Eclipse to Talon rear light conversion help!

[Doubleot]

I'm looking for a little help with wiring the talon taillight plugs on my 98 Spyder. I bought a full tail light harness from Miller Import Parts and they were great, sent me everything I'll need.

I thought it would be simple cut, solder, heat shrink and be done. I've found that a few of the plugs from the car, do not match the plugs from the talon harness. They either have more wires coming into the plugs or less. Just looking for someone that has done this that could point me in the right direction.

I've been told to just switch the whole body harness but that won't be possible as my car is a Spyder and has the top motors and computer plugs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DJ Raydiate]

This is the second time this has came up this week www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-e...eclipse-talon-tail-light-wire-conversion.html should have all the info you need for the wiring.

Edit: this is on a spyder as well in the tech article.

 

[Doubleot]

Thank you!

 

[DJ Raydiate]

Not a problem. Good luck on the swap.

 

[Doubleot]

I don't think that will work for me as he's keeping his eclipse lights and I'm going to a full talon tail light set up. Basically the eclipse tail lights use two bulbs where talons only use one plug per tail light and light up both brake and turn signals. Not to mention the license plate lights are different and use two separate plugs instead of one.

 

[DJ Raydiate]

You would still need to take the brake signal away from the flashed module. The talons have a different flashed unit and the brakes do are not tied into them where as the eclipse the brakes/turns are tied into the same circuit.

 

[Doubleot]

I understand that, however he spliced into the eclipse tail light bulb sockets where as I won't/can't use those because the talon tails only use a plug into the tail light to light everything up.

 

[DJ Raydiate]

The best that I can describe is: once the brake signal is separate, you would have to combine BOTH plugs per side to make a single plug for the talon. Obviously, you would have to bring the reverse light harness into the cab vs from under the bumper. Once you know what the wires are on the talon plug, you would use the eclipse wiring to go into the correct wire. after you run a new brake signal from the brake switch, you should now have: 2 of each run; turn; and ground per side.

 

[Doubleot]

I'll have to look more into that, it sounds like the best way to go about it. I'll update this thread with what I find and figure out.

 

[DJ Raydiate]

If I was on my pc, I could draw up a schematic for you. Sorry this is about the best that I can do for you for right now.

 

[Doubleot]

No problem you've been a lot of help. When I get home I'll look at everything and try to figure it out while looking at it.

 

[spyderdrifter]

I don't think that will work for me as he's keeping his eclipse lights and I'm going to a full talon tail light set up. Basically the eclipse tail lights use two bulbs where talons only use one plug per tail light and light up both brake and turn signals. Not to mention the license plate lights are different and use two separate plugs instead of one.

As the author of the tech article linked for you, it will work for Talon tail lights. That is how I wanted my lights to work even though I'm keeping the Eclipse lights. I had my Spyder's body swapped to the Talon body for several months and all the tail lights functioned as though it were a Talon from the factory. I guarantee your lights will function as Talon lights if you follow the write up. Good luck.

Also, the Eclipse lights use 3 bulbs per side, and 2 for the license plate lights.

 

[Doubleot]

They use two bulbs for the license plate lights, but one plug to power both, where the talon uses two separate bulbs and sockets. Would you happen to know how I can rewire the plug to accommodate the talon tail lights? Or if I follow your tech article will it not be necessary to rewire it?

 

[spyderdrifter]

You can hard wire both license plate bulbs to the same source if you want, or wire them together and have them both linked to the same plug. I don't remember how I did it, but I believe I left it in the factory configuration, and just extended one side so it would reach.

 

[GRNDSM]

OK, guys I am really stumped by this… The “how to” article does not match what I am seeing in my car! The ten pin flasher relay is there, but does not get a 12V brake signal! FOUR of incoming wires do connect to ground when you step on the brake, but NONE of them send a 12V signal to the relay!

So I turned to the Talon electrical FSM, but those are even MORE confusing… They are showing that flasher relay has only three leads! So that is no help at all.

BTW, I thought I would use a Talon flasher, the only Talon at the junk yard did have a three lead relay and all Eclipses had a ten lead relay.

As of right now, I am taking brake signal from the center brake line, so my brakes work, but my amber turn signals also light up. I need to figure out a way to take away the brake signal from my flasher relay.

Another problem is that my turn signal are in “fast flash mode”, no doubt because Eclipse uses more bulbs, where as Talon has only one bump. Did I miss others discussing this problem?

 

[spyderdrifter]

Can you post pics of the trouble areas?

 

[GRNDSM]

What area do you have in mind? I have a relay that looks just like the one your article. But I can do that later tonight.

 

[spyderdrifter]

I just want to see what you are seeing on your car as far as the wiring you said doesn't match.

 

[GRNDSM]

Here you go, as you can see I tried cutting #4 pin with disappointing results.

 

[spyderdrifter]

Those both look like the wrong wires to cut. I only cut one wire on mine. However, is yours a hard top model? Or automatic? If so, maybe the wire colors are different. In either case, you need to trace the wire from the brake switch at the end of the brake pedal. That'll be your best bet to get the right wire cut, and that's the only wire you need to cut.

 

[GRNDSM]

I first cut what I thought was #4 pin (per your article), that didn't work... So I thought, I must have cut #1 pin (depending on how you look at the connector, it could be reversed), so I cut the other opposite corner pin. And it still didn't work. One of the two wires MUST have been pin #4! So I suspect that your article is ether wrong, or it does not apply to all cars. Next step, I will trace the wire from the pedal switch.

 

[spyderdrifter]

It may be different since mine is a spyder. There are major wiring differences between them, so that might be the issue. That's why the one wire I cut, was traced from the pedal to the relay. I did mention that I wasn't sure on the pin number, which is why I added the diagram of the possible pin numbers. But that diagram states it's the female side of the connection, which means it is the relay side, not the actual connector.

 

[GRNDSM]

I thought it was pretty obvious that I too have a Spyder... And I definitely disconnect #4 pin.

 

[GRNDSM]

So here is what I found out, there NO 12V going from brake switch to the relay! Instead, you have interruption of ground on several pins! I picked one, cut the wire and it worked! I no longer have my turn signals turn on with the brakes! This is the wire that needs to be cut:

 

[GRNDSM]

I am getting my brake signal from the central brake wire. It still works just fine.

Now that this is settled, how do I get the signal to stop "rapid flash mode"? Is there a higher resistance bulb? Or should I wire resistors in the bulb circuit?