Apologies for a simple question which I'm sure has been answered here already - I just don't know what to search for to find it.
I need to hack my 1998 Forester L so that the headlights (and instrument panel lights) are always on when the car is on .... just to please the inspection garage for Quebec registration (it's an American car that has to pass Quebec inspection).
Doesn't need to be proper or kosher or even reliable - just so that when I take it to the inspection garage, the lights come on with the ignition.
I imagine someone with just a grain of electrical proficiency could figure it out with just some clamps and splices, but alas - that person is not me
Can't you just leave your headlights set to on? I leave my Outback headlights set to on all the time. My lights come on when I start the ignition and go off when I shut the engine off?
Rockauto.com will sell you a Daytime Running Lights Relay for $14 Canadian.
In Canada it's required by law that if your in gear they have to emit some kind of light. Usually dinner high beam or just a permanent low beam for some cars regardless if the stock is set to "low beam" on
Check that there isn't already an unplugged relay located on the passenger front shock tower. There is typically a small box located there with "high voltage" printed on it. If that is currently unplugged then your existing DRL's will not function.
If you don't have that small module, I can check in my garage as I believe I still have the unit that was removed from my Canadian-spec MY98 Forester.
It says Hot, not High Voltage! Hot as in temperature. :icon_wink:
Typical US-spec DRLs don't illuminate the instrument cluster, or the tail lights. If you absolutely need either of these, then all I could suggest is analyzing the headlight switch and figuring out how to reconnect things there. Or do some mechanical thing to prevent its getting shut off.
Right, my bad.
I knew it said something like that... it always has a poorly made warning decal on it.
The wording was "Caution Hot" was it not?
Also, since when has a province required the cluster lights to be illuminated with the DRLs?
If that is true then a large number of cars will not pass that test.
Ah, right ... for sure the cluster lights things was wrong - my French just really isn't up to understanding what is said in a noisy garage with air tools buzzing all around
So since I'm so ignorant of circuits in general, any kind of shop that does like, sound systems and ghost lights and stuff like that oughta be able to install a $2 relay for something like 30 minutes of labor? Does that sound right?
Start by verifying whether your Forester was originally equipped with DRLs, and whether everything is still there and connected. As far as we know, they all were. The resistor will be your first clue.
We've had them standard on our cars since the early 90's in Canada. So I suspect the wiring may still be there minus the module.
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