Mihun

Bought a 1990 pickup that is a US truck, to pass safety I need DRL. Bought the kit from Canadian Tire, the Hamsar unit, this is supposed to be a simple install... my room mate is a mechanic and she did the install.

The result is, with the power on the unit "clicks", all the lights and gauges flicker, the parking lights came on, the headlights did Not come on, the gauge cluster lighting did Not come on and there was smoke coming from under the dash.

So, I've read the old threads here about just running a wire to the low beams so they are always on, but what happens when I need to use the high beams? Do the lows stay on?

This is the ONLY thing left to pass safety and I'm at a dead end at the moment.

Any help with this particular kit or other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Karin

scope103

If you "wire it yourself," you'll want to wire the headlight RELAY (not the headlights themselves) to an accessory circuit, which will turn the headlights on whenever the key is "on." The good news is that the high/low beam switch (I think the English call this the "dip" switch) is on the "other side" of the headlights, so it will still work as usual. Note that your parking lights will not be on; you need to check whether Canada requires that (I don't think so, but I'm down here and you're up there).

This should have the schematic (but the site is down right now).

A downside of this sort of circuit is that the headlights are drawing power WHILE you're trying to crank the engine. Does it get cold in Winnipeg? But as far as I can tell from the Hamsar website, that's a drawback of their system too.

Down here in the lower 48, I drive with my headlights on all the time. I just use the headlight switch. Hamsar, I see claims using their product (which apparently runs the headlights at lower current) saves 0.195 gallons of fuel every 100 miles. Who knew?

Last, the Hamsar units are supposedly designed to be installed by DIY-ers like us. Finding the headlight relay wire will be slightly more difficult. If you had trouble getting the Hamsar unit installed (it sounds like a short somewhere in the installation), you might have the same trouble with a custom headlight wiring job.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

Marc

I installed a Grote 44040 in my 1990.
It was a very simple installation.

1 wire went to +12V that is hot when the key is in run
1 wire went to the low beam wire behind the headlight.
1 wire went to +12V on a parking light (to deactivate the module when you use the headlight switch)
I accessed the light wires at the lights.

It was a very easy installation. I got it at Napa for $25.

Mihun

Hey, thanks Marc. Napa has one, just under $50 but still, needed for the safety on monday.

I'm thinking you might be the guy that came and bought some bits off the 90 Runner we were parting out during the summer.

Scope, I will know tomorrow if it works. Considering all the work I've already done to get it to pass the safety, it all comes down to one stupid little thing. DRL are mandatory on vehicles in Canada since 1989. Yes, it gets cold in Winnipeg, a handful of days in the -40c range last winter and that was a mild one.

Mihun

Yea, finally passed the safety, another old toyota hits the streets!

The Grote DLR was much easier to install than the Hamsar one and really the law only requires the headlights to be on, so why bother with the other stuff. 3 wire install, easy enough that I could do it, although I didn't have to, which is the joy of having a mechanic for a room mate.

I may add a switch now so they don't come on when cranking the engine, just throw the switch after starting.

Karin

scope103

Does that meet Canadian requirements? (not that anyone is going to check) I thought the purpose of DRL was that they turned on without the driver touching anything. (Otherwise, I have a perfectly good switch already on the stalk!)

Marc

Glad you got it safetied.