DIY 2013 Civic Hybrid Tail Lights on Si

iShift_6

iShift_6

Well-Known Member
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160
Sitting in Traffic
Vehicle Model
Civic Si
Body Style
Sedan
Let me preface all this with I'm no electrician or electrical engineer.
Just a guy with a volt meter and way too much time on my hands.

With that said, here goes my first attempt at a DIY.


First thing I did, that will spare everyone else time, is buy both harnesses
and do a pin for pin comparison. See below.

Although you guys might want to have a donor Si harness around so you don't kill your stock one.

tails1.jpg


Si Harness Below

tails2.jpg


Hybrid Harness

tails3.jpg


With that in hand I went after labeling every connection to figure out what was what.
Did this by matching up connectors that would be the same on both cars and working
backwards from there. See difference below

tails4.jpg


Si Harness at Tail Light Ends
1: Turn Signal
2: Running Light (3 little LEDs)
3: Brake Light

tails5.jpg


Hybrid Harness at Tail Light Ends
1: Brake & Running Lights
2: Turn Signal

Those are the main connections.
There are other difference, but those are coming up.

Here are the harnesses side by side and the connections that need to be addressed

tails6.jpg


Highlighted section is where all the magic happens.
The upper harness is the Si, notice the extra white connection.

tails7.jpg


Hybrid Harness on Left
1: LED Running Lights
2: Reverse Light

Si Harness on Right
2: Reverse Light
3: Running Light
4: Third Brake Light (Spoiler Light)

tails8.jpg


Detail of the Si Harness
1: Reverse Light
2: Running Light
3: 3rd Brake Light
 
As many people speculated on how to do this, splicing into the main line, that's exactly what Honda does.
Here is their splice point. It's about 12 inches from the main connection.

tails9.jpg

I cut the wires at the main connector and just below the crimped connection.

I also traced the connector's ground back to the main bundle, and removed it, and cut the extra ground wire off of it.
To undo the bundle, twist the top eyelet to the left and it will pop loose. Repeat until you get to the one that you need
access to. Not sure if it's the same order on all harnesses. Use your own judgment.

tails10.jpg

Here is the needed connection removed from the rest of the harness.


Next up is soldering stripping a small section of the bright green wire (pin 7) on the Si harness.
I chose to put my connection closer to the main connection so I had plenty of room to run the wires back up to the end point. (Yes I forgot to take a photo of this step. I will try to do another one this week and post it)


tails11.jpg

My spliced in connection

tails12.jpg

Re-taped harness (yes I spliced into it a little to close for a clean reinstall)

tails13.jpg

Updated Hybrid Harness with 3rd brake light harness added.

tails14.jpg

Completed harness. Nice and clean, unless you look closely, but needs to do that. Honestly :confused:
 
If I have a trunk made for the SI without the spoiler holes and everything will these be direct plug and play for me? a spoilerless SI with the lights? or will I need to do the same thing to get it to work? (my trunk is a CF trunk) and i do not want a 3rd brake light.
 
If you are not running the 3rd brake light, then you can just follow the College Hills Honda video.
The main connection is the same.
 
Thanks AP!!!

As for what they look like at night, the last installed photo is parking lights only.
They do look different, they don't wrap around up on top. Kinda hard to describe.
I'll try to get some night shots once this snow stops Jersey. UGH
 
Here's a side-by-side
side_by_side.jpg

As you can see in the stock housings, the lights wrap up and over the "silver trim" piece on the trunk.
The hybrid ones stop at this trim piece, but with light pipes it kinda makes sence.

The top portion of the hybrid ones is not exactly a reflector, but not just dead space either.
It's a smoked plastic with chrome highlights under clear plastic. More of the chrome highlights
face the rear, so I guess it could be considered a reflector. :confused:
I think you can see what I'm talking about in this shot.
rear_quarter.jpg
 

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Jeffuhnator said:
Does it illuminate and look the same at night as our non-hybrid taillights? Would love to see night shots if they do.
Click to expand...

I'm wondering this too - do the hybrid taillights perform and better/worse (brighter, dimmer, anything)?
 
I think they are a touch brighter all the way around. Especially when viewed from another car.
If you are looking at them from standing height and very close to them, they look dimmer.
But again from the position of another drive they are just as if not brighter than stock.
They also illuminate faster, although that is subjective....
I think they look great at dusk, the light pipes light up real well and are just distinctive.
 
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