Isuzu Trooper Owners Club UK™

[Lossie]

My 96 Duty has no high-level brake lights - and we know how low down the normal bumper ones are!!!!

Has anyone fitted a high level brake light, and if so, any advice on the best one to get and how to fit?

Many thanks

p.s. It would be nice if it were easy to rig a brake light up to the dummy lights in the fog/reversing cluster but I imagine its a nightmare.

Matt

[Google]

[shaungriff]

i fitted extra stop/tail lights into the dumby body lamps on my 2.8 trooper. you can buy bulb holders from places that do trailer lights etc. i cut out the blank bulb holders & fitted new ones. the hardest job is routing the wiring down to the bumper lights. some imports have extra lights already if you can find one in breakers
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[ethel610]

We wanted our lights working at the back but were told it was illegal to have both sets in use.

Much prefer to have the higher ones working. Apparently volvo bulb holders fit (don't know model) and that came from an isuzu dealer.

Try not to smash bumper lights, my daughter hit drivers side with shopping trolley and it turned out to be an expesive grocery shop. £66 for complete light part just to replace smashed lens. RIDICULOUS that you cant just buy lens.

[Paul Rainbow]

Early Troopers & Discoveries have both sets working, so I cannot see it as being illegal unless the incorrect reflector inside the lamp is used. I have one on the rear of my Trooper that hangs down into the window from the top - it is an excellent design because it clips in to two revolving brackets so if I hit it (which I do regularly) I just clip it back in place. It came with the car I am afraid, so I cannot tell you where to get one!

[flashman]

Paul, if it's the same one as I had on my MK1 they came from Halfords. As you say very easy to fit back when knocked. However the wiring was a barsteward to fit thru the rubber grommet between the door and inner wing of the boot.
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Flashman

I'll snap it if I can

[ethel610]

i was saying the bumper lights and rear side lights are supposed to be illegal not the high ones across top.

[Lossie]

well if having 2 sets is illegal, I would opt for having the high level ones anytime (in close traffic, how can anyone see those bumper ones??)

I thought there was some law about having the indicators visible ith the door open......

[Monty]

I'm not sure if it's illegal to have both sets of lights but it is illegal to have only the upper ones. They meet US requirements for which they were designed in the first place but not European standards. European regulations require the both left and right hand rear lights to be visible when viewed at an angle of 45° relative to the centre line of the vehicle and the left hand side doesn't comply if you have the spare wheel mounted on the door.

[Lossie]

Aaaah! I thought the EU might be in there somewhere

It makes me wonder why Isuzu (and most other 4x4 maunufacturers) go to the trouble of putting in a dummy lens in the FOG/REVERSE cluster with no bulbs behind it.

I imagine it was a cosmetic thing to imitate the old Discos but surely if you're going to imitate another vehicle, do it properly.

And furthermore, to the uninitiated, a vehicle following a Trooper may be looking at the dummy lens for stop lights (especially in nose to tail traffic) so there must be a safetly implication here....

[ethel610]

I agree with you Lossie.

Certainly would be safer to have upper lights working.

[flashman]

I imagine it was a cosmetic thing to imitate the old Discos but surely if you're going to imitate another vehicle, do it properly.
*****
Who in there right mind would want to copy a Disco

Have a look at the Halfords web site they do a 12ins (approx) slim line one. It doesn't look too bad.
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Flashman

I'll snap it if I can

[Monty]

The reason why they fit dummy lenses is that they aren't dummy lenses for 80% of the market which goes to the United States and it just isn't worthwhile doing anything else for us few paltry souls this side of the Atlantic.

[Peterjday]

I agree - its a silly design. Easy - Peasy to Fit: This is what I did.

Get hold of a couple of bulb rear/brake light holders as used in the bumper - even bought new as sub-looms they only cost £10-ish total.

Using the new holders as guides, carve appropriately shaped holes in the blanked-off section of the tail light assembly.

The wiring is taken straight from the connector provided for towing; it is underneath the car, centre rear. This means that there is no electrical over-stressing the wiring loom anywhere. The wires are fed through existing grommets at the side of the car in line with the end of the rear bumper. Feeding the cables through is made dead easy as there are plastic panels there that unclip to give access to the inner section.

Connect wires up using crimp connectors (Halfords) and voila High level rear & brake lights. Not as good as genuine ones of course, as there is no inner reflector; (could I get some tinfoil in?)

If you want any digital photos showing how it is done or details of the towing loom colour coding, then let me know.

Peterjday@ntlworld.com

8)
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Peter

[shaungriff]

i did same as peter but sprayed inside of lamp(black area) with silver paint to make reflector. i supose it would be better to find a pair of lamps from an import as they have stop lamps/indicators etc built in
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