Flatcakes

Hi there,
I want to change my current stock flasher relay to an electronic one to run LED lights with on my 2012 F-150 XLT. I can hear the general location of it under the dash, even had my head and a flashlight under there for 5 minutes trying to find it, but just couldn't see it. I thought it might be in around the steering column shaft? Could someone please tell me how to access and change it? I can't see Ford designing a system where you have to take apart the dash to change a flasher. Any help would be appreciated. Oh, and is the flasher a standard Ford 5 Pin, or is it something else?
Thank you!

cjcnomor4

There is no serviceable flasher. The bulb flash time (80 per minute) is controlled by the BCM. When it detects a bulb out (or a low resistance LED) it flashes 160 times a minute. The sound you hear is created by the cluster to mimic the sound of a conventional flasher. If you search the forum, or someone may chime in, there are resistors you can get to add to the turn signal circuits to slow down the flashing.

ecotzo

how about wiring the original OEM bulbs in parallel... you could hide the lights in plastic boxes or just leave them positioned somewhere as a sort of underglow...?

There are relays in the power distribution fuse box... can these relays be replaced with something LED compatible? I realize the relays are just relays and not the flasher, which indeed maybe controlled by the BCM. But a 2012 F150 wiring diagram does show a flasher component.

MileHighFX2

No flasher for the 09 and up f-150's. Yes it's sad I know. I have led switchbacks on my 2010 and I used resistors. You will need to use the 6ohm 50watt resistors. Anything lower than that will not work. But on my truck my bulbs will sometimes hyper flash when I have all my lights on and I hit my brakes. It's weird only does it once in a while not all the time though.

ecotzo

at 6 ohms, 13V putting more 2A through that resistor... that's a heck of a lot of heat, 26W. Sucks to have to waste such power. On my led switchbacks, they don't hyperflash, they just flash yellow, but the white doesn't come on. Strange.

tuxedoblack11

You need 3ohms for bcm to keep from hyper flashing. The heat isn't a big deal that's what resistors are for, your switchbacks sound like they're either flipped backwards or you have the bulb pushed into the socket too far.

ecotzo

Switchbacks work just fine now... with the 6ohm resistor. The only diff the 6ohm made is that the white LED parking light mode is now operational. The yellow turning light mode was operational before and also after, and never hyperflashed before or after the resistor.

BTW the heat should not be an issue until the lights actually flash on... the parking light is the two wires that does NOT have the 6ohm resistor... so the current only flows across the 6hom during flash on... which clearly is not that often in any given hour. Unless perhaps you leave your emergency lights on for a long duration...

red_solo_truck

I have a 2012 F150 that has a bad BCM after attaching plow lights and trailer lights. Why would they add additional current protection using transistors in the BCM that go bad when additional load is applied but the stock fuses don't blow. Now I have a left rear turn signal failure in the BCM and its bad enough that the BCM costs about $300 but then because it needs to be flashed with the new door lock code and FOB code its another $300 none of which this retired Veteran can afford, especially when it appears that the Left Rear signal is all over the forums and its one transistor that is in the BCM that has gone bad. I even sent the BCM off to a company in FL that bench tests the BCM and repairs what they can, and this one came back unrepairable. Why would Ford do stupid crap like this, the local dealer is dealing with the same issues with the Super Duty that comes with the plow harness and also fails! So basically any additional lights may cause a failure in your BCM.

But wait, this is safety-related and there is no chance of a recall, but Ford is replacing rear cameras that are bad, I really don't get it! It's like putting the fuel control module (circuit board exposed to the elements except for the cover that disintegrates after the 2nd year in upstate NY, I've changed 2 now and even worse the standoff mod they just continue to go bad, great job engineers, who are the ones with stock in the company that makes the modules?

On top of all of this local strip yards are selling them (BCM) off of the 2012+ which can not be flashed without the door code and FOB.