I want my Mazda MX5 (Miata) to have daytime running lights, and I want to have this be the General Motors method of using the high beam bulbs at half power. This way bulb life is not significantly affected and people will find it easier to see my little Mazda.
If I go to a pick-and-pull junk yard, what parts would I take from a GM wreck, to install on my car.
Why not just drive with your headlights on?
Daytime running lights have been required on all cars in Canada for many years. If you live close to the border, why not go to a Canadian wrecking yard and get all the hardware for a few dollars.
I plucked this quote off a site that discusses DRLs:
"The types of Daytime Running Light (DRL) Systems that GM uses are varied indeed. The use of high beams in a parallel circuit, a dropping resistor or diode and even the turn signals, may be used.
Daytime Running Lights have come to us by way of our neighbors to the north, Canada. They used the technology as a safety enhancement for many years prior to their migration south. The way GM goes about turning them on and off varies greatly from model to model and takes advantage of existing harnesses and switching as well as bulbs."
So bwanapete, you cannot simply say “Hey there’s a GM vehicle! I’ll go for items x, y, and z!” Better first see what’s available, then bring along that model’s repair manual.
Look at the wiring diagram for your car with Canadian spec DRLs. Get those components. It’s likely that no one will pull wiring for you. About the only thing you can do is ask for the wiring connector, with the wires cut off, be included with each component. Then, you’d have to splice on wires and run them from component to component. Radio Shack, and online stores, have rolls of wire. Have fun!
Chances are, a DRL module just plugs into your existing wiring. Check at your local dealer’s parts department.
It would be economically smarter to just turn your headlights on and replace the bulb when it wears out then to invest the time and money with this conversion.
I agree, doesn’t make sense to install DRLs when you can simply turn on the headlights. Just do us all a favor and use your low beams! Even in the daytime, high beams at full power are blinding to oncoming traffic.
The use of high beams in a parallel circuit, a dropping resistor or diode and even the turn signals, may be used.
Diode on a DC circuit???
yes on some D/C circuits.
have you found out if your car ever had the option to come with DRL’s?
if it was an option from the factory with them originally (although not in your car,) as Nybo said, it is most likely a plug in, or unplug the old and plug in the new controller.
as far as the half life of half high beams bulbs, why not just go with the regular DRL? simpler, cheaper and just as effective.
check at the mazda parts desk.
Yep, just do as some of the others suggested. Your first stop might be a Miata board. I bet you will find a dozen people there who have done it if it is plug and play because of the Canadian thing. If it is not PNP with Mazda parts, it would be easier to DIY. Just install a DPDT relay that puts the bulbs in series for DRL in in the normal position when not. You will have to install another relay to have them come on with the ignition. If you can’t figure this out from my description, take it to an automotive electrical shop. They can so it lickity-split