View Full Version : Annoying Auto Headlights!
GMC D-Max
07-16-2002, 13:32
I did a search and found plenty of info on disabling the Automatic headlight feature, but what I would like to do is modify the sensitivity of the sensor on the dash. Is there a mod that can cause the system to wait until it's darker before triggering the headlights? Mine come on sometimes in the middle of the day if it's cloudy (which happens alot here in Washington!). Any ideas?
Maybe I'm missing something, but how can automatic headlights be a bad thing? Mine are not overly sensative, however maybe I'm a lazy driver, the last 3 trucks we have had, I have NEVER turned on my headlights, LOVE the auto feature..
someone explain to me what is the big deal with these things? And why people are going through the trouble of disabling them? wonder if your the cause of an accident, if they find out yours are off, when should be on you'll be in "the wrong?" Kind of a safety feature isn't it?
Brandy
DmaxMaverick
07-16-2002, 14:08
Brandy
I don't understand it either. Must be a control thing.
GMC D-Max
Sounds like a dealer problem if you still have warranty. They will replace the photocell on the dash if it is too sensitive. I haven't heard of any of them being adjustible.
Cheers
Not only do I like the feature, I aspect everything I drive to have the same feature ...... How many times have I jumped in my old jalopy,or some one elses vehicle, and driven down the road with no lights on, and be flashed by on coming traffic ...... :rolleyes:
MAC
In the US its a law for motorcycles to have them on ALL THE TIME. IMO, So should other vehicles. I always have mine turned on. I'd like to wire them to come on with the key. Safety first!
Another pet peeve is people that will NOT turn their headlights on when its raining during the day! I want EVERYBODY to see me CRYSTAL CLEAR, day, night, rain, snow, smoke (last week!), whatever. Shouldn't everybody feel the same way?
GMC D-Max
07-16-2002, 14:32
Well, I'm a young guy (33), with perfect vision, and enough common sense to know whether or not I need to turn my headlights on! Don't get me wrong, I LIKE my auto headlights, but my beef is they will come on when it's a beautiful, sunny day if I'm in the shadow of a tractor-trailer sitting next to me at an intersection, or at dawn when the sun is shining in my eyes such that I need my sunglasses. Makes no sense. If they're that worried about them coming on before total darkness or even sunset, why don't they just hard-wire the headlights on ALL the time?!? I've already disabled my DRL's, because they're a moronic, stop-gap measure against idiots that can't see where they're going in the first place. If you can't see my big truck coming at you in the daytime, you shouldn't be on the road. <end of rant>
I WILL be bringing this up to the dealer when I make my next visit, but I really don't expect any help from them. I just wondered if anybody else has experienced the same frustration as I have with these lights turning on (ding!) when so much as a bird passes overhead!
GMC D-Max,
Ah so your picking on the OLD ONE'S ..... EH?????? :D
Any way it's a safety thing as oppose to convenient ...... There is a way to disable if your so oppose to it . It has to do with the little acorn nut looking things up on the dash ......Read here
=>http://forum.62-65-dieselpage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=7&t=002155&p=
Just don't tell your INS. company I had anything to do with it when the guy who hits ya says "HE DIDN'T HAVE HIS LIGHTS ON, I DIDN'T SEE HIM" .......
MAC
:D
Oh I see you all ready did this ,so next best thing would be to keep your extra bright flash light handy to shine when a bird flies over tongue.gif
[ 07-16-2002: Message edited by: mackin ]</p>
GMC D-Max
07-16-2002, 15:44
Thanks Mackin! I figured I'd just carry my pistol so I could shoot the bird instead! Especially the one that likes to crap all over my side mirrors first thing in the morning! :D
GMC D-Max,
<<<Well, I'm a young guy (33), with perfect vision, and enough common sense to know whether or not I need to turn my headlights on>>>
Geez, I wonder how young you have to be to have enough common sense to shift your own gears?
:eek:
How do you like that Alli? :D
Kevin
GMC D-Max
07-16-2002, 16:33
Nice dig, 2k2AD!
So I'm getting lazy in my young age! :D
Gotta say I LOVE the Allison! Wouldn't trade it for anything else. Funny thing: I and a couple friends planned to go to the Oregon dunes this weekend for a little quad riding. I'm taking my rig, with an 11'+ camper, one of my buddies' was going to take his F*rd PSD and his 9-1/2'. Well, I get a call this past weekend and he says they've gotta ride down and bunk with me because his PSD is in the shop with a blown torque converter! Go figure! He's been a hard-core GM fanatic in the past, but he bought a F*rd truck for economic reasons (cheaper price tag). That'll learn 'im!! :D
SoCalDMAX
07-16-2002, 17:16
Well I suppose you could wire up a potentiometer in lieu of the sensor. I don't recall the value of the fixed resistor used to replace the sensor, but if you found it and doubled that value as a starting point and wired it instead of the sensor, you could dial up your desired sensitivity.
I resemble that young remark! I can still hand solder FPGA's with fine pitch leads without a loup or magnifier! My buddy has to use a microscope to QA my work.
I can't see if my wife's a$$ is getting fat, but that's another issue... ;) Let's call it self preservation. :D
Regards, Steve
GMC-2002-Dmax
07-16-2002, 20:19
All ya gotta do is get in and start it up , THEN just press the dome overide twice and CHIMES ARE HEARD.
VUALLA!!! the Auto feature is disabled, only until you start the truck again.
GMC :eek:
Umm,
The lights are on for THEM to see you, not the other way around. There are a lot of people driving around half asleep, distracted or even a few drunks that need that little HELLO, I'm here.
Greyhound Bus (buses are big) was the one that figured this out about 30 or so years ago. Buses ran with their lights on during daylight and the collision rate went down. It's the difference between active and passive recognition.
How about another tidbit. Around 1960 or so, the color of parking lights (yes, they are called parking lights) changed from small white lights to amber so that a parked car, properly lit, would not be mistaken for a distant car with headlights on. Right off people wanted everyone to know that their car was one of the new ones, so, they DROVE with their PARKING LIGHTS ON.
Auto manufacturers picked up on this and advertised vehicles with the parking lights lit.
So, that is why you see so many people driving around with their parking lights on, they want you to know they have one of the cool new ('60s or newer) cars. Actually, most of them don't know that they are called parking lights but just know they are cool. Kind of like, I don't know why we do it that way, we've always done it that way.
With the new daylight driving lights, I am hoping that people that have older cars will try to pretend they have a newer model and go ahead and turn on their headlioghts when driving.
John
Umm,
The lights are on for THEM to see you, not the other way around. There are a lot of people driving around half asleep, distracted or even a few drunks that need that little HELLO, I'm here.
Greyhound Bus (buses are big) was the one that figured this out about 30 or so years ago. Buses ran with their lights on during daylight and the collision rate went down. It's the difference between active and passive recognition.
How about another tidbit. Around 1960 or so, the color of parking lights (yes, they are called parking lights) changed from small white lights to amber so that a parked car, properly lit, would not be mistaken for a distant car with headlights on. Right off people wanted everyone to know that their car was one of the new ones, so, they DROVE with their PARKING LIGHTS ON.
Auto manufacturers picked up on this and advertised vehicles with the parking lights lit.
So, that is why you see so many people driving around with their parking lights on, they want you to know they have one of the cool new ('60s or newer) cars. Actually, most of them don't know that they are called parking lights but just know they are cool. Kind of like, I don't know why we do it that way, we've always done it that way.
With the new daylight driving lights, I am hoping that people that have older cars will try to pretend they have a newer model and go ahead and turn on their headlioghts when driving.
John
I run the headlight in the on position 99% of the time.
In fact, I'd like to have a way to turn the auto sensor to auto on. Lights on for safety...
BTW, I run the high beam on the Harley during daylight hours and only switch back at dusk where it could be annoying to other motorists.
SoMnDMAX
07-16-2002, 22:54
One could say John Kennedy has a fetish for headlights :eek: ;) :D
[ 07-17-2002: Message edited by: SoMnDMAX ]</p>
SoMnDMAX
Actually headlights on doesn't always work, but you have to try for the percentages. The woman that hit me head on had just closed her eyes before I came around the bend. She didn't have a chance to see my headlights. 110 MPH meetings happen quicker then you can react when close. Messes up the front end and lots of stuff inside the rig.
Admit it, you drive with your parking lights on.
It's OK, some of my best friends do too.
John
SoMnDMAX
07-17-2002, 01:05
JEFSHP, sorry to hear about your accident. Hopefully no one got hurt too bad.
I know, the headlight thing doesn't always work, but it helps. Like you said, you gotta try for the percentages. When I'm on the bike, I cruise with my headlight on high beam. (No, I'm not trying to be like kennedy) I'm running a 100 watt bulb, it's bright as he**, but people still pull out to pass in front of me. Needless to say, I've had a few too many close calls. No head ons, but hitting the gravel shoulder at 60-65 MPH on the motorcycle is a bit of a sphincter puckering experience...
Typically, I have my lights off during the day, unless I'm pulling the trailer. Then the lights are on. Minnesota law also requires the lights to be on whenever the windshield wipers are on. Unfortunately, no one abides by the law...
But, you're right- I do drive with my parking lights on, especially at dusk. It just looks cool.. :cool: :D
JimWilson
07-17-2002, 06:11
I guess for some of us it can be distilled down to one immutable fact; if I want my headlights on I'll turn them on. If there were a fairly easy method for disabling GM's misguided attempt at protecting me I would do it in a heartbeat. I can reprogram the power door locks to behave in a manner of my choosing, so not offering me the option of doing the same with the headlights is incomprehensible.
In Canada, daytime running lights are the law for ALL new vehicles. The only ones that don't have them are those built before the law came out. You will be fined if you don't have them on a vehicle that was sold with them.
The sensor for the full headlights works just fine in my truck. It has to be dark for a few minutes before the sensor will trigger the lights. I've driven through a tunnel we have in town many times and the lights don't come on. Are you sure you don't have a dust bunny on top of your sensor :D :D :D
And don't you hate to have to use turn signals before turning? Is there a way to disable all that courteous stuff?
These features, safety belts, helmets, daytime driving lights, auto headlights and so on are designed to save lives, ours and others.
G0d forbid someone else makes us do something that keeps us all safer.
Who cares if the lights come on once in a while where you may not have normally turned them on. What is the big whip?
Just don't make me stop at railraod crossings and open my door... ;)
[ 07-17-2002: Message edited by: hoot ]</p>
JimWilson
07-17-2002, 07:25
hoot;
You're making my point for me, even though you seem to be trying for the opposite...
- when you want to turn, YOU decide if you want to use the turn signal
- when you want to be safe, YOU decide if you want to use your seatbelts
- when you want to protect your noodle, YOU decide if you want to use a helmet
Okay, so why should the headlights be different? They shouldn't be -- when I want them on I'll turn them on, and that is not something that should be dictated by GM. BTW; I've pulled the fuse on my DRL's, so I don't even have those! :D
When you decide not to use your turn signal, you are breaking the law but more importantly, you are being discourteous and ignorant of others on the road that is SHARED by all. People actually die when accidents happen. Many times just because someone failed to let others know what their intentions were.
When you decide not to use your seatbelts, in most states you are breaking the law but more importantly you are being discourteous and selfish again to others. Seatbelts are proven beyond doubt to save lives in almost all situations. You die, your family suffers. You get seriously injured, everyone suffers because of your own selfishness. Not to mention the rest of us having to watch your lifeless body getting thrown from the vehicle.
When you decide not to wear a helmet, you decided that it's not important what happens to you when your head hits the pavement. That's just plain stupidity.
Jim, this is not aimed at you personally. It's my feelings and it's towards the public in general.
Don't you just love watching people doing 75 mph talking on the phone and weaving without signals or running the hammer oblivious to everyone else at dusk (just about dark) with no lights on?
I don't mind minor safety gadgets and laws. As long as they really help, I'm for it. There's much to mu ch distraction driving these days. The auto light feature just helps make sure one thing is taken care of.
[ 07-17-2002: Message edited by: hoot ]</p>
Hoot,
I think you meant to say the auto cancelling function of the turn signals... :D
ACTUALLY, having an ON/Auto/Manual switch capability for the light sensor would be the cat's you know what...
ON = Lights on with key as on a motorcycle
Auto = Function as they do now
Manual = Lights off unless switch is on
DRL would function as normal.
So, that said, we CAN have manual by cycling the dome override button, and we already have auto, so to do the ON thing you just need to cover the light sensor.
HMMM, maybe an option for use in the HB kit...
I agree that selectable auto-lights would be better. There are some situations where it would be convenient to just turn the auto feature off.
Hoot:
Not to change the subject, but somewhere quite some time ago I saw that you had a unique receiver hitch plug. Would you please post where you got it? Thanks, tpitt
JimWilson
07-17-2002, 08:35
hoot;
Nope I'm not taking this personally, so don't sweat it. smile.gif
BTW; I use turn signals, seatbelts and (when I owned a motorcycle) a helmet religiously, so I'm not against safety one bit. And, like previously mentioned by another, I think the headlights should have a way of allowing the owner to determine there usage.
There are many times when I would turn them off (when I get mine...) - Sneaking around right before daybreak to park to get out to my duck blinds would be one where I wouldn't want glaring headlights. Driving down the lane to park to go up the trail for Elk hunting is another.
Good news for 2003:
A new four-poistion headlamp switch easily allows drivers to turn off the daytime running lamps and automatic heaalamps, when necessary. The automatic lamps-on feature returns with each ignition cycle.
DMAX Daddy
07-17-2002, 11:41
I always leave my lights on in CA, cause half of these morons out here go through Stop Signs/Lights without slowing down. I always hope my lights will be the one thing they see so I dont have to use my anti-locks again. :mad:
Rebel_Horseman
07-17-2002, 14:23
Actually there's plenty of reasons not to use the headlights all the time, at least for me there is. One reason is because when I'm driving around rodeo grounds with jumpy hyped up rodeo horses everywhere, it's best not to frighten them with the glaring headlights on. That is unless you want one of them to modify your sheetmetal quickly. Wild animals, horses especially, will sometimes spook when you shine them with your headlights. When said horse is in a confined space (pasture) that is a disaster waiting to happen which will likely end up in severe injury to the animal or even death. When you have high dollar horses, a death means BIG money.
Secondly, it's important to drive up to your favorite duck blind / hunting area with absolutely no lights at all or you will be spending a very cold morning doing nothing. There are reasons not to have the autolamp and that's why I disabled mine. If I want my headlights on I will turn a switch and make them do so. Jut my $0.02
Reb
Hoot:
Thanks. I ordered one each of the two opposing brands. Where I work there are a lot of each. Just like to stir the pot. :D :D Terry
tpitt
You trouble maker, talk to you this weekend.
George
Rebel_Horseman
07-18-2002, 18:47
For all of you that want to have a switch to disable the Autolamp feature, go to www.truckautoaccessories.com and check them out. The switch is identical to a GM factory switch and opperates like the cargo lamp switch. Push the button to turn it on and the DRL & Autolamp system is disabled. Push it again and everything returns to normal. It's great and I am very satisfied with the product. Installation is a joke. I am by far electronically intelligent and I did the install in about 45 minutes. :cool:
Reb
I found a way to kill the AUTO HEADLIGHT. The connection to the photo sensor can be made at the Body Control Module (BCM). It's under the steering column on the left side. Connector C3 (purple) pin A4 is 5 volt reference (gray). Pin A6 is signal return (white). I have not gone there yet but will soon. Be careful not to short the gray wire to chassis. It might damage the BCM.
The connector (C3) drawing shows pin row A on the side that has a split in a loop. B side the loop is closed. It's just a drawing so until I look at I can't describe it better.
You can add a resistor to make it less sensitive and leave it functioning. The value would have to be tried. The proposed 1.5K may kill it but no one said if they disconnected the sensor. It could be switched manual/automatic by connecting the resistor the the gray wire, the other side of the resistor to the switch and the other side of the switch to the white wire. Leave both gray and white wires connected to the sensor.
The resistor is drawing additional current as if there was more light hitting the photo cell. Lower the resistance to draw more current in needed. There is an eight second delay on switching so give it time after making a resistor change.
Dave
Rebel_Horseman
07-20-2002, 23:11
I just remembered something that may be of use. When I installed my override swith, I spliced into the wires underneath the dashboard. There was a wire loom under there and I had to cut a green wire with a black stripe (I'm working off of memory here). With that said, it's my understanding of electronics that if you cut that wire and leave it cut, the autolamp feature will be disabled.
Reb
John Kennedy.
If you really want a "auto-on" all the time for the headlights (the real headlights on all the time rather than just the DRL's) all you have to do is put some black fingernail polish over the sensor. The sensor will always think it's dark outside and turn the headlights on when the vehicle is running.
You could still manually turn them off if you wanted to, and they will still shut off when the engine is off.
The LT GRN/BLK wire controls the DRL relay, not the headlight.
You can kill the DRL by pulling its fuse under the hood.
My references are from the manual.
Dave
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.