How to enable DRL daytime running lights in Legacy BP5 / BL5

[jdmvip]

Not sure if these will work I calculated they can only handle over 6 volts
square root of (.25 watts * 150ohms) = 6.12V

I think I'll need to go to a real electronic store.

[jdmvip]

OK guys fairly certain we will need a much higher wattage resistor
DO NOT risk fire with the ones I have

https://startingelectronics.org/arti...up-a-resistor/

[olivertwisto]

That's too bad. I spent a few minutes this weekend checking the relay terminals and was able to confirm the voltages. As you've discovered, the big concern with using the relay coil 12v wire is that they are not heavy enough gauge (which is the whole point of the relay, in a way), and that you will pop a fuse (or burn up the car), which seems to be what's happening. That's the extent of my electrical knowledge, hope you guys get something figured out! If not, does CT still carry hamsar units?

Edit: just thinking about it, what we want is to energize the relay coil to close the headlight circuit (thus turning on the headlights) when the car is switched on. Currently the relay is energized when the light switch is turned on. So, hooking up the relay coil to an accessory circuit that goes on when the key is turned will do the job. How to effect that, I'm not sure. I'll have another look at the car and see if I can figure something out but physically it should be very easy once the correct wires are found. Give me a week and I'll have your solution!

[jdmvip]

Wow Oliver thanks that would be great if you could help us sort this out.
I think I have the right pins and even verified the 0V headlight pin does get 12V when the headlamps are on when using the relay.

OK here's what we know.
The relay gets a constant 15A (we know which pin).
We know the headlamp relay fuse is 7.5A.
We know jumping 12V ignition to 0V headlight coil pops the fuse.
We know because of the above the 0V headlight coil must be receiving more than 7.5A of current since the relay fuse pops right away.

Gc8 can you tell us what gauge of wiring you used?
I have tried 16 and 18.

[jdmvip]

Is it somehow possible that the 12V constant and 12V ignition end up combining even though I never jumped them directly?
I may reprobe the 0V headlamp coil with the relay on to check how many amps it is running.
If we can figure that out it should be a matter of reducing to that level of current.

[jdmvip]

I have a friend who recently got his BP5 Legacy inspected and had DRL installed from a shop. I called this shop and it sounds like they used some sort of Lordco/generic style DRL kit that taps into your leadlamps directly, is powered by the 12V battery and is triggered by some sort of 12V ignition source.

[gc8d4ed]

Yeah I think the shop just used something similar to the Hamsar/Alpine kit at CT. I used it on my Element and it wasn’t bad at all.

I think you could wire up a relay that uses proper accessory 12V and the oem high amp circuit in the fuse box. I think to do this you could find the ACC12V wherever it is and then wire the relay out of the fusebox. Then instead of it using the switch as a trigger it just triggers when the key is in ON position. Not as “eregant” as what we were trying to achieve with the jumpers.

I’m not sure if there are any accessory 12V in the E/R FB. In the element I had to get that from inside the car.

[jdmvip]

Hey gc8 did you end up getting your car wired with one of those units and pass inspection? If I understand you right you are suggesting to take the 12V from another fuse or another sensor that gets 12V ignition and run it straight to the 0V headlight coil in the relay terminal? I guess that may be easier since we know the 12V ignition from our relay is overvolting when jumped directly. Unless someone has some easy current reduction method?

[jdmvip]

OK progress today but at a cost.

I jumped 12V ignition from the r. defog relay which I also found powers the fans/climate control unit :;

The good news is that it powered a single headlight relay for minutes.
Then I ran a second wire to the other headlight and they lasted just seconds.

I checked the defog fuse in the engine bay and it looks OK.
I also checked the defog fuse in the car both look fine yet the voltage is now like 1V only or less when it used to be 12 and my climate control doesn't work.




So the good news is that we know something bad goes wrong when using 12V from the headlamp relay.
We also know some other relay power sources work.

I hope I didn't burn out my climate control unit.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I may just replace the defog fuse anyway perhaps it is partially blown from not being able to provide enough current for both headlamps.

[gc8d4ed]

The HL relay has 2 big pins and 2 small ones. The small ones are the low current ones. Those ones are the headlight switch circuit. Since we want to have the lights on when the car is on, we should be able to do the following:

Find another circuit in the car that only gets power when the key is in ON position.
Connect that circuit to the small pins on the relay.
Connect the big pins on the relay to their corresponding female holes in the fuse box using jumpers from pin to hole for each pin.

- this way, when the car is running, the relays will click over and enable the headlights.


Or.... could just do this for the fogs and call it a day.


My car hasn’t been inspected yet.