That's strange, because our front turn signal is so tucked into the headlamp, you can't see it very well from the side... i wonder if that's why it was later changed, for safety?

Brian, I'm glad to hear he's enjoying my alma mater and doing well. I too was brainy my first year, the next two were a blur, then the last one I buckled down.

 

^^Side repeaters are not required in the U.S. on vehicles

 

just to chime in and as the thread got me thinking what my car does - have 1999 XK8 convert. Went out and checked, my car does not have the small repeater lights, it has the green leaper logos with no lights. The amber oval lenses on the front fenders have lights wired to them if I feel in back, but neither one lights up either with headlights, parking lights or turn signals. Seems unlikely but I guess they could both be burned out.

The back red lenses light up with the headlights, seem to be just additional marker lights as no additional response with either brake or turn signal.

 

Hi Mark,
I would be willing to bet that your front Orange Side Lights are just like mine, i.e. Running Lights. They probably should come on in conjunction with your Headlights. I would check that out if I were you.
Regards,
Brian

 

I love my red leapers, but I could live without the forward repeaters. Orange is not a good compliment to these cars...

 

OK... here's what I'm thinking about doing: I'm going to have to repaint the whole left side because of the different color of paint underneath the bump molding. I'm thinking about taking out the reflector/light thingy at the same time, patching up the hole, and painting over it. That would give me the nice, clean look that I see in the pics that I've photoshopped. I'd have to do the one on the right fender, too, but since I'm already going to repaint the left side, doing the right front fender wouldn't really add much work. Thoughts?

 

Just get the clears if you're going for a 'cleaner' look sam, the next owner may want to have his repeaters, don't want to devalue the car just because you don't like amber.

 

Popped them out - and guess what, both side markers had burned out bulbs. go figger.

 

An easy fix with 2 fresh bulbs................now that's a happy ending!
Brian

 

Sorry Rev, it looks like a Miata now. I really like the side molding and it has saved me door dings for sure. I didn't have the repeaters, but I think they are a great safety feature, especially in the traffic I drive in, so I added them.

 

My 98 XK8 has the green leapers and I thought it would be nice to have the clear lenses. Before ordering I took them off and found wired connectors putting out 10.27 volts when the lights are on. While 12 volts is required for full brightness I figured that the lower voltage would work but just not at full intensity. Well, I was wrong. The bulbs won't light at all. I checked the bulbs with a 12 volt source and they are fine and I checked the voltage at the connectors to make sure they were plugged in OK. All I can surmise is that the voltage output is at such a low amperage as to not light the bulbs. I'll look for other bulbs or maybe wire amber LEDs with a dropping resistor. Any ideas or recommendations here?

 

LEDs would be the way to go. You might not even need a resistor to drop the voltage. Put a meter across the bulb when the light is on and see what the voltage is under load. There are lots of LEDs out there that work at various voltages. You can probably find some LEDs that work in the 3 to 12 volt range. Those would do the trick.

 

Sorry Rev, it looks like a Miata now.

You know, I hadn't thought of it before, but you are right - without the trim it somehow looks much smaller - and I'm a believer of keeping to the original design as well - Sorry - DaleD

 

Thanks, I'll be off to my favorite electronics store (Electronic Parts Outlet in Houston) in the morning to see what I can find. I'll report back when I have a solution. BTW, when removing the leapers there will be black tape residue that the lenses won't cover. The black stuff comes right off with Goo Gone which won't harm the finish.

 

Today I tried connecting an LED directly to the socket and all I got was a very dim glow. While 10 volts is present at the socket, apparently the amperage is extremely low. SO, I popped the front side markers and ran ran a pair of wires to the new lights from there and all is well. While I was in the area I upgraded the low beam halogens to the whiter (blue) bulbs. Looks nice! Now, as soon as the harness adapter arrives from the UK I can get on with my audio upgrade project. I guess it's nice to do some upgrades every 12 years or so.

 

Hey Matt. I just checked out your web page. If I ever decide to sell my car I'm going to put YOUR pictures in the ad! LOL! After seeing your pics I'm thinking I need to put the door trim back on!

 

Thanks for the compliment sam, appreciated.

I prefer the door guard for some reason, it seems to pull my eye along the side, where yours now doesn't have that effect any longer. I'm sure you'll grow to love it...just be careful in the parking lots!

 

Funny... I want to get rid of my lights and you want to add them to your car.

 

Well, that's what makes horse racing. I agree that the orange lenses don't look so good but the clear looks nice on the Topaz and I think the smoked or clear would be nice on the silver. Driving in Houston where most folks seem to prefer large SUV's and trucks (my other car is a Jeep Commander) I'll take every advantage I can get at being noticed, particularly at night. I bought the pair from a dealer who offers both smoked and clear on ebay (grendleentertainment) for about $30 delivered from the UK. Took about week to arrive and amber bulbs were included.

 

Do you realize that the side repeaters are not supposed to be connected with the parking/head lamps?? They are supposed to be connected to the turn signal circuit and flash with the turn signals. The voltage you measured just may have been a residual voltage. Hook them back to the original wiring and test by operating the turn signal. If I read your posting correctly, you may have thought they should come on with the parking or head lights.