DRL, AHL, and quadbeams all working together!!

[HenryJ]

All the information is here now - DRL, AHL, and quadbeams all working together!!!

After hours and hours of trial and error and searching through tons of web pages, I found the combination that works for everything on my truck so I have total control of my lights. This post will tell you how to override your AHL (automatic headlights that come on in the dark), override your DRL (daytime running lights that come on when you put your truck in gear) and still retain your quadbeams (high and low beam headlights lit at the same time when the brights are on).

I am not taking credit for any of this work, I just want to put it all in one spot so it is easier to find. This information has been posted numerous times by numerous people, so don’t let me step on anybody’s toes here. Some of the old posts on this information seem to be lost and have inactive links in them, so hopefully this post will cover it all.

First, the quadbeam mod.

If your DRL are low beams and you want to just have quadbeams, and nothing else, simply take out your driver’s side headlight assembly, tap into the yellow wire with another wire about 12” or so long, put a ring terminal on the end of the wire, and ground it (either via a self-tapping screw or using an existing bolt). It’s that easy.

If your DRL are high beams, then go here http://www.s-10crewcab.com/~henryj/quad.html and follow the instructions to wire in a relay.

Second, the DRL disable mod.

On older trucks, all you have to do is yank a fuse out. Can’t get much easier than that. Sorry, I don’t know which one, but your owner’s manual should tell you.

On the 1998 – 2000 trucks, go here http://www.geocities.com/zq8gmcsonoma/drl.html and follow the instructions. All you have to do is remove a relay and bend a tab back – about a 2 minute job at the most. My word of advice, when you try to take that relay out, use a large pair of channel lock pliers to get a hold of the base of it. It comes out very hard.

On 2000 – current trucks, go here http://forum.zr2.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb ... 2;t=000074 or here http://www.higherpowered.net/zr2/docs/drl2.html It’s as easy as pulling the carpet back, finding a little relay taped to the wiring harness behind the brake pedal, and cutting the center yellow wire. Credit for this one goes to ZR2.com member James C. Thanks! If you want to be able to turn your DRL disable mod on and off, then just interrupt that yellow wire with a switch and put the switch somewhere accessible. If you want to get really fancy, then you can use that yellow wire coming out of the relay as a signal wire for another relay, then tap into the circuit for your parking lights, fog lights, or accessory lights. I’m not going there, I just hit the switch when I want them on.

Now the complication that held me up for so long. If you have quad beams and do the DRL mod, it will not work. It was as if you could only have one of the other. Here http://forum.zr2.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb ... p=1#000000 is the solution, as posted by ZR2.com member Jacob. Thanks! Buy yourself a relay, some splice connectors, and some female spade connectors. Pull out the driver’s side headlight and connect your relay like this. (85)is triggered by the high beam positive (green/white wire). The relay supply (87) goes to ground. The relay load (30) goes to the low beam yellow wire. The other relay trigger contact (86) must go to the high beam negative (purple wire) and NOT to ground.

Third, the AHL mod.

Take the speaker cover off the speaker on the dash on the passenger’s side. You’ll see a little sensor there. Take the wires off the sensor (a little clip holds it in place), and put a 680 ohm resistor in there (one wire from each side of the resistor goes in each wire’s hole. You can get the resistor at Radio Shack for under $1.00. This tricks the truck into thinking it is light out all the time.

I’ve seen the question asked before. WHY? For me, the main reason for the DRL & AHL mod is because I run Sylvania Silverstar bulbs, which are about $20 each. They put out amazing amounts of light, but they only last “up to” a year. I have yet to see a year out of any of them because they are always on with my DRL, and when I use the remote start on my truck (or whenever you start your truck at night), as soon as the ignition is activated by the remote, the AHL circuit turns the lights on (during the 3 second delay while the fuel pump is building pressure), then the motor starts while the lights are on. This little voltage flicker is not good for the bulbs at all. The reason I did the quadbeam mod is simple – MORE LIGHT AT NIGHT! Just don’t be an @ss and leave your bright on when you are passing people.

Let me say that I think everybody should still drive with some sort of light on. I personally run my parking lights and my factory fog lights during the day. I just like to be able to turn what lights on I want, when I want to do it.

[F9K9]

If this all checks out and works on our CCs (hopefully someone without any of these mods tries this out) then maybe it should be a sticky or on the mod section. I went nuts trying to have quad beam and eliminate DRLs. I finally combined the quad mod with something from one of the other sites to eliminate the DRLs. I ended up w/o DRLs but, I cannot just turn on my parking lights alone now. When the switch is turned to parking lights my low beams come on with them. I decided that the electrical gods and I had come to a draw in the battle and just accepted it.

[Retep]

I have already disabled the DRL's by cutting off prong 86 on the DRL relay. I would like to do the quad beam mod. Do I need the relay set up as instructed in Brule's directions or can I just ground out the yellow wire on the left side?

Thanks,
Pete

[HenryJ]

I don't know if you have high or low beam DRL, and since I have not done the DRL disable in conjunction with the quadbeam mod, I do not have an answer for you.

However all the information needed seems to be in that first post.

[Retep]

I have or had high beam DRL. It does look like I would need to do the relay. Only question is, do I do it your way or his? His relay directions are the same with the exception of 86. Your directions say to ground it, his say tap into high beam negative (purple wire)?

Now the complication that held me up for so long. If you have quad beams and do the DRL mod, it will not work. It was as if you could only have one of the other. Here http://forum.zr2.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb ... p=1#000000 is the solution, as posted by ZR2.com member Jacob. Thanks! Buy yourself a relay, some splice connectors, and some female spade connectors. Pull out the driver’s side headlight and connect your relay like this. (85)is triggered by the high beam positive (green/white wire). The relay supply (87) goes to ground. The relay load (30) goes to the low beam yellow wire. The other relay trigger contact (86) must go to the high beam negative (purple wire) and NOT to ground.

I know your directions are for high beam DRL and I assume since he has a ZR2, his are for low beam DRL.

Pete

[HenryJ]

...I know your directions are for high beam DRL and I assume since he has a ZR2, his are for low beam DRL...

Now I see your confusion

I still don't have an answer for that. If you disable the DRL, wiring using the purple wire should be OK, since the reduced intensity feature should also be disabled.

Just off the top of my head, I don't know why adding the DRL, as I have described would not work with any version of the DRL disable.

I would have to add that , I don't remember if it is the left or right side that rotates polarity for the reduced intensity function of the DRL. This may throw a monkey wrench in the mix.

[adrenalnjunky]

Ok--but has anyone figured out why sometimes , only in cool/cold weather, I'll start my truck up in the morning, and get highbeams lit up with my lowbeam DRL's operating?
HJ -- remember the first quadbeam relay wiring diagram you had, that's how I did mine, then a change was made to the diagram, I think to simplify things -- should I rewire mine??

[Retep]

...I know your directions are for high beam DRL and I assume since he has a ZR2, his are for low beam DRL...

Now I see your confusion

Yep that is the source of my confusion. That and if I do really need the relay at all. I am pretty sure I do.
Maybe one of these days when I have a little free time (whats that ), I will give this mod a try.

Thanks for the help.
Pete

[HenryJ]

-- should I rewire mine??

I would say yes.

I'm betting that you have all four on during DRL operation, if you're wired as the first diagram was.

IIRC , it was intermittent. I'd still rewire as it is now. All it should be is disconnecting the purple wire tap and grounding that terminal on the relay, I think?

[BowtieZR5]

ok heres something. i like the stock lighting system, i just want to be able to run my fog lights in daylight or have them come on automatically. how can i do that.

BTW has anyone else noticed that if you turn your brights on and then release the blinker lever and the hold the lever back it gets even BRIGHTER?

[adrenalnjunky]

-- should I rewire mine??

I would say yes.

I'm betting that you have all four on during DRL operation, if you're wired as the first diagram was.

IIRC , it was intermittent. I'd still rewire as it is now. All it should be is disconnecting the purple wire tap and grounding that terminal on the relay, I think?

I did rewire to the current schematic and since then, I have had no more issues.

[jeff024]

when they get brighter its called the passing feature i believe .

[adrenalnjunky]

ok heres something. i like the stock lighting system, i just want to be able to run my fog lights in daylight or have them come on automatically. how can i do that.

BTW has anyone else noticed that if you turn your brights on and then release the blinker lever and the hold the lever back it gets even BRIGHTER?

Do you mean like click the stalk once to turn your highbeams on and release just like normal, then pull back on the stalk about halfway without making it click to lows again, you notice that your headlights get brighter?

If so, that's because you're catching the switch halfway, and it's activating the lowbeams while your highbeams are active. Park your truck in front of a building with all glass storefronts where you can see your reflection and verify it. If you are really steady with it, you can manage to make your truck "wink" by activating just one of the lowbeams.

If this is what you are talking about, then what you're seeing is you manually doing exactly what this quadbeam mod does once installed.

[F9K9]

Okay, since I have had a few relays go bad recently I figured that my QUAD MOD's relay had gone bad, as well, because they stopped working together. I revisited this thread because my setup did provide low and high beams on together, as well as my daytime running lights being eliminated. The down side was that I couldn't just run my parking lights without my headlights coming on. I wanted my DRLs off for the same reason as Chris. I was running Silverstars and they have been given the bad reputation for being short lived. I am still running the original set I bought two years ago BTW

So, if you want to disable your DRLs, follow this link that Chris has directed us to. It applies to all CCs with the remote possible exception of Border Man's since I think his sneaked out early. It works, I promise!

To eliminate the DRLs AND have all four headlights burning when you want, then follow this section of Chris' post. It works, I just rewired mine and can verify it!

...................................Now the complication that held me up for so long. If you have quad beams and do the DRL mod, it will not work. It was as if you could only have one of the other. Here is the solution, as posted by ZR2.com member Jacob. Thanks! Buy yourself a relay, some splice connectors, and some female spade connectors. Pull out the driver’s side headlight and connect your relay like this. (85)is triggered by the high beam positive (green/white wire). The relay supply (87) goes to ground. The relay load (30) goes to the low beam yellow wire. The other relay trigger contact (86) must go to the high beam negative (purple wire) and NOT to ground.