[cwayneb]

I searched but couldn't find the answer to my question.

LED Headlights will not work on the DRL setting in our FJs as the current is too low. They will light up, but with insufficient voltage going to them, it seems to me that they will try to pull more than is available, possibly damaging the bulb or the DRL system. My question is can we simply unplug the DRL fuse (#13 in the engine compartment fuse block according to what I've read) to defeat the DRL's so we don't run the risk of messing up the LED bulb by try to send the wrong voltage to it?

 

[Chumley]

From what ive read the fuse needs to be there for headlights to work.(?)

I disabled mine by disconnecting the connector next to drivers side headlight

 

[cwayneb]

Interesting and thanks for the quick reply! According to the wiring diagram/info i was looking at, there are separate fuses for the left and right low beams (whether or not the FJ has DRL's) and separate fuses for the left and right high beams. Then #13 is a fuse strictly for the DRL's. I'm thinking that it might be the dedicated fuse for that connector the guy in the video disconnected. If that's the case, then it would be easier to pull that fuse than to disconnect that connector. I may try pulling #13 fuse out first and just see what happens. Thanks again for the info and the video!

 

[johnjohn]

From what ive read the fuse needs to be there for headlights to work.(?)

I disabled mine by disconnecting the connector next to drivers side headlight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzOFQAMCjdk&t=90s

I just upgraded to the Auxbeam LEDs the other day and was wondering about this. The DRL stays on at full blast and was thinking of the hack I've seen posted somewhere here on the forum. But instead of just killing the power to the DRL, I'm wanting to install some other low budget LEDs or halo rings just for the purpose of having auxillary DRL.

 

[Lee44]

What @Chumley said and:

https://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/lighting/729456-alternative-drl-leds-headlights.html

I disconnected my DRL behind the LH headlight too.

 

[Baddawg]

No need to pull any fuses. Just unhook or remove the resistor. 5 years, no problems. It works better(easier) if you unbolt it first, unplug it and toss it in the toolbox. Saving all that weight as a bonus.

https://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/interior-exterior-visual-tech/138543-how-disable-drls.html

 

[mikey]

My LED bulbs ran just fine on the DRL or full on.

 

[sonof40]

My LED bulbs ran just fine on the DRL or full on.

Is it the same brightness change (full to dim) as stock?

 

[mikey]

There was no change in brightness, I believe the LED bulbs I have only consume 35w of power which is less than what the DRL circuit provides.

To be honest, it was easier to leave the lights full on - set it and forget it - with the LED being so bright it was easy to forget to turn the headlight switch so the rest of the running lights came on.

 

[cwayneb]

Everyone, thanks for the tips on this. My idea about the #13 fuse (which the fusebox says it's just for the DRL's and not the headlights) didn't work. DRL's stayed on so I don't know what's up with that. Anyway, I pulled the small exterior body plate off under the Driver's side headlight so i could get to that connector fr the DRL's, unplugged it, and now all is good. My only concern is that the terminals in the male and female sides of the connector will oxidize/corrode and i won't ever be able to go back to DRL's in the event I decide to. At some point when I have a chance I may put a liberal dose of dielectric grease on both sides of the connector and put duct tape over it. That should keep corrosion to a minimum. Again, thanks everyone for the tips and links.

 

[cwayneb]

My LED bulbs ran just fine on the DRL or full on.

Mine ran fine, but started flickering like crazy around 30 days after installation. It was like trying to drive with strobe lights for headlights. That happened to three different sets of LED's. I read that CANBus systems can sometimes cause flickering in LED's so I bought a small electrical connector (resistor/capacitor/something or other?) that supposedly cures the flickering, but it didn't help. In talking with the support people at a couple of the LED headlight distributors/manufacturers, retailers, they tell me the voltage in the DRL setting is between 6 and 9 volts so the low voltage causes the flickering problem, causing the LED to go bad prematurely. Bottom line, I bought a new, more expensive set of LED bulbs from Sea-Light, disconnected the DRLs, and a couple weeks in, the headlights are working fine - so far. Hopefully they'll continue working. These LED lights also have a small hood over the low beam section, creating a definite horizontal line of shine/no shine which keeps the LED's from shining in peoples eyes and pissing them off. haven't had anyone flash their brights at me since I installed these. With the previous LED's I had used, people were constantly flashing their brights at me even though mine were properly adjusted (front bumper height at 25') and on low beam.

 

[RDTCU]

The DRL relay NC contact grounds the bulbs through the DRL resistor.
The DRL relay NO contact grounds the bulbs directly, bypassing the resistor, when headlights are turned on at the stalk.
The DRL fuse is on the DRL relay coil circuit and pulling it will disable your headlights, other than in DRL mode.

So yeah, pulling the resistor (or otherwise breaking that circuit) is the only real way to do what you're trying to do, and a whole lot of us did that within the first week of buying an FJ, haha.

 

[MattM]

The CANBUS is not involved in the FJ headlights. It is a very simple wiring diagram where the lights connect to 12V and ground through relays, fuses, and, for the DRL, a resistor.

Higher end LEDs do not have any problem running with or without DRL. I have been running Philips LEDs for 1-1/2 years now with zero issues. I made no modifications to the DRL circuit - they are the same brightness in DRL as they are when full on. Lots of details here: https://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/lighting/553417-philips-led-headlights-drl.html

There are numerous reports here of issues with LED headlamps, from flickering, to failing in the DRL mode, to being flashed because of glare. Pretty sure all of these issues are with cheaper Chinese knock-off LEDs. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

 

[RDTCU]

The CANBUS is not involved in the FJ headlights. It is a very simple wiring diagram where the lights connect to 12V and ground through relays, fuses, and, for the DRL, a resistor.

Higher end LEDs do not have any problem running with or without DRL. I have been running Philips LEDs for 1-1/2 years now with zero issues. I made no modifications to the DRL circuit - they are the same brightness in DRL as they are when full on. Lots of details here: https://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/lighting/553417-philips-led-headlights-drl.html

There are numerous reports here of issues with LED headlamps, from flickering, to failing in the DRL mode, to being flashed because of glare. Pretty sure all of these issues are with cheaper Chinese knock-off LEDs. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

You are essentially running full power hi-beams as your DRL's. Probably fine during the day, but annoying to other drivers as it gets darker, until you turn the lights on at the stalk and it drops to lo-beam.
I've got Hikari LED's in mine, and they will do the same thing. Zero complaints with these, the pattern is adjustable so you can match the OEM pattern and not blind everyone.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077B3SNJR/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don't like fulltime DRL's, so I removed the resistor anyway.

 

[MattM]

You are essentially running full power hi-beams as your DRL's. Probably fine during the day, but annoying to other drivers as it gets darker, until you turn the lights on at the stalk and it drops to lo-beam.

This is incorrect. If you check the wiring diagram, you will see that the DRL resistor and relay are on the ground side of the bulb, which connects to both lo and hi beams. Not the +12V side, which has separate lines for lo and hi. So the DRL will light up the hi beams only if you have the hi beams engaged, which you normally do not.

 

[RDTCU]

This is incorrect. If you check the wiring diagram, you will see that the DRL resistor and relay are on the ground side of the bulb, which connects to both lo and hi beams. Not the +12V side, which has separate lines for lo and hi. So the DRL will light up the hi beams only if you have the hi beams engaged, which you normally do not.

I know how ground switching works, study the diagram I posted above. I know it's a little hard to read. I could be wrong and DRL's could run the lo-beam circuit instead of hi.

The DRL relay passes the bulb ground directly when headlight switch is on at the stalk (NO contact), and through the DRL resistor when it is not (NC contact).

The question is which circuit is active when the headlight switch is off. Switching the stalk to hi/lo position (not flash-to-pass) when the headlight switch is off and DRL's are on does not change anything.

The HEAD relay provides 12V+ to the whole circuit, and can be activated by the HP2 or HRLY signals. The HP2 signal is diode isolated and I believe this is the ECU signal to activate the DRL's

The DIM relay controls whether the lo-beam or hi-beam circuit sees 12V+
DIM relay NC contact is lo-beam, and the NO contact is hi-beam.

It's simple enough to check, I don't have my DRL resistor installed anymore, but if you want to pull up to a wall with your headlight switch off, and the stalk in the lo-beam position (DRL on) and see if the pattern changes when you switch the headlights on or just gets brighter.

 

[MattM]

Ok, the coil on the DIM relay is powered through the HEAD relay. So the hi/lo switch has no effect when the headlights are off. I was wrong there. The DIM relay's default position is lo beam on, so that is what gets powered when the DRLs are on: +12V through the dimmer relay and ground through the DRL resistor.

At first glance, I do not see any way that the hi beams get powered unless the headlights are on, but clearly they get power with the flash-to-pass switch. The output of the flash switch goes into the ECU at a point marked "HF" (headlight flash?). And there is a line coming out of the ECU marked "HF2" that goes to the HEAD relay. So it seems the following is all true:

1) The DRL only powers the lo beams (confirmed by experiment).
2) Switching to hi beams when the headlights are off does nothing.
3) Pulling the stalk towards you (flash-to-pass) engages the HEAD relay (but not the taillights, marker lights, dashboard, or anything else that gets turned on when the headlights are truly on).
4) Number 3 means that the DRLs are disabled when flash-to-pass is engaged. No effect with my LEDs, but it means the lo beams brighten on incandescent lights in addition to the hi beams flashing.

 

[RDTCU]

1) The DRL only powers the lo beams (confirmed by experiment).

This is good to know

4) Number 3 means that the DRLs are disabled when flash-to-pass is engaged. No effect with my LEDs, but it means the lo beams brighten on incandescent lights in addition to the hi beams flashing.

With the DIM relay in place, is it even possible for both the lo beam and hi beam to be active at the same time with flash to pass? I honestly don't remember.

 

[rgmr250]

Just adding some info. I'm from Canada, so I totally agreed with the statement that DRL's are low-power (1/2?) high beam activation - at least initially - a revision seems to have adjusted somewhat. It appears that in the Canada that this is the case, but the US (and potentially other countries) may use the low beam or single-purpose separate DRL bulbs. The revision to the DRL law (I can't seem to find the year) changed to allow separate DRL lamps (as my 2014 Altima has separate lamps for the DRL's). It does appear, however, that if headlights are used as DRL's that it's still the high beams - unless I've read this wrong.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_running_lamp

Canada

Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 requires DRLs on all new vehicles made or imported after January 1, 1990. Canada's proposed DRL regulation was essentially similar to regulations in place in Scandinavia, with an axial luminous intensity limit of 1,500 cd, but automakers claimed it was too expensive to add a new front lighting device, and would increase warranty costs (by dint of increased bulb replacements) to run the low beams. After a pitched regulatory battle, the standard was rewritten to permit the use of reduced-voltage high beam headlamps producing up to 7,000 axial candela, as well as permitting any light color from white to amber or selective yellow. These changes to the regulation permitted automakers to implement a less costly DRL, such as by connecting the high beam filaments in series to supply each filament with half its rated voltage, or by burning the front turn signals full-time except when they are actually flashing as turn indicators.

 

[longtooth]

Maybe I was/am crazy, but I have times when DRL just sucks - like hunting hogs at night.

I hacked into the DRL circuit and put a normally closed relay into the circuit. Now I can flip a switch and it cuts the DRL circuit. So I can have them or not.

I liked this so much that I did the same thing with the brake lights, again for night hunting hogs. Now I flip two switches, dim the dashlights and there is total darkness. Unless I have my green LED hunting lights on...LOL