2012 headlights flicker, any ideas?
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: Reading PA
2012 headlights flicker, any ideas?
I have a 2012 Rubicon. I noticed the headlights flicker a little bit, I just put in truck lite LEDS and now im noticing it alot more. Has anyone encountered this or now what i can do to fix it?
JK Newbie
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Chicago, IL
If you have HID error code eliminators from DDM they IN FACT do eliminate LED lighting flicker if installed inline with the positive and negative power source for the light on the factory lighting harness. I installed them on my low beams of the phase 7 Truck Lites that once flickered slightly and now do not. The capacitor in that error code eliminator smooths out the voltage for the LED light from the PWM that occurs on 2012 jeeps. The capacitor is 100% safe for your stock headlight harness because the voltage coming out of the harness meets a capacitor that then returns a constant resistance to the computer. The jeep quits trying to pulse voltage to figure out a different light power draw that the LED lights can operate in. It tricks your computer into thinking it has halogens and stops freaking out. This is how one can avoid paying $120 for a direct battery light harness and just install the capacitors inline with the stock headlight wiring. $16 vs $120... I'll take the $16 route any day of the week. Don't drink the cool-aid that LED lights require a direct battery wiring harness. 
I can send a few pics for you.
Actually, I posted the fix on another forum. I did this a couple weeks ago and am much happier with the lights now.
Here's what I posted there:
I can send a few pics for you.
Actually, I posted the fix on another forum. I did this a couple weeks ago and am much happier with the lights now.
Here's what I posted there:
SUCCESS!!!!!
I realized that I had a pair of the DDM Tuning error code eliminators in my garage from an old HID kit from a previous car of mine... Clear throat... Don't tell the illegal headlight cops on this thread like Hilldweller about this fix. Joking. HA. I'm sure he'd appreciate that this ended up eliminating the flicker.
I soldered them inline with the low beam + and - running off the factory harness and the "flicker" is gone. I ended up taking out the ARB direct battery harness that I bought previously and will save it for another project down the road. No longer needed.
Soldered inline with low beam positive and negative in wiring adapter, then soldered a wire for ground for high beam to allow the high beam to bypass the error code/anti flicker eliminator.
Installed adapter.
Flicker is gone on low beam. Repeat on high beam if you regularly use the high beam. If you don't use high beams regularly like me then the mild pulsing of the light at idle will be acceptable when using the high beam. If I end up using the high beams more I would recommend putting two of these on each light, one for low and one for high. Because I can count the amount of times I have used high beams in the past year on one hand I will just leave these as is with one error code/anti flicker eliminator on just the low beams.
YOU DO NOT NEED A DIRECT BATTERY WIRE HARNESS FOR THESE LED LIGHTS. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!! For less than $20 you can skip the expensive SMS or ARB harnesses and just use the factory wiring with these inline HID anti flicker/error code eliminators. They do in fact smooth out the PWM that the 2012's have with LED lights.
Praise the HID conversion aftermarket for this fix!
I realized that I had a pair of the DDM Tuning error code eliminators in my garage from an old HID kit from a previous car of mine... Clear throat... Don't tell the illegal headlight cops on this thread like Hilldweller about this fix. Joking. HA. I'm sure he'd appreciate that this ended up eliminating the flicker.
I soldered them inline with the low beam + and - running off the factory harness and the "flicker" is gone. I ended up taking out the ARB direct battery harness that I bought previously and will save it for another project down the road. No longer needed.
Soldered inline with low beam positive and negative in wiring adapter, then soldered a wire for ground for high beam to allow the high beam to bypass the error code/anti flicker eliminator.
Installed adapter.
Flicker is gone on low beam. Repeat on high beam if you regularly use the high beam. If you don't use high beams regularly like me then the mild pulsing of the light at idle will be acceptable when using the high beam. If I end up using the high beams more I would recommend putting two of these on each light, one for low and one for high. Because I can count the amount of times I have used high beams in the past year on one hand I will just leave these as is with one error code/anti flicker eliminator on just the low beams.
YOU DO NOT NEED A DIRECT BATTERY WIRE HARNESS FOR THESE LED LIGHTS. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!! For less than $20 you can skip the expensive SMS or ARB harnesses and just use the factory wiring with these inline HID anti flicker/error code eliminators. They do in fact smooth out the PWM that the 2012's have with LED lights.
Praise the HID conversion aftermarket for this fix!
JK Newbie
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: Da OC, CA
Can you provide a DDM link to the $16 thing you posted in the picture. Does it come with the H13 hardness?
If you have HID error code eliminators from DDM they IN FACT do eliminate LED lighting flicker if installed inline with the positive and negative power source for the light on the factory lighting harness. I installed them on my low beams of the phase 7 Truck Lites that once flickered slightly and now do not. The capacitor in that error code eliminator smooths out the voltage for the LED light from the PWM that occurs on 2012 jeeps. The capacitor is 100% safe for your stock headlight harness because the voltage coming out of the harness meets a capacitor that then returns a constant resistance to the computer. The jeep quits trying to pulse voltage to figure out a different light power draw that the LED lights can operate in. It tricks your computer into thinking it has halogens and stops freaking out. This is how one can avoid paying $120 for a direct battery light harness and just install the capacitors inline with the stock headlight wiring. $16 vs $120... I'll take the $16 route any day of the week. Don't drink the cool-aid that LED lights require a direct battery wiring harness.
I can send a few pics for you.
Actually, I posted the fix on another forum. I did this a couple weeks ago and am much happier with the lights now.
Here's what I posted there:
I can send a few pics for you.
Actually, I posted the fix on another forum. I did this a couple weeks ago and am much happier with the lights now.
Here's what I posted there: