Hello All,
I just recently purchased a 2001 F150 Supercrew Lariat 4X4 5.4L W/Auto. My question concerns the Headlight Switch and its functions. The guy I bought my truck from always kept it in the ‘Auto’ position. From my limited research before I bought it, it was my belief that in the ‘Auto’ position, the switch would only turn on the lights at night and automatically turn them off when you got out of the vehicle. I noticed that the lights stayed on during the daytime, which made me think that my truck came with a Daytime Running Lights option. I thought when on DRL mode, the headlights would come on at a percentage of their normal brightness and the rest of the lights would stay off (i.e. taillights). But the other day, I noticed that the tails where on with the switch in the ‘auto’ position during the day with the truck running. If someone could help clarify how this system works and if my system is working properly or not. I like the Auto Lights, but am not sure I want all the lights on all the time. I would like to mod the truck so the factory fogs work as the DRL and the rest of the lights come on when it gets dark enough. I know how to wire the fogs to the ignition so they only come on when the key is one. I am also locating the fog light relay under the hood to mod it so the fogs do not shut off when the high’s are on (this is a mod that I have done on my Ford Focus and it works really well). Any and all help would be greatly appreciated as I am new to the S-Crew club. Thanks in advance. Chuck. ;-)

 

I have a 2003 FX4 SC Lariat and I think there is a problem with your 'auto' position. You are correct in your post, the lights should turn off when you shut the ignition off and get out of the truck. My lights stay on for about a minute or so, but automatically go off after that. In the auto position, the lights will come on if the sensor on the dash detects reduced daylight / sunlight. During the morning drive, they go off by themselves as the sun comes up. You might want to have them checked. I am not familiar with a DRL option on the F-150.

 

A big SWAG is that there is a problem with the photocell under the oval part of the dash. The little grille on the dash is what it is under.

It is about 20 sec for enough light to be collected to turn them on or off. If you have something on the dahs covering it, that could be the cause of the lights staying on all the time, or something is covering the photocell under the dash. The oval pops right off.

Good luck, let us know what is going on, and myself or someone else will help you trace down the problem.

DRL is just he headlights, and is a seperate part that performs this function.

 

Well as my teenage daughter would say...............DEEEERRRRRRRR. I do not know why but for some reason or another, I thought the Auto sensor was in the grill somewhere. Sure enough, the previous owner had all the bells and whistles on my truck and low and behold, a dashmat is included in the amenities. LMAO. Anyways, long story short, after reading y'all comments, I went outside and pulled the dashmat back and turned on the truck with the lights in auto. I then took a flashlight and pointed it right at the sensor, and voila, the lights went out after about 20 seconds. Thanks for everyone's input and I will let everyone know what I end up doing with the fog mod. Chuck.

 

http://www.svtlightnings.com/svt/how...s/foglamps.htm


Go to this page , all you need to know with pics

RajunCajun