to powerfull? they don't disturb other car in front of you? thx ;)