Daytime running lights , mk1 wiring

[poorcol1964]

Hi can someone tell me where I should connect the auxiliary wire from the black regulator box ( yellow ) to run DRL's ?

[Mirez]

What is that wire labelled as? Without knowing the manufacturer thats not an easy thing to say... normally however the aux wire would be used to dim them when the headlights are on (required by law) in which case you can use any line that goes 12v when they are om

[poorcol1964]

Yes , the wire needs to go to somewhere that is powered up when the ignition is switched on .

[marinabrid]

anyone fitted these lights to a MK2 with a photo so can have a look what types are avialable and how they look on the Gal

[johnnyroper]

I think you will struggle to find a switched feed that is suitable under the bonnet,best bet is to run one from inside the cabin. Seem to remember a grommet on bulkhead passenger side so could take it off radio wiring and run out the grommet?

[mike wilson]

Yes , the wire needs to go to somewhere that is powered up when the ignition is switched on .

Not necessarily the same as headlights on.

[mike wilson]

..........how they look on the Gal

That's easy.

Atrocious.

[counsy]

Hi yellow wire goes to either side light or dip and obviously red positive and black earth.

[poorcol1964]

Sorry but as you can tell I'm no auto electrician , please explain how this all works ?
We have 2 wires one red one black , these go direct to the battery .
We have 2 more wires one black one red , these go to the LED's.
Then we have a yellow wire  which should be attached to the dip/side lights circuit ?
Q. If the unit is directly attached to the battery , what stops the LED's being on all the time ?

I was under the impression that the yellow wire is attached to the lighting circuit in order to signal the unit to dim the LED's.

Please explain !

[Mirez]

Red to an jgnition circuit not direct to battery!

This is a common mistake that causes.fires, nothing EVER gets connected to the battery unless it's IMMEDIATELY fused.

[poorcol1964]

The wiring instructions are to wire to the battery directly and the positive red wire has an inline fuse !

[johnnyroper]

The wiring instructions are to wire to the battery directly and the positive red wire has an inline fuse !

Personally even with inline fuse I wouldn't wire direct to battery,I prefer tapping in to a feed from the fuse box on an ignition fed circuit for something like DRL.

[johnnyroper]

Just to add unless it is something like a radio it does not need a perm live to keep memory,having it switched live there is no chance of having battery drain issues should it develop a fault.

[counsy]

Hi poorcol like you suggested these DRL harnesses which you have needs to be connected direct to the battery as it is fused and also it should turn your DRL LED's off automatically after it senses a drop in the power when you switch the ignition off. Your battery should run just over 14v when idle and either 12v or just under when the engine is off, the black box you see connected to the harness should be programmed with this feature as I have connected these to numerous cars over the last 3 yrs.

[Mirez]

A car battery has enough current to weld a spanner across its terminals without breaking a sweat, it'll make short work of that cheap Chinese wiring in the event that something goes wrong and you 100% won't be covered by any insurance once its inspected.

The point here however is that there is ZERO requirement to connect direct to the battery, the circuit will still work if it comes from an ignition fed supply yet it will be protected by the fuse for the ignition circuit and wiring that is designed to take the current. Connecting to the battery is purely down to convenience for the manufacturer and laziness of the owner. In house wiring its the reason part P came in because Yes, any unqualified numpty can wire something but that doesn't make it safe.

You dont have to google much to find examples...
http://www.mdxers.org/forums/2-general-discussions/12040-warning-fire-pilot-automotive-aftermarket-drl-kits.html

[johnnyroper]

As above for sake of a bit more work wire them in properly for your own peace of mind.

[poorcol1964]

Ok , so just to clarify : I will connect red to switched power and the yellow wire I assume is connected to a positive wire running to the head/side lights ?

[counsy]

Yes either dipped or side lights.

[poorcol1964]

Thanks guys