Installing 1994 (or pre-1998?) DRL
#1
05-26-2004, 11:47 PM
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Installing 1994 (or pre-1998?) DRL
There's a very good article about installing 1998 and newer Daylight Running Lights, http://www.fordf150.net/howto/drl.php. I used it as a guide to install DRL on my 1994 F150, and here are some details.
Part number - F43Z-15A272-A, which is not quite the same as in the earlier article. I obtained it from fordpartsonline.com, at 800-549-2005, and had to ask for it. Cost was $58 plus $7 shipping. It looks like this is all you need.
Location - you've got to get on the ground under the left front bumper and look up. There's a 4-wire cable under there with a black plug that is attached to the body. The pin that holds the plug to the body is white, and it is much easier to work with the plug if you unclip the plug from the pin and pull the cable down to where you can work on it.
Remove the plug - a screwdriver seemed to work ok, but I had to look at it for awhile to figure out which part was removable. Of the 8 connectors, only 4 have pins, and that is ok. I rerouted the cable up to the engine compartment behind the headlights and connected the DRL module to the cable there. The plug is directional, and I had to look at it a little to figure out the guides. I'm not sure where the DRL module ought to be located once installed, so I found a convenient hole and bolted it to the body. I'm sure a real mechanic would do a better job.
You can test by starting up the engine and noticing that the headlights come on at a slightly reduced output, but when you turn them on they operate normally. It's pretty easy to see the difference in a darkened garage.
Part number - F43Z-15A272-A, which is not quite the same as in the earlier article. I obtained it from fordpartsonline.com, at 800-549-2005, and had to ask for it. Cost was $58 plus $7 shipping. It looks like this is all you need.
Location - you've got to get on the ground under the left front bumper and look up. There's a 4-wire cable under there with a black plug that is attached to the body. The pin that holds the plug to the body is white, and it is much easier to work with the plug if you unclip the plug from the pin and pull the cable down to where you can work on it.
Remove the plug - a screwdriver seemed to work ok, but I had to look at it for awhile to figure out which part was removable. Of the 8 connectors, only 4 have pins, and that is ok. I rerouted the cable up to the engine compartment behind the headlights and connected the DRL module to the cable there. The plug is directional, and I had to look at it a little to figure out the guides. I'm not sure where the DRL module ought to be located once installed, so I found a convenient hole and bolted it to the body. I'm sure a real mechanic would do a better job.
You can test by starting up the engine and noticing that the headlights come on at a slightly reduced output, but when you turn them on they operate normally. It's pretty easy to see the difference in a darkened garage.
#2
05-27-2004, 08:09 AM
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#3
05-28-2004, 04:51 PM
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#4
02-18-2011, 02:17 PM
stupid objections to DTR
I was 10 years old when I visited my uncle in California...
they were pushing to have people drive with their headlights on during the day
I asked him why they wanted that...
instead of reciting some BS... he handed me a stop watch and took me out to the highway...
we spent the next half hour timing how long it took from when I first saw the car until when it went by...
cars WITH headlights on... took about 50% longer to zoom by...
point being, IF you can see an oncoming car from 50% FURTHER away, well... it shouldnt take a ROCKET scientist to figure out you will have that much MORE time to avoid hitting them.... dont you think?
but hey...
they were pushing to have people drive with their headlights on during the day
I asked him why they wanted that...
instead of reciting some BS... he handed me a stop watch and took me out to the highway...
we spent the next half hour timing how long it took from when I first saw the car until when it went by...
cars WITH headlights on... took about 50% longer to zoom by...
point being, IF you can see an oncoming car from 50% FURTHER away, well... it shouldnt take a ROCKET scientist to figure out you will have that much MORE time to avoid hitting them.... dont you think?
but hey...
its your life... and you will see me coming, so it wont be mine you end
and the extra the .00001 mpg you "waste" with having your headlights on... just think if you drive your truck 200,000 miles, you will have saved enough to buy ONE beer!!!
"shortened headlight life"...KNOW YOUR TECHNOLOGY, if you want to run halogen bulbs DONT run the module that "skips cycles"... besides... halogen is SO last year.... its LEDs now... and well, they have a MTF of 80,000 hours... or 24x7 for a about 15 months... and they dont waste your MPG to boot... algore will be SO proud of you!!!
"running lights make my ride look uncool"... if THATS what it takes to make your ride "cool".... lol buddy the presence or lack of running lights aint gonna help you.... and no... nobody is trying to steal your stupid hat!!!
#5
02-18-2011, 03:21 PM
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DRLs on cars/trucks take away the greatest single safety device that bikes used to have. When everything runs DRLs everything looks the same and fades into background, nothing stands out.
Most DRLs are too damned bright. One time a GMC pickup pulled up behind me when I was in the Mazda and damned near blinded me with his DRLs in my rear view in broad daylight
And yes, I don't need a safety nanny from the government or GM or wherever telling me what to do
Most DRLs are too damned bright. One time a GMC pickup pulled up behind me when I was in the Mazda and damned near blinded me with his DRLs in my rear view in broad daylight
And yes, I don't need a safety nanny from the government or GM or wherever telling me what to do
#7
02-19-2011, 12:03 PM
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#8
02-19-2011, 11:47 PM
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Strange,
The website you pointed to has the following sentence on the front page:
"When examined separately for passenger cars and light trucks / van (LTVs) , drls in LTVs significantly reduced LTVs involvement in the target two vehicle by 5.7 percent". That would seem contrary to what they want.
The rest of the snippet on that page is a bit out of context in that it talks about undefined "target crashes".
Another point made further in the website claims that the automakers pushed for DRLs for the profit motive. I've been following the news closely for over 40 years. I cannot recall ANY time the automakers pushed for safety requirements. They fought every safety change tooth and nail. They may have asked for standardization of potential requirements. That is believable.
Because of these three issues, I would not value the info in that site.
If you don't like DRLs turn them off. My '96 Volvo has them with a small switch next to the main headlight switch that disables them. The instructions are in the owners manual. My F150 does not have them and I am thinking about adding them. Same with my '09 Escape.
The website you pointed to has the following sentence on the front page:
"When examined separately for passenger cars and light trucks / van (LTVs) , drls in LTVs significantly reduced LTVs involvement in the target two vehicle by 5.7 percent". That would seem contrary to what they want.
The rest of the snippet on that page is a bit out of context in that it talks about undefined "target crashes".
Another point made further in the website claims that the automakers pushed for DRLs for the profit motive. I've been following the news closely for over 40 years. I cannot recall ANY time the automakers pushed for safety requirements. They fought every safety change tooth and nail. They may have asked for standardization of potential requirements. That is believable.
Because of these three issues, I would not value the info in that site.
If you don't like DRLs turn them off. My '96 Volvo has them with a small switch next to the main headlight switch that disables them. The instructions are in the owners manual. My F150 does not have them and I am thinking about adding them. Same with my '09 Escape.