SparkyJJO,
Thanks for your very detailed write up. I am about to perform this. Do I need to unplug the battery when detaching the burnt socket from the car? Also, I purchased front blinker LED 3157A (Amber) from Walmart. Will I still need the electric flasher for this to work with LED if all I am doing is changing out the original amber bulb with the 3157A LED? Thanks for any help you can offer with this!

 

No, you don't need to disconnect the battery to replace the socket. Just make sure the parking lights and ignition aren't on - there will be no current flowing so you can't accidentally short anything.

You will need either an electronic flasher or load resistors at the socket when you replace standard incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. If you don't, your turn signals will go on but not flash because LEDs don't produce enough load to make the standard flasher work.

 

Hello,
I own a 1997 Pontiac Firebird, I've now owned it for 18 years and it was my first car. I've had this issue occur twice where the housing for the daytime running lights/turn signal totally burns and chars (photo below). I've sifted through a lot of posts and it seems like a common occurrence. My question is after replacing the socket can I swap out the bulb with an LED 3157NA (Amber Colored) bulb or do I need a flasher unit as well? I saw flasher unit noted in a post, is this just a different type of fuse? Also, where do you recommend buying new housing? I used parts geek but not sure if there are better options out there. Thanks in advance!

 

Yes, you can replace the incandescent bulb with an LED bulb which will generate far less heat and save your sockets from burning up. 3157A or 3157NA aren't designations used in LED bulbs - they stand for Amber and Natural Amber which refer to incandescent bulbs with an amber coating on the glass (3157A) or with amber tinted glass (3157NA). You will find LED bulbs are sold as simply 3157 with the color noted in the description (white, amber, or red).

You will need either a new flasher or you'll have to wire in ballast resistors on each side. A new flasher is by far the easiest way to go. If you're only going to replace the front bulbs with LEDs then you don't need one of the LED specific flashers - any good 2-prong electronic flasher will work. But if you plan to change your tail lights as well then you will need an LED specific flasher. The factory flasher is thermo-mechanical in that it works much like an old household thermostat. There is a bi-metal strip inside that current flows through to get to the bulbs. As the current flows, it produces heat causing the two metals to expand unevenly making the strip bend a little so that it disconnects from the output terminal, stopping the flow of current. No current makes it cool down and move back into contact with the output terminal allowing current to flow again. The process repeats making the bulbs flash on and off.

An electronic flasher like an EL-12 costs between $10 and $15 depending on where you buy it. There are two flashers in your car - one for the turn signals and one for the hazard flashers. The turn signal flasher is mounted under the dash to the right side of the steering column near the OBD2 port. You normally won't have to replace the hazard flasher but it is possible since it's more than 25 years old.

You should not need a new housing unless you're getting water in it. That's not unusual because the bulb heat causes the plastic to crack, but if you're not seeing water and you don't have bulbs burning out frequently (water getting in and splashing on the hot bulb will do that) then you should be fine.

Oh, BTW, you should spend a little more and get quality LED bulbs. Many of the cheaper ones aren't designed to run all the time as DRLs so you'll end up replacing them much more often. Spend at least $25 on a good pair and they will last for years. Also, make sure you get 3157 LED bulbs that aren't those tall tower style because they go in from the bottom and there's not enough height inside the housing to accommodate tall bulbs.

 

Great, thank you for the detailed response. Looks like that's what I will be doing!

 

Oreilly carries a 2 pole and 3pole replacement flashers that work with LED swaps, the only downside is if a bulb fails it wont hyperflash to let you know you have a bulb out.
They have a small timer circuit to flash instead of a resistance wire that heats up and cools down to flash.. (Digital instead of analog.... LOL)
They also now cary nice 194 replacement LED bulbs as well as some 1157 replacements..