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Upgrading Clearance Lights with LED Bulbs -- Use Covered or Coverless Bulbs?


92Toy_IT320RB

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Hello to All,

I just signed up, and this is my first post.

I want to upgrade (not replace) the Clearance lights / Marker lights / Running lights on my 1992 Toyota Winnebago Itasca Spirit.  There are 12 lights altogether 5 on the front, 1 on each side (low and towards the back), and 5 on the rear.

I'll just be removing the snap-off plastic lens [measuring roughly 1.5" x 1.5" x 4"], removing the old incandescent bulb [BA9S 2-side-pin base, #1895 filament/globe], installing an LED bulb , and then replacing the lens.

eBay, Amazon, web has MANY variations of BA9S-1895 bulbs.  My current question concerns covered vs coverless bulbs:

* COVERED BULBS:  Some of the bulbs have clear plastic covers (over the top half of the bulbs), presumably to protect the LED chips and internal circuits from dust, dirt, moisture, condensation, humidity, etc.

** COVERLESS BULBS:  Most of the bulbs do NOT have clear plastic covers -- they just have a cylindrical metal base on the bottom, and a little tower of exposed LED chips.

1)  Can I get away with using the COVERLESS bulbs, since I will be installing them under a tight-fitting plastic lens anyway? . There is a much greater range of bulb choices if I go coverless. . Or should I go with one of the COVERED bulbs, as over time there may be significant intrusion of dust, dirt, humidity, moisture, condensation that could damage (and/or shorten the lifespan of) the bulb?

My second question is:

2) . How many lumens? . I think the original incandescent bulb is 25 lumens, and the LEDs range from about 50 lumens (~50 mA per bulb) up to 300 lumens (~70 mA; the 300LM bulb is more efficient)

thanks for your responses

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If you want to do yourself a favor remove the old ones and replace them with sealed LED's you'll never have to deal with them again. The snap on plastic covers leak all ways have always will most have a small drain hole in the fixture.

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The original clearance lights will always have problems with good connections between the bulb and the socket.  I replaced all of mine 3 years ago and soldered every connection and used heat shrink tubing to insulate the connections.  I have not had any problems since then.

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If you use the sealed LED also use dielectric grease in each base.

Fergetabout unsealed LEDs

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  • 1 month later...

I have the same vehicle and am considering the same replacement. My existing clearance lights are sealed(glued) to the body with an extremely tenacious adhesive. Is there some way to remove them without damaging the fiberglass siding? The old lights all leak and get corroded and I think they leak inside the wall too.

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