driving lights on with just the running lights

[mountainman1]

ANYONE here know how i can get the driving lights to come on when i have the running lights on, instead of when you have to have your low beams on and then push in the button to get them to work..then still be able to turn them on and off........this would be on a 1998.......GM has it, seen on the Dodge as well.....ANY IDEAS AT ALL....

[shorod]

From the factory, the fog lamp relay is wired so the coil is energized from a fused source that is hot when the low beams are on. The fog lamp switch grounds the other side of the relay coil. Since these lights are actually fog lights rather then driving lights, this configuration makes sense. If it's foggy outside, and you need fog lights, you don't want to use high beams in fog as that will actually decrease your vision. So, there's no need to have fog lights on with high beams. And I suppose the manufacturer may also figure fog lights will not provide enough light to be used by themselves. GM sometimes uses the driving lights as Daytime Running Lights, and in those applications they may actually be driving lights rather than fog lights. I'm not sure on that, or if that's similar to the Dodges you've seen. Or course the standard disclaimer of "check the laws in your area regarding driving with only fog lights and parking lights on" applies.

So, assuming that you are doing this purely for cosmetics rather than for a functional purpose, you could rewire the fog light relay coil such that the relay coil is powered by a switched ignition source rather than by the low beam headlights. The relay is located in Relay Box #1 and the Dark Blue/Light Green wire is the coil source wire (terminal 1).

-Rod

[mountainman1]

thanks for the reply Rod..don't think i want to rewire then,,,,knowing me...i'll burn the thing to the ground....but as we found out in another thread a ways back...the bulbs in my lower lights are that of a low beam for a chevy...so i would assume that they are indeed driving lamps...

[mountainman1]

ok...just burnt out a driving lamp/fog lamp...went to auto zone to get it replaced...they tried to sell me a bulb with a extra wire attached to it, said that is what i need...mine does not have that wire...so do i have driving lamps or fog lamps...i got the bulb replaced that was in the lamp assembly...as i thought...low beam bulb to a chevy...so what's up with this...fog or driving lamp rod....?????????