I have combed through various threads here trying to help resolve the issues I am having with my 04 Excursion. I recently swapped the headlights and will doing so decided to upgrade the bulbs to led. As expected I got hyper-flash. Instead of adding load resistors, I decided to swap the flasher relay. As I have read in other places, After swapping the relay, I got a clicking noise (that sounds like the hazards are on) even with the truck off and the key out. I started to luck at the multi function switch. Got all that trim apart and checked the connections to the switch. nothing seems loose or chaffed. When I put the key back in and reconnected power to continue troubleshooting I blew a 20A fuse (17 or 18 I cant remember off hand). Replaced the fuse and the problem seemed to subside only to come back shortly after. With the original relay, everything works fine aside from the hyper flash. I have both an EP-27 and EP-27L version of replacement relays and both result in with this problem. I guess what I am wondering is could it still be the multi function switch. Part of me want to rule that out as it functions fine with the original flasher but I don't have any other direction to go. If it is the switch, I wonder what is different about the new relays that makes it exhibit a faulty behavior that it does have with the original? Any other thoughts before I break down and order the switch? I feel like that would just be Easter egging instead of actually understanding why I am having a problem

Thanks

 

What brand is the new relay that you bought?

 

You need the load resistors. LED's change the circuit load and can cascade through the circuit. You cannot plug these things in and expect it to work, the system is preset with loads and parameters. Maybe reprogramming your computer could change that.

 

Find out. Details like that are critical to evaluating the issue.

Highly unlikely.

 

Did you swap to an LED relay? Also did you swap the correct one? There are two in the same area side by side. A new relay is not going to fix the LED probelem unless designed for LEDs.

 

Thanks all for the replys thus far. Sorry not the most adept user in this forum but I will try to address the responses thus far.

@LandR I have 2 of the same NOVITA EP-27 relays and 1 NAPA EP-27L pluse the orginal OEM.

@agsmv1 All the relays are supposed to be LED compatible. Some of the information I found said that even though the they claim to be the EP-27 that I have is not compatible and that I specifically needed an EP-27L. Granted this is from various sources across the internet which as we all know could or could not be accurate but I figured for $16 it was worth a shot. I swapped it for the blue OEM relay which i believe is the correct one. It is the one on the left side if you look from the passenger side.

@projectSHO89 It was fuse 18 which according to the owners manual should be the one that provides power to the relay. This was happening prior to the fuse blowing and continues after it was replaced. I am wondering if I had hit a turn signal or accidentially turned the hazrds on while while removed the trim around the multi function switch and reconnecting the batteries with that on cause the fuse to blow.

@2002Ex So I debated this with myself over and over. The way I read the information was that I needed to one or the other, add load resistors or change to an led compatible relay. With the swap to the 05 style headlights and the fact that I wanted to do some other things in the dash, swapping out the relay seemed like the easier of the two. I haven't seen anything that says it clearly, but do I need both both?

On a side note, how do you handle that for other LED replacements such as interior cab lights?

 

Yep, they all work, but will cause hyperflash unless you have the correct one. I have had this one for almost 5years, no problems. I did not have issues with hyper flashing with just replacing the headlights. I would assume the headlights do not even go thru the flasher relay. I replaced it when I replaced the blinker bulbls.

 

The headlight swap was just what started me swapping out the bulbs. One of the things that helped with the decision to go with a new relay vice resistors was that with the new style of the headlighs it didn't seem like there is all the much room behind them to get the resistors on in a place where the heat they generate would not be a problem.

 

So just another note from the troubleshooting this afternoon. With the EP-27L relay installed the clicking continues but I noticed that all the blinker and hazards both work with the truck off and the key out.

 

The hazards should always work if I remember correctly. Should be that way in all vehicles. Blinkers should not work though. I think it is your switch. I replaced mine a maybe 2 years ago, but it actually did break!

 

The hazards should always work. The turn signals require that the ignition switch be in the RUN position. The two halves of the flasher relay are powered by different circuits, one ALWAYS HOT (Fuse F18), the other HOT IN RUN.

 

I went through this same nonsense and had to change the multi-function switch. Solved it immediately.