I know this is an old thread but for those interested in Daytime riunning lights someone figured iit out so I'll paste the instructions here:
Ford has, at various times, referred to the two lights in the grille of the ’02-‘05 T-Birds as “Supplementary Parking Lights” (I’ll refer to them as SPLs), “Driving Lamps,” and “
Running Lights,” and even before the T-Bird was in actual production they referred to them as “
Fog Lights.” As we know, the T-Bird bumper failed some
part of the crash test that therefore prevented them from installing
Fog Lights there, so some Birds came with no lights (just little painted plates) and others with regular lights installed.
Since buying my ’05 Bird, almost a month ago, I desired to make those two lights function as
Daytime Running Lights (DRLs), in that they would come on whenever the car was running, regardless of the light switch position, and that “only” those two lights would be on, unless the light switch was activated.
As I studied the ’05
Workshop Manual and
Wiring Diagrams I realized that because they were originally designed into the car as
fog lights, that they therefore had their own circuit, thus if I could activate them, then I wouldn’t be activating the other parking and side lights.
The
wiring diagrams showed the SPLs got their power from the Auxiliary Junction Box (AJB) under the hood, right behind the passenger
headlight assembly. The power was “Hot at all times” and the lights came on whenever the light switch on the dash panel was activated, which simply caused the SPL circuit to be grounded.
www.biblebb.com/DRL/origcircuit.pdf
I knew the key was to change the power source to “Hot in Start or Run” and to always have the SPL circuit grounded.
My goals were to:
• Have this to be a very inexpensive and simple modification (Mod).
• A Mod that would not void the new car warranty.
• A Mod that could easily be reversed (removed)
• A mod that did not cause any “Ford” wires to be cut.
• A mod that would allow all the other light functions to operate normally, to include the “exterior lamp inoperative messaging system” that sends a message to the
instrument cluster whenever an exterior bulb burns out.
The solution was simple. I bought a quality “Mini (fuse)” Add-A-Circuit (made by “Littelfuse”
www.biblebb.com/DRL/addcircuit.pdf
that basically tapped power from another electrical bus, fuse connector (F1.05) in the AJB (Hot in Start or Run),
Note: By using the Add-A-Circuit it made it very easy to tap the power I wanted, for the Add-A-Circuit fit only one way (as depicted) in fuse location F1.05
www.biblebb.com/DRL/tappedpower.pdf
www.biblebb.com/DRL/final-connect.jpg
and then ran that power to the SPL fuse holder (F1.03).
I cut the wire on the Add-A-Circuit to fit and added a standard red (small) male blade end. I did note that it was too wide to fit securely in the “circuit” pin of F1.03, so I ground it to half its original width, thus making it approximate the size of a “mini” fuse blade.
Note: Be sure to test the two connectors in F1.03. One will always be HOT (12 volts) and the other will be dead (0 volts). You want to put the new Add-A-Circuit into the dead (0 volts) side. It will come alive when the key is turned to Start or Run. On my Bird it was the top connector (towards the windshield that was dead (0 volts).
Both the tapped circuit and the SPL circuit maintained their designed circuit fuse protection independent of each other. (See fuse locations on Add-A-Circuit…15
Amp fuse on bottom, and 10
Amp fuse on top).
www.biblebb.com/DRL/addcircuit.pdf
Note: the tap of F1.05 was on the power side and not the fused side. Thus, I did not interfere with the original circuit it powers. Rather I simply tapped the power wire coming from the “Hot in Start or Run Bus,” therefore, both the 1.05 and 1.03 circuits are independent and have their proper circuit protection—I simply changed the SPL circuit from one Bus to another Bus.
You will also note the little red piece of plastic I cut to fit in the little slot in the middle of the fuse holder. I did this to eliminate any possibility of the new power plug that now powers the SPL circuit from sliding or moving over (remote chance) and ever touching the original and still hot pin.
www.biblebb.com/DRL/final-connect.jpg
The “Add-A-Fuse” claims their product “Maintains New Car Warranty” and is designed for adding accessories requiring 10 amps or less, and the SPLs only require a 10
amp fuse, thus the circuit most likely requires less than 10 amps. I then made a permanent ground for the SPL. I found that behind each SPL there was this really neat ground point:
part of the
radiator frame that had two unused drilled holes. You can choose either SPL to make the ground—I chose the driver’s—just because.
www.biblebb.com/DRL/groundpoint.jpg
But even though I could see the new ground point and touch it by squeezing my hand through the lower air inlets, I found I did not have enough hand movement, so I dropped the lower “splash shield” (that’s what I call it). It has a number of screws, but can be dropped from the front without completely removing the back of it. Dropping this shield gives ample movement to secure the new ground wire.
www.biblebb.com/DRL/splashshield.jpg
It was good that I did this, for I found a leaking connector hose that runs (I guess) from the
radiator to the transmission. I was able to simply tighten the factory clamp and have not noted any automatic
transmission fluid leak since then.
I then removed the SPL—very simple: one Phillips screw. Loosen it until the light is free. The screw stays in it hole:
www.biblebb.com/DRL/SPLremoved.jpg
I wanted to avoid cutting the factory ground wire (black w/white stripe) to maintain the original function of the lighting system and bulb monitoring function, so I used a 3M quick-splice connector (red for 18 gage) to make a tap off the original ground wire to the new, auxiliary ground.
I also wanted to be able to quickly return the whole system to stock, so I put a quick disconnect on the new ground wire. You will note that I ran the new ground wire down the SPL wire bundle to ensure that the SPL will still extend completely out of the bumper for bulb changing:
www.biblebb.com/DRL/newground.jpg
www.biblebb.com/DRL/newground2.jpg
Before I put the SPL back in place I taped the new quick-splice connector and the new ground wire with a quality vinyl electrical tape to protect them and keep everything dry.
The result: Whenever the car is started the SPLs come on, and ONLY them, no amber parking lights, or side lights, or tail lights. Of course whenever the light switch is activated then all lights function as stock with the following exceptions:
1. With the Ignition Switch in the LOCK, OFF, or ACC position, the SPLs are off, thus if you turn on the "parking lights," without the key in the Start or Run position, then you get all the Parking lights on except the SPLs, which seems to be way one would expect a car to operate.
2. In the “Autolamp on” mode it works normally with the ignition switch in the Run position, however, when you shut off the ignition, then the SPLs will go off as soon as the ignition is out of the Run position, but all the rest of the lights will stay on until the delay time has expired.
The total cost of the Mod was about $5.
Any comments or questions or suggestions? Always looking for a better way to do things or for anyone noting any potential problems with this mod.
Added another thought: If you feel uneasy about taking your Bird into the local Ford dealer for servicing with the added Mod to the fuse box for the DRLs, then all you have to do is simply remove the Add-A-Circuit unit from F1.05, replacing it with a 15
amp fuse. But be sure "you don't" put a fuse in F1.03, since you have a constant ground and the insertion of a fuse will light up the SPLs continually, regardless of key position. By leaving the fuse (F1.03) out, the only thing different is your SPLs won't work.
Now if you want to completely reverse the Mod, then remove the Add-A-Circuit module; replace F1.05 with a 15
amp fuse, and "disconnect the aux ground" and install a 10
amp fuse in F1.03--and you are back to completely stock SPLs functions.
By the way, I stuck a spare 15 amp and a spare 10
amp fuse in the unused fuse slots in the underhood fuse box, since it is harder to pull them out of the Add-A-Circuit module.
Note the ref abFord has, at various times, referred to the two lights in the grille of the ’02-‘05 T-Birds as “Supplementary Parking Lights” (I’ll refer to them as SPLs), “Driving Lamps,” and “
Running Lights,” and even before the T-Bird was in actual production they referred to them as “
Fog Lights.” As we know, the T-Bird bumper failed some
part of the crash test that therefore prevented them from installing
Fog Lights there, so some Birds came with no lights (just little painted plates) and others with regular lights installed.
Since buying my ’05 Bird, almost a month ago, I desired to make those two lights function as
Daytime Running Lights (DRLs), in that they would come on whenever the car was running, regardless of the light switch position, and that “only” those two lights would be on, unless the light switch was activated.
See next post
