Driving lights

Split from General / Technical for discussion of anything electrical, electronic... 12v, Inverter, Satellite, Headlights, flashlights etc.
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Blue~Go
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Joined: July 31st, 2014, 1:01 am
Location: 1999 Concourse

Driving lights

Post by Blue~Go »

I brought this over from the "Here's my Chinook" thread. I have questions too and figured I'd start a nrew thread vs. expanding on it in that one.
jvanwezenb wrote: Does your 2004 Concourse have driving lights and do they work? Haven't figured out how to get mine to work and still looking for a fuse.
Funny you ask that. I have a "driving lights" toggle switch in the little mini panel above my right shoulder as sitting in the driver's seat, but have never noticed extra light fixtures, and have never gotten around to trying them to see if they even exist :? I just read something the other day about turning them on. Can't remember exactly, but maybe it was that you had to have your high beam headlights on when turning on the driving lights :?: (Too, I have a '99, so it may have changed.)
1999 Concourse
Manitou
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Re: Driving lights

Post by Manitou »

One of those times I wish we had details in this mod. I know I read how to change the light switch so that the lights come in anytime you flip the switch... Not just when the high beams are on. Unfortunate, just spent 20 min searching my email from the yahoo group with no luck. Ugg. Anyone now the trick to make the "driving lights" switch independent of the high beams?
robtbritn
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Location: Hollister, CA

Re: Driving lights

Post by robtbritn »

I would think there must be a relay involved that ties into the headlights?? You could reconfigure the relay so that the driving lights are activated with the switch and take the headlights out of the loop. Or, you could just re-wire the driving lights entirely using your own relay but you would still need to trace down the wire coming from the overhead switch. Use the existing switch and wire to trigger the new relay, the relay would be wired directly to 12 volt and another wire to the lights.

Doing it this way keeps all the current from going through the switch as the switch will just be activating the relay. The drawing below shows how to do it...

Bob
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Robert Britton
2005 Glacier 4x4
Hollister, California
Manitou
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Re: Driving lights

Post by Manitou »

Makes sense. The light bar I got came with a wire harness (relay and switch), but I want to use the existing overhead switch instead. Just need to know the wire color(s) I suppose. I have a manual that's got lots of schematics.. I'll give that a look today and see what I can figure out. Thanks.
Concourse
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Re: Driving lights

Post by Concourse »

From what I recall (My 2004 is currently in winter storage) the factory driving lights (lights below bumper) are not related to the headlights. Just flip the overhead switch console switch and they come on. Maybe the headlights have to be on (don't recall that but maybe so you can't leave them on) but definitely not related to high-beam only. If the overhead switch doesn't turn them on then there is a problem (fuse, ground, corrosion, etc.)
2004 Chinook Concourse (Sold and missed)
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Astrodokk
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Location: Seattle, WA

Re: Driving lights

Post by Astrodokk »

I can confirm that my fog/driving lights located on the fiberglass bumper do come on independently of any other lights or switches. Sometimes I like to drive with only those on until I really need headlights. Main reason is that I have a nice double din smart touchscreen and I've got it set to dim at night when my headlights come on, but too dim for daytime use. I don't like having to reset the brightness every time I use headlights. So the fog lights act as a daytime running light type service, only they're yellow/orange. Doesn't matter to me though.
2000 Ford E350 415CI/6.8L V-10 Triton Chinook Concourse XL Club Lounge
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