Automatic Headlights
03-06-2013, 05:57 PM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 155
Automatic Headlights
I just installed an Automatic Headlight kit in my 07 GT that I got from Amazon/Directed Electronics (Search for Auto headlight kit in Amazon - something like $30). All my other cars have this as a factory option and I wanted it for my Stang too.
If anyone is interested in doing this below are my 'notes'. Sorry I didn't take any pics but I can if anyone is interested.
I used the supplied small On/Off toggle switch to power this kit incase it screwed up or wasn't acting correctly. I mounted the toggle switch in the light switch assembly to the right of the dimmer. The kit has numerous options that I didn't want - like turning the headlights on if I turn the wipers on and something to do with the security system which would activate the parking lights. Also I didn't tie anything into the park lamp system either which is also a kit option so a bunch of wires were not used.
The harder part was figuring out which wires in the headlamp switch I needed to tie into. What worked (and I was careful not to let any magic smoke out) was connecting the kit supplied relay into what I call wires #6 & #9 on the headlight wire harness that plugs into the dash headlamp switch assembly. I called Wires #1 to 5 on the clip side of the wire harness which is on the left of the harness from the bottom to the top. Therefore wires 6 to 10are on the 2nd row of wires starting on the bottom of the harness/connector. All that was required was to short across the harness wires 6 & 9 with the kit supplied relay and the headlights, tail lights and the dash lights came on as I had hoped.
Also I didn't want this kit connected directly to the battery as they showed in the wiring diagram so I connected the ignition and power wires together through the toggle switch, then to a switched power source in the passenger footwell using an "add a fuse" so when the key was off - the headlight system is off too - no point in any sort of delay which could drain the battery.
A pleasant surprise was that just connecting wires 6 & 9 to the relay activated all the lights - same as if I switched the headlights on manually.
There is a reference somewhere to a Ford Auto headlamp kit but apparently that will only work up to 04.
If anyone is interested in doing this below are my 'notes'. Sorry I didn't take any pics but I can if anyone is interested.
I used the supplied small On/Off toggle switch to power this kit incase it screwed up or wasn't acting correctly. I mounted the toggle switch in the light switch assembly to the right of the dimmer. The kit has numerous options that I didn't want - like turning the headlights on if I turn the wipers on and something to do with the security system which would activate the parking lights. Also I didn't tie anything into the park lamp system either which is also a kit option so a bunch of wires were not used.
The harder part was figuring out which wires in the headlamp switch I needed to tie into. What worked (and I was careful not to let any magic smoke out) was connecting the kit supplied relay into what I call wires #6 & #9 on the headlight wire harness that plugs into the dash headlamp switch assembly. I called Wires #1 to 5 on the clip side of the wire harness which is on the left of the harness from the bottom to the top. Therefore wires 6 to 10are on the 2nd row of wires starting on the bottom of the harness/connector. All that was required was to short across the harness wires 6 & 9 with the kit supplied relay and the headlights, tail lights and the dash lights came on as I had hoped.
Also I didn't want this kit connected directly to the battery as they showed in the wiring diagram so I connected the ignition and power wires together through the toggle switch, then to a switched power source in the passenger footwell using an "add a fuse" so when the key was off - the headlight system is off too - no point in any sort of delay which could drain the battery.
A pleasant surprise was that just connecting wires 6 & 9 to the relay activated all the lights - same as if I switched the headlights on manually.
There is a reference somewhere to a Ford Auto headlamp kit but apparently that will only work up to 04.
03-08-2013, 11:03 AM
#3
Cut & Paste Expert
Join Date: May 2007
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 13,322
http://iihs.net/fsm/?dir=40&viewfile...0Autolamps.pdf
This will tell you the wire colors and positions on the headlight connector.
I did it with a simple $0.49 diode to just get the 'auto' portion of the headlights.
I didnt need the extra bells and whistles that the 'kit' provided so I didnt buy it.
The only drawback is that the headlight bulb life dropped in half
because of them running all the time during vehicle operation.
A ballast resistor would correct this problem but I didnt want
the hassle of installing one.
You could also go to the dealership and have them flash your SJB
with the logic for the Canadian models which have daytime
running headlights and bypass the addition of the kit and all
the hassles of wiring it into the harness.
Software rules over hardware any day.
This will tell you the wire colors and positions on the headlight connector.
I did it with a simple $0.49 diode to just get the 'auto' portion of the headlights.
I didnt need the extra bells and whistles that the 'kit' provided so I didnt buy it.
The only drawback is that the headlight bulb life dropped in half
because of them running all the time during vehicle operation.
A ballast resistor would correct this problem but I didnt want
the hassle of installing one.
You could also go to the dealership and have them flash your SJB
with the logic for the Canadian models which have daytime
running headlights and bypass the addition of the kit and all
the hassles of wiring it into the harness.
Software rules over hardware any day.
Last edited by 157dB; 03-08-2013 at 11:07 AM.
03-09-2013, 10:02 AM
#4
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 155
A few comments on the above responses.
157DB mentions that software could provide Daytime Running Lights (DRL) as we Canadians have. I have DRL's but STILL wanted Auto headlamps. The difference is that the factory DRL system ONLY turns on the headlights (nothing else) and as you mention - they are not as bright as the headlights are in the ON position - ballast resistor I guess. I have noticed that since the DRL system only turns on the headlights and NOT the parking lights (aka taillights) some people drive around at dusk and in the dark with only the headlights on and no tail lights so it becomes unsafe IMO and yes running full headlights on when ever the car is on would shorten their life. The Auto headlight kit provides a photocell (with a timedelay off) which turns the lights on as it gets dark (headlights + tail lights+dash lights) just as if you turned the switch to "Headlights" position. So there is somewhat of a difference between DRL and Auto headlights. So IMO DRL are nice for the day time (better visibility for oncoming traffic only) - but they don't take the place of headlights et al in the dark.
1) Page 2 of the wiring diagram provided shows an Auto position on the switch - but my switch doesn't have that option (position 1 is Auto) and it appears the wire connections are different on connector C205 of 86-1. My MKX does have the Auto feature and is equipped with the photocell. The wire numbers on the switch in the schematic don't seem to match where I connected the kit relay. Based on the schematic, I'd tend to use the connections on 7 & 10 but that is not where I connected the relay contacts to my switch wiring. (I took the switch out and used an ohmmeter to determine which contacts were changing in the 'Headlights' position.
2) Eric D - I assume you are referring to the car wiring diagram and not the kit wiring which I assume you have - so you now have that thanks to 157DB - but as I said it doesn't seem to match my switch. Yoiu will have to determine if it matches yours. Sorry for the confusion between my harness wiring numbers (above) and the info on the supplied diagram.
3) More detail on which wires on my harness I used (#'s 7 & 9). If you pull the light switch assembly out of the front of the dash (by pushing from behind), there is a tab or clip on the harness which allow the harness to disconnect from the switch itself. There are 2 wire harnesses on the module - one for the switch itself and one for dash dimming. On the removal tab side of the harness are wires 1-5 - on the left side of the harness. So wires 6 - 10 are on the right side of the harness. Wire #6 will be the closest to you, 10 farthest or if the switch in is the dash, the bottom wire is #6; 10 is higher up - I hope you know what I mean. With the switch in the OFF position, putting a jumper across wires 7 (Black) & 9 (Brown/ white stripe) will turn the headlights + dash + taillights on - so you can test it that way prior to wiring up the relay. If you look really closely, there are wired numbers on the connector.
4) Comments on the kit. As I said I didn't use some of the functions. I didn't connect the toggle switch to the 'box'. Instead I connected the red (power wire) and the yellow (ignition wire) together on one side of the toggle. The other side of the toggle I connected to switched power from the fuse box so I could completely disconnect the module from vehicle power. Plug the photocell into the 'box'. Connect the system up to a 12 volt battery and see which relay turns on/off as you cover/put light on the photocell (only 1 of the 2 relays will activate since you're not using the other features). Connect the dry contact wires from the relay to wires 7 & 9 on the light switch. Alternately check with an ohmmeter to see that you have the correct relay wires. Open = lights off/ closed = lights on.
Sorry I can't tell you what wire colors to use - the car is not here right now but I will be out to see it on Tuesday if you need more info - and I can take pic's if you need.
Hope this helps and is not too confusing. Let me know.
157DB mentions that software could provide Daytime Running Lights (DRL) as we Canadians have. I have DRL's but STILL wanted Auto headlamps. The difference is that the factory DRL system ONLY turns on the headlights (nothing else) and as you mention - they are not as bright as the headlights are in the ON position - ballast resistor I guess. I have noticed that since the DRL system only turns on the headlights and NOT the parking lights (aka taillights) some people drive around at dusk and in the dark with only the headlights on and no tail lights so it becomes unsafe IMO and yes running full headlights on when ever the car is on would shorten their life. The Auto headlight kit provides a photocell (with a timedelay off) which turns the lights on as it gets dark (headlights + tail lights+dash lights) just as if you turned the switch to "Headlights" position. So there is somewhat of a difference between DRL and Auto headlights. So IMO DRL are nice for the day time (better visibility for oncoming traffic only) - but they don't take the place of headlights et al in the dark.
1) Page 2 of the wiring diagram provided shows an Auto position on the switch - but my switch doesn't have that option (position 1 is Auto) and it appears the wire connections are different on connector C205 of 86-1. My MKX does have the Auto feature and is equipped with the photocell. The wire numbers on the switch in the schematic don't seem to match where I connected the kit relay. Based on the schematic, I'd tend to use the connections on 7 & 10 but that is not where I connected the relay contacts to my switch wiring. (I took the switch out and used an ohmmeter to determine which contacts were changing in the 'Headlights' position.
2) Eric D - I assume you are referring to the car wiring diagram and not the kit wiring which I assume you have - so you now have that thanks to 157DB - but as I said it doesn't seem to match my switch. Yoiu will have to determine if it matches yours. Sorry for the confusion between my harness wiring numbers (above) and the info on the supplied diagram.
3) More detail on which wires on my harness I used (#'s 7 & 9). If you pull the light switch assembly out of the front of the dash (by pushing from behind), there is a tab or clip on the harness which allow the harness to disconnect from the switch itself. There are 2 wire harnesses on the module - one for the switch itself and one for dash dimming. On the removal tab side of the harness are wires 1-5 - on the left side of the harness. So wires 6 - 10 are on the right side of the harness. Wire #6 will be the closest to you, 10 farthest or if the switch in is the dash, the bottom wire is #6; 10 is higher up - I hope you know what I mean. With the switch in the OFF position, putting a jumper across wires 7 (Black) & 9 (Brown/ white stripe) will turn the headlights + dash + taillights on - so you can test it that way prior to wiring up the relay. If you look really closely, there are wired numbers on the connector.
4) Comments on the kit. As I said I didn't use some of the functions. I didn't connect the toggle switch to the 'box'. Instead I connected the red (power wire) and the yellow (ignition wire) together on one side of the toggle. The other side of the toggle I connected to switched power from the fuse box so I could completely disconnect the module from vehicle power. Plug the photocell into the 'box'. Connect the system up to a 12 volt battery and see which relay turns on/off as you cover/put light on the photocell (only 1 of the 2 relays will activate since you're not using the other features). Connect the dry contact wires from the relay to wires 7 & 9 on the light switch. Alternately check with an ohmmeter to see that you have the correct relay wires. Open = lights off/ closed = lights on.
Sorry I can't tell you what wire colors to use - the car is not here right now but I will be out to see it on Tuesday if you need more info - and I can take pic's if you need.
Hope this helps and is not too confusing. Let me know.
Last edited by BrianK; 04-18-2013 at 06:23 PM.
03-09-2013, 12:21 PM
#5
Cut & Paste Expert
Join Date: May 2007
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 13,322
Its designed to catch drunk drivers more often.
They forget to turn on the headlights because
in their foggy state, they see the DRLs and think
the headlights are on...
03-09-2013, 02:08 PM
#6
6th Gear Member
03-18-2013, 02:38 PM
#9
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Clermont, FL
Posts: 2,952
Whats your logic? I forget to turn my headlights on all the time in the GT. mainly cause I run with the foglights on when I do drive it and they are brighter than the headlights in my fox which is my DD
03-21-2013, 07:37 PM
#10
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 155
I took some pics of my installation - not much to see but it shows the connection of the Automatic Headlight system into the wiring. In case others want to do the same. Can someone tell me where the link is to attach photos. All I see are http links.