This setup makes the center brake light flash when the brakes are applied. I used a common replacement three-pronged flasher unit that can be found at your local auto parts store. It begins flashing instantly and it flashes about twice as fast as your turn signals. If you are behind it, it really gets your attention! We have these on over 30 Miatas in our club, and in over a year of use I know of no flasher failures.
Here is a simple diagram of how to hook up a center brake light flasher on a Miata and the parts I used. With all the needed parts on hand you should be able to install this in less than an hour. Special thanks to fellow Central Alabama Miata Society member Mark Hinton for the idea and his efforts towards the same goal. You can find other interesting modifications at the CAMS website, http://www.miataclubs.com/cams.
Tridon EP34-C only.
For EP35-C and EP36-C reverse the
green and black flasher connections.
Parts Used:
Qty
Description
Sources
1
Tridon Flasher
EP34-C, EP35-C, EP36-C AutoZone, $7.99 + tax,
Carport, $10.79 + tax
3
Female 0.25 Inch Connectors AutoZone, Radio Shack, Walmart
2
Female 0.11 Inch Connectors Specialty electronics stores
2
Male 0.11 Inch Connectors Specialty electronics stores
4
20 Gauge (AWG) Stranded Wire
4 Inch Pieces
2 black, 1 green, 1 red AutoZone,
Radio Shack,
Walmart
IMPORTANT! There are three connector blades on the flasher. Make sure you know which blade on the flasher is ground. The flashers above have the blades labeled "B", "E", and "L." On EP34-C the "E" blade is the ground(Earth!). On EP35-C and EP36-C, "B" is ground. See the blue letters in the diagram. If you get them mixed up, it will not flash. If you are not sure which one is ground, you can check it using a normal multi-tester on the DC Ohms setting. The two blades that have no resistance (zero Ohms) between them are NOT the ground! There should be some resistance between the ground blade and the other two blades. If the wires are connected as specified above, the flasher should work. If it does not flash or does not light at all then you have something connected wrong.
I managed to hook this up without cutting the factory wires. I used crimp-on terminal connectors and some spare 20 gauge wire to create the wires between the factory connectors and the flasher. If you use different colors for the wire it will help prevent confusion when you plug it up. Check your car before buying connectors, the blades in the Miata's factory connectors are extremely narrow (1/8 inch wide) and I had a hard time finding connectors that small. I found some at a local electronics repair & hobby store, but I had to buy them in quantity(100!). The flashers use a standard 1/4 inch wide blade. You can find the 1/4 inch female connectors almost anywhere, even Wal-mart.
The wiring diagram should apply to any car with a center brake light. The connectors required may be different but the wiring diagram should be the same. I have put them on Accords, Civics, and Camrys also. NOTE: Certain newer cars have a dash light that tells you when a brake bulb goes out. This flasher will work on these cars, but be warned it may make the brake warning light come on.
3rd brake flasher
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3rd brake flasher
I found this over on miata.net. may help wake up someone behind you at a stop sign.
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Kinda curious on the legalities of this?
could you get police harassment? while driving in some of Chicago's suburbs, I got harassed about a euro style rear fog light. (basically its a single, separate, red lensed light that is as bright as your brake lights, but is constantly on, instead of variable.
could you get police harassment? while driving in some of Chicago's suburbs, I got harassed about a euro style rear fog light. (basically its a single, separate, red lensed light that is as bright as your brake lights, but is constantly on, instead of variable.
~xano
cars:
Girlfriends: 1996 Plymouth Neon Expresso (A588 2.0L, Auto) [Constant project to make her happy...]
Mine: 1988 Nissan 200SX SEV6 (VG30E 3.0L, 5 speed) [rally build coming up soon]
cars:
Girlfriends: 1996 Plymouth Neon Expresso (A588 2.0L, Auto) [Constant project to make her happy...]
Mine: 1988 Nissan 200SX SEV6 (VG30E 3.0L, 5 speed) [rally build coming up soon]
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It will really depend on your jurisdiction. I have had zero issues with my turn signal third brake light (left or right side blinks with the left or right turn signal)
You could make an argument in court that it is an extra safety measure, but you would still have to make the trip to court if you were ticketed.
You could make an argument in court that it is an extra safety measure, but you would still have to make the trip to court if you were ticketed.
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And you should get pulled over, you're supposed to turn a rear fog light off unless you are in fog. I hate getting stuck behind the occasional Audi driver who doesn't understand the concept and leave their shit on when I'm stuck behind them in traffic at night.XanoKais wrote:while driving in some of Chicago's suburbs, I got harassed about a euro style rear fog light. (basically its a single, separate, red lensed light that is as bright as your brake lights, but is constantly on, instead of variable.
suave23 wrote:Can you imagine how much pussy you'd pull if you had a pet monkey riding your pet dog with you everywhere you went?