2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Sportlights and DRL

[SMolteberg]

I did my conversion to Sport headlights the other day, and are not pleased yet. I want my DRL back! How do I fix it?



To start from the beginning. My truck is a Canadian version with the DRL wich is nice since we have to use daytime drivinglights here in Norway too, but they don't need to come on automatically (but it's easier if they do)

Before I started the conversion I measured what stock power I had at the bulbs, 12,9V is way too low with the engine running (you loose a lot of lights that way) So I made a new harness with three relays and made it switched +12v instead, this together with heavy gauge wiring I now have 14v at my bulbs. And as most others I burn both filaments on the inner lights on high beam. But now doesn't the DRL work as before so it's unplugged at the moment (it's just buzzes the highbeam relays). I have read a lot on the forum and now understand that the DRL module switches the highbeams on and off very fast (in real life the bulbs see this as about 6v) I need something that can trigger my relay for low beams. Is this possible with the stock DRL module? If I choose to ditch the whole DRL module, how do I get my high beam indicator back?



Anybody that have worked around this?

Thanks!

Stig



PS. What a difference in output of light! Still need some small adjustments but it's a lot brighter now.

 

[CJ Lagos]

The factory lights have a constant 12v at all times, even with the truck off. The 12v is a regulated signal - not direct to the battery, that's why you were not seeing 14v. This was not a voltage drop due to wire guage, etc... The factory system is switched ground, not switched power. This is why you're seeing weirdness with the highbeam indicator, etc. .



I ran new fused power leads directly off the battery to the headlights, and used the factory switched grounds for the low and high beams to switch my relays which then provided grounds to the headlight bulbs. If you do it this way it should work stock.



I posted a thread with info on how I did mine, maybe this will help:

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137015



CJ

 

[SMolteberg]

I'm not sure you understood my problem here. I have no difficulty understanding the difference between switched ground and switched power. I used member Thomas excellent schematic wiew, but decided not to light four filaments on low beam, and used one relay on each side high beams since I light three filaments on each side on high beams. https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/displayimage.php?&photoid=14178&width=0

Everything work as it should do, low beams just as stock and high beams lights the rest of the filaments.



My problem is the DRL module wich are sending a signal to the high beam circuit in a rapid pace. That causes the relay to open and close very fast (buzzing) If it had suceeded to trigger the relay I would have had high beams on full power as driving lights, not a thing you'd like. And as all people that disconnect their DRL module also looses their high beam indicator. I understand now that I can't use the DRL module anymore to trigger my system, but I'd like to have my highbeam indicator back.



-stig

The factory lights have a constant 12v at all times, even with the truck off. The 12v is a regulated signal - not direct to the battery, that's why you were not seeing 14v. This was not a voltage drop due to wire guage, etc... The factory system is switched ground, not switched power. This is why you're seeing weirdness with the highbeam indicator, etc. .



I ran new fused power leads directly off the battery to the headlights, and used the factory switched grounds for the low and high beams to switch my relays which then provided grounds to the headlight bulbs. If you do it this way it should work stock.



I posted a thread with info on how I did mine, maybe this will help:

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137015



CJ

 

[CJ Lagos]

My point is to wire the headlights using factory wiring as the trigger for your relays. It sounds like you are rewiring the DRL relay as well which I think is just adding confusion to your project. There are 3 wires going to each bulb... one power, one low ground and one high ground. The bulbs don't care about DRL or not. I would use those 3 wires on the driver's side as the starting point for your custom harness. In your first post it sounds like you re-wired the headlights to operate off switched power with constant grounds.



If you wire it like I suggested all the factory DRL controls are behind your custom harness so it should still work. Now, if the DRL switching ground on and off causes the relay to malfunction - that's another story. But, I doubt it because the factory lights operate off relays too.



I looked at the wiring diagram you posted, I would not wire it that way. It may work but I think it's important to leave the circuits as switched ground instead of converting to switched power.

 

[SMolteberg]

Thanks for your input CJ Lagos. If you read that diagram closely you will see it uses the factory wiring from the driver side bulb to trigger the relays, the only difference in your system and diagram is that the relays feed + to the bulbs instead of ground. Why I do it this way is that most of the cars uses switched + instead of ground and I don't like the idea of having constant power to the bulbs since I live in a country where they dump salt on the roads for more than five months a year. (salt+moisture+current=not good)



-stig

My point is to wire the headlights using factory wiring as the trigger for your relays. It sounds like you are rewiring the DRL relay as well which I think is just adding confusion to your project. There are 3 wires going to each bulb... one power, one low ground and one high ground. The bulbs don't care about DRL or not. I would use those 3 wires on the driver's side as the starting point for your custom harness. In your first post it sounds like you re-wired the headlights to operate off switched power with constant grounds.

So why does the DRL work on the OEM relays? Most likely the DRL module are between the stock relay and the bulbs. I haven't checked that with the diagram in the green bible, but I assume so. I checked how the DRL connector are wired and belive I found a way to get my indicator light back, just need to check it with my meter first.



If you wire it like I suggested all the factory DRL controls are behind your custom harness so it should still work. Now, if the DRL switching ground on and off causes the relay to malfunction - that's another story. But, I doubt it because the factory lights operate off relays too.



I looked at the wiring diagram you posted, I would not wire it that way. It may work but I think it's important to leave the circuits as switched ground instead of converting to switched power.

 

[CJ Lagos]

Obviously something is wrong with your wiring or the DRL would work. Why ask for help if you're so certain the way you've got it wired is correct. If it was, your lights would be working.



I think you're missing my point... if you wire it with switched ground, the factory DRL will work like they're supposed to. The factory components are designed to switch ground not power. I don't know why they use switched ground for the headlight circuit, but changing to switched power is not the answer to your problem.

 

[Thomas]

... The 12v is a regulated signal - not direct to the battery, that's why you were not seeing 14v. This was not a voltage drop due to wire guage, etc...

The hot wire at the headlights model years 1999-2001 is definetely not regulated. I suspect the same is true for model year 2002 Ram 2500's and 3500's. It's possible that the third-generation Ram 1500's model year 2002 use regulated voltage at the headlights.

I've never seen a factory service manual for 2002 but believe that the wiring for the second-generation three-quarter & one ton Rams is quite different than the third-generation half-ton Rams. I would be quite surprised if wiring were changed between model years 2001 and 2002 for the three-quarter & one ton Rams.

... I doubt it because the factory lights operate off relays too...

As suggested above, I think second-generation & third-generation wiring are getting mixed up. OEM wiring on 24-valve second-generation Rams uses but one relay to power any headlamp filaments - the inboard (9004 bulbs) high-beam filaments on Sport Rams. No other headlight filaments are switched through relays.

... I want my DRL back! How do I fix it?... I used member Thomas excellent schematic wiew...

Since you used my drawing, I'll assume that you pulled the foglight relay and jumped the two large terminals (the fogs-on-with-high beam modification). If so, that may be what is causing problems with the DRL. If not, I have no idea what's going on!

My drawing was made for non-DRL Rams. The reason the fogs-on-with-high beam modification is made is that leaving the foglamp relay in the PDC causes problems. See the next-to-last post in this thread: https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108550

The "latching" problem is eliminated by pulling the relay. I believe member dresslered left the relay and installed a diode.

On DRL Rams, one side of the foglamp relay trigger coil (terminal 85) is wired to the DRL module. It is quite possible that re-installing the foglamp relay in the PDC in your DRL Ram will bring back the DRL, without causing the "latching" problem. The DRL module also contains a driver for the high-beam indicator. If you want the fogs-on-with-high beam with the relay reinstalled you might try shorting (a soldered bare wire?) the two large relay connectors.

I agree with you that your switched power vs. the switched ground has nothing to do with the DRL problem The switched power through the bulb filaments is isolated from the OEM wiring.

 

[SMolteberg]

Well, first CJ Lagos I'm pretty sure it's nothing wrong witht the wiring itself. I was just asking if there was a way to tie in the DRL module, and after my first post I have made some reasearch and found out that the DRL controls the highbeams and not the low beams. High beams on full power is not suitable for DRL anyway, so I will just look for another route. Everything work like a charm otherwise. It's not my first time to modify lightsystems, I have done it to my previouse three cars also, but it was that darn DRL module that confused me for a while.



And to Thomas. My truck has no foglights so that shouldn't act things up. I really liked your diagram, I had most of my wiring already done in my mind, but your excellent diagram helped me a lot during the mod. The first thing that confused me was the difference between the 9004 and 9007 since we don't use them here in Europe, here we only use H4 and H7. But we live and learn



Thanks for your help guys.

-stig

 

[Canadian Cummins]

Used DRL for Switching!

Stig



As you see by my sig I have a 97 with the negative ground lights I think your 01. 5 has a switched ground, not switched power.

I did the sport headlight conversion and went from 16Gauge wire (factory stock this is where the voltage drop is) to 12 Gauge wire, what a difference.

I also destroyed my DRL to use it as the connector on my relay box using the switching of the DRL harness & factory light switch.

I have a wiring diagram of my setup, using both the high beams on high, for low I use the 9007’s for the DRL’s I use the low beam of the 9004’s.

If you PM me with your email address, I can send you a PDF copy of my diagram.

I also added driving & fog lights, 9 relays in all.

Caution this was done on a 97 you would have to check the pin outs for the DRL.

With this system you could convert bat to positive switching the headlights but just check the pin-outs of your DRL vs. the 97 DRL.

Canadian Cummins

 

[Tardog]

Mine is also a 97 with switched ground, I used the wire coming out of the DRL module that switches the HB indicator light as the trigger for the relays, This lets the module still control the HB indicater light as normal and the daytime running lights as niormal. Not quite sure if the wiring is totally different for the switched negative (or same wiring different polarity). Maybe this info is useless to you maybe not?

Good luck

 

[SMolteberg]

You got a PM Canadian Cummins



Any input from other Canadians with 2000 to 2002 Rams with a DRL module that have done this Sportmod with advanced wiring ?



-stig