Does anyone know how to disable the "always on" feature of headlight operation on Canadian deliveries? Evidently the Canadian authorities think it's a good idea to burn out the headlights as soon as possible by employing this "safety" feature. I've found it to be dangerous. When the headlights go on automatically at night I sometimes forget to turn the headlight switch. This leaves me driving for a few blocks with no rear lights. The car now resides in the California desert. My dealer says he can't (or won't) do the disabling. Any ideas?
RMK
2002 Canadian Bird Headlights
Moderator: VicRattlehead
-
mike harmon
- Posts: 126
- Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2003 2:22 am
- Location: Redlands, CA
Locate a wiring diagram, usually in the shop manuals. These can be purchased through the dealers, and many car manufacturers put the order form in the car's owner's manual. These manuals are quite expensive! If purchasing one is not an option, try public libraries. They often have in their Reference section manuals such as Chiltons or Motors, which might have diagrams.
Check out how the U.S. spec cars are wired, and see if you can duplicate that. If the U.S. spec wiring is too different and/or involved from the Canadian, here's another fairly easy (hypothetically) solution, but you will have to have a voltmeter and probes. How easy it is depends upon where the headlite relay is located and how easy it is to access. The headlites come on when the ignition switch is turned on. Usually the ignition switch energizes a relay (switch) that supplies power to the headlights. The relay should have at least three leads, and maybe will have four. There will be a supply lead which is always "hot" (probably a larger guage of wire), an output lead to the headlites (also most likely a larger guage wire), and a lead that actuates the relay. This lead will come from the ignition switch. If there is a fourth lead, it will be a ground for the relay- often used when the relay is mounted on plastic. Find that relay, figure out from the wiring diagram (if you found one) and the color coded wires which wire is which. Without a wiring diagram, use the volt meter to figure it out.
Cut the wire that runs from the ignition switch to the relay and completely tape the bared end of the ignition switch end end of the wire, connect a wire to the cut wire on the relay and then splice that wire into the tail lamp circuit. This way, the tail lamp circuit will power the relay which will in turn power up the headlites. Relays require very little amperage to actuate, so the extra load on the tail lamp circuit will be negligible.
Check out how the U.S. spec cars are wired, and see if you can duplicate that. If the U.S. spec wiring is too different and/or involved from the Canadian, here's another fairly easy (hypothetically) solution, but you will have to have a voltmeter and probes. How easy it is depends upon where the headlite relay is located and how easy it is to access. The headlites come on when the ignition switch is turned on. Usually the ignition switch energizes a relay (switch) that supplies power to the headlights. The relay should have at least three leads, and maybe will have four. There will be a supply lead which is always "hot" (probably a larger guage of wire), an output lead to the headlites (also most likely a larger guage wire), and a lead that actuates the relay. This lead will come from the ignition switch. If there is a fourth lead, it will be a ground for the relay- often used when the relay is mounted on plastic. Find that relay, figure out from the wiring diagram (if you found one) and the color coded wires which wire is which. Without a wiring diagram, use the volt meter to figure it out.
Cut the wire that runs from the ignition switch to the relay and completely tape the bared end of the ignition switch end end of the wire, connect a wire to the cut wire on the relay and then splice that wire into the tail lamp circuit. This way, the tail lamp circuit will power the relay which will in turn power up the headlites. Relays require very little amperage to actuate, so the extra load on the tail lamp circuit will be negligible.