DRL Killer / Quad Hi-Beams - Idiot's Guide

Limestone

Member
Jun 8, 2013
31
Still not work for my tb. Remade it as above post suggests. And still nothing. I'm using the pins as you all suggests. I am using the 85 and 5 that are labeled on the bottom side of the relays. Help!


Working now, followed the schematic on relay instead of underside labels. Worked instantly!
 

MindBlowin03

Member
Mar 17, 2014
12
I wanted to do the DRL killer mod on my '08 9-7x today but I do not have an E7(pink) wire. Anyone know what the difference is?
 

IllogicTC

Member
Dec 30, 2013
3,452
MindBlowin03 said:
I wanted to do the DRL killer mod on my '08 9-7x today but I do not have an E7(pink) wire. Anyone know what the difference is?

E7 on the BCM runs to Pin L on the headlight switch harness. It runs the Headlamps On indicator (the green light). If you have no such little light, it may not have been included. You can pop the side access (on the side of the dash when you open your door) and inspect the headlight switch wiring to confirm there is no pink wire at all.
 

MindBlowin03

Member
Mar 17, 2014
12
IllogicTC said:
E7 on the BCM runs to Pin L on the headlight switch harness. It runs the Headlamps On indicator (the green light). If you have no such little light, it may not have been included. You can pop the side access (on the side of the dash when you open your door) and inspect the headlight switch wiring to confirm there is no pink wire at all.

I do not have a headlight indicator light on my dash(a small complaint of mine btw, along with no fog light indicator as well). I will check the side panel as well to confirm.

If I have no such wire what does that mean as far as performing the DRL mod?
 

IllogicTC

Member
Dec 30, 2013
3,452
MindBlowin03 said:
I do not have a headlight indicator light on my dash(a small complaint of mine btw, along with no fog light indicator as well). I will check the side panel as well to confirm.

If I have no such wire what does that mean as far as performing the DRL mod?

If there's no little lights next to the switches, the methods described in the original post do not appear to be feasible. There may be other methods, but as I have no book for 9-7x wiring I can't say for sure.
 

jsheahawk

Member
Jan 16, 2013
533
Kansas City
So for my Quad beam headlights:
The pink/white wire pin A4 in connector C1(gray) at the bcm controls the low beams
The black/white wire pin A5 in same connector controls the highs. I added a diode between the 2. So that when the highs are on power flows through the diode to turn on the lows, but can't flow from the lows to turn on the highs. Simple
To install it I removed the Terminal Position Assurance (TPA) comb installed the diode, then tested. Found I had it backwards(so quad lows and 2 light highs:duh:) turned it around recheck ok. Reinstalled TPA. I have the leads on the diode so short that it is tucked inside the connector and you have to look for it to see it.

For the DRLs
I used the capicitor mod. I spliced in a cap with one end on the pink/white wire and the other on Ground. This allows the lows to function as DRLs at 100% brightness. It also retains perimeter lighting. IIRC it was a 10uF cap. (it's under the tape on the gray wire in the pic)

The reason I did these mods was so I could run HIDs. Because the DRLs and perminter lighting run at 70% pulse width modulation(PWM). Meaning that the light is on 70% of the time and off 30% in a short time window like on the 1/10 or 1/100 of a second range. But these pulses not only lower the RMS voltage but it also kills HID ballasts. I am guessing that the power occultation is a factor not just the low voltage.
I did the quads because I learned in my Jimmy that the warm up time of the HIDs when switching from low to high can be frightening:smile:eek: OMG where did the road go)
Now come spring I want to remove the front panels and install a relay kits to power the HIDs.:cool: The under hood is begining to look like a spaghetti factory and I hate that.
Rezzing this to wonder why it isn't a sticky! I did the four high and DRL cap mod at the BCM under the back seat. It took all of twenty minutes, and it works great.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
Rezzing this to wonder why it isn't a sticky! I did the four high and DRL cap mod at the BCM under the back seat. It took all of twenty minutes, and it works great.

Didn't sticky it but did add it to the FAQ's for Appearance and Technical (electrical).
 

Daniel644

Member
Feb 27, 2015
573
MANY years ago I did the Diode at the rear seat/BCM mod for quad high beams, now i'm working toward doing HID's (will be retrofitting some aftermarket headlights with projectors), I don't like the HID's firing up with door unlock and I don't like the idea they are running at all times or that DRL's shut off and come back on when you shift into and out of Park (just don't like cycling HID's that much) so it looks like to kill the DRL and just have the auto-headlights come on at night the Relay Mod described in the OP of this thread is the way to go, my question is I pulled every fuse and relay out of the fuse boxes on my old 99 Firebird when I was scrapping it last year, several of the relays where 4 pin relays (like the low beam relay in the underhood fuse box on these trucks that likes to fail and leave you with no low beams), I haven't checked the exact part numbers but would it be likely I could reuse one of those 4 pin relays to save having to buy a relay? Also can I just leave the Diode Mod in place while doing this relay mod for the DRL killer?
 

Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,665
Tampa Bay Area, FL
would it be likely I could reuse one of those 4 pin relays to save having to buy a relay?

Yep, as long as it's a 'normally open' 4 pin relay, you shouldn't have a problem
 

Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,665
Tampa Bay Area, FL
Yes, you're good to go. On the diagrams, you can see the connection between pins 30 and 87 is "open" which is the default configuration, and then the connection closes when the coil between 85 and 86 gets energized.

5 pin relays add pin 87a which is the normally closed connection. That gives you the option to use either circuit, or sometimes both, depending on your application. :twocents:
 
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Daniel644

Member
Feb 27, 2015
573
5 pin relays add pin 87a which is the normally closed connection. That gives you the option to use either circuit, or sometimes both, depending on your application.
SO like you could use 87A on a 5 pin to make something run UNLESS the headlights are on then it would turn off? so like a DRL if you wanted to make a custom DRL LED strip or something or would it be powered even when the vehicle is off?
 

Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,665
Tampa Bay Area, FL
Yes, that's exactly right. Even though the connection for the relay would be closed (on pin 87a) when the vehicle was off, as long as the power source to whatever that mod is, isn't constantly on, then you wouldn't have any issue.

I used both connections with my power folding mirror mod. Needed to connect a pair of timer relays to ground in order to activate them. One when the ignition was on, the other when it was off.
 

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