'97 DRL stay on... relay?

[anonymoose]

Greetings all. It's a '97, 4-cylinder. For the past 5 months the "light bulb out" dashboard warning light has been on (goes off occasionally and momentarily when I either turn the headlights on or off), yet no bulbs are out. Here's the real problem: the DRL's stay on after turning the car off. I typically leave the headlight switch on, since the headlights go off faithfully when I open the door after shut off. But the DRL's stay on. When it's cold outside, the DRL's go off either immediately, or within a minute. Also if it's cold out, sometimes activating the security system (which normally makes the DRL's blink once for locked, twice for unlocked) turns the DRL's off. If it's warm out, DRL's stay on no matter what. Twice they've drained my battery (you'd think I'd have learned). If it is warm out, and I remember to do it, I can go back out to the car 10-15 minutes later, deactivate and activate the security system, and the DRL's go off. I have a gut feeling (however, let it be known I'm not even an armature mechanic) it's the DRL relay, and that there's some temperature expanding and contracting going on of some metal parts in the relay that are causing unwanted contact (or lack of contact, since I really don't know how these parts work).

Here are my questions: does my gut feeling sound accurate? if so, where is the DRL relay? I've been told the label on the lid of the fuse/relay boxes will identify this, but mine only shows fuses (the icons for relays are there, of course, but no identification). I've done some minor maintenance on my cars in the past (adjusting valve clearance on a '68 Bug, etc.) and would like to think I could change the relay myself. I just can't find the darn thing to start with. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, of course. Thanks.

[yotatechie04]

The relay should be located in either both boxes, the one to the right of the battery, or the one in front of the battery. I'm not exactly sure as to which one the relay is located, so you'll have to look closely. If the inside of the lids do not give you a diagram as to which one is what, you should consult your owner's manual. Also, if you can't find the relay for the DRLs, the DRL module might also be malfunctioning, and if that's the case, you can simply disconnect it if you wish to actually run without the DRLs. Best of luck, if you need any further help, let me know.

[anonymoose]

Thanks. I appreciate the help. I have both checked the owner's manual, as well as the diagrams on the lids of the fuse/relay boxes (both by the battery and under the dash). Neither the owner's manual nor the fuse box diagrams indicate which relay does what. Therein lies my problem. I even checked out Chilton's book on '97 Camry's. They also offer no diagram of the relay specifics. They just tell where the fuse/relay boxes are, which is kind of obvious from my perspective.

Where is the DRL module located?

Thanks again for any advice.

[yotatechie04]

If I can, I will see what I can do about getting you a diagram for the fuse and relays. Also, the DRL module is located along the firewall on the passenger side of the car, (under the hood of course) and is bolted to the underneath of the cowl. It's about the size of a cigarette pack and has "Hot! Do not touch!" or something of that sort written on it. All you have to do is disconnect the electrical connector on this, and the DRLs are disabled. Best of luck to you, and I will see what I can do about those diagrams for you.

[anonymoose]

Many thanks. I will disconnect the module as a temporary fix and hope for some guidance to the relay location.

[yotatechie04]

E-mail me using the link in my signature and I will get those diagrams to you as soon as possible.