1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Help my drl's are on all the time

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by John Sayre, Nov 4, 2016.

  1. John Sayre

    John Sayre New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2016
    9
    3
    0
    Location:
    Whispering Pines ,NC
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I just put in new headlights in my prius c. Love them because they have the led check mark just like the lexus. Well , I wired the the led's to be on if the car is started so all the time. What my problem is , the DRL's are on all the time now , even when the car is turned off. Can anybody help. I have pulled the bright lights fuses for now to stop the power drain.
     
  2. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,105
    10,039
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    What wiring did you install, and where is it connected for power?
     
  3. Toppcat

    Toppcat Member

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2015
    223
    69
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Never tap into a circuit ! back feeding will burn out sensitive componets! sound like the drl relay failed! hopefully that all!
     
  4. John Sayre

    John Sayre New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2016
    9
    3
    0
    Location:
    Whispering Pines ,NC
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    The new headlights are plug and play. I added a line from an ignition fuse in fuse box A ( a line that is only hot when the ignition is on) directly to the LED DRL in the new headlights. everything works greate xcept the DRL's (Low voltage Bright lights ) are on all the time. Even when the Ignition is off. Igot another dimmer /drl relay (the green one) inf use box A. Still does the same thing.
     
  5. John Sayre

    John Sayre New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2016
    9
    3
    0
    Location:
    Whispering Pines ,NC
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    just want to know ,how do I turn off the original DRL's(low power hibeam) and still have the regular hibeams work.
     
  6. John Sayre

    John Sayre New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2016
    9
    3
    0
    Location:
    Whispering Pines ,NC
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I fixed it. What I did was trouble shoot the Dim/DRL relay located in the "A"fuse box in the engine compartment(The green relay). I found out that it has six inside plugs. The wide one is the hot wire from the battery and is hot all the time. Next there are 5 prong slots. The two outside slots go to the high beans R and L. The middle one goes to ground. That leaves two more slots open. One goes to the bright switch inside the car (push headlight switch forward for brights on). The other wire is for the DRL lights (low power bright beams). What I did was take the prong for the DRL's and push it out of the way on the relay labeled DIM/DRL. Now the brights work The DRL's (low power high beams) do not work . The Led DRL's are wired to the ignition switch so are on when the car is on. The interior dash lights are working as they should Bright during the day and dim at night. Every thing working good now. There is no magic in the car. Electricity just goes one way and if you follow the wires , you can fix it.
     
    Mendel Leisk, Toppcat and fuzzy1 like this.
  7. Toppcat

    Toppcat Member

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2015
    223
    69
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    I am planning to wire up my drl w headlights on! if possible to power down to 50-75% if they can be dimmed ? I wonder if anyone has attempt it? using relays and gateway diodes!
     
  8. John Sayre

    John Sayre New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2016
    9
    3
    0
    Location:
    Whispering Pines ,NC
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I saw a wiring diagram of a box that somebody had made with diodes to do just that , add the headlights to the DRL's. I did not want to do that as my new DRL's are bright white led's where the headlights are the regular yellowish color. Uses less load and looks better the headlights are at DTmotors.
     
  9. eddie27970

    eddie27970 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2005
    56
    6
    0
    Location:
    Eastern North Carolina
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Your comment "electricity just goes one way" tickled me, bringing back old memories on the THEORY of electronics. Electronics is the little no-see-em On circuit boards. And Electricty is the bigger ones that spark and arch.

    The USA theory has electrions coming from ground and going to positive. But England is opposite theory, electrions coming from positive and flowing towards ground. Their Theory workes. And the Theory for the USA works.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  10. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,105
    10,039
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    You are confusing 'electrons' and 'current' as the same thing. They are not. Once that confusion is straightened out, the apparent contradiction you mention, vanishes.

    And no, the country split you mention was not apparent in my career as an electrical engineer.
     
    #10 fuzzy1, Nov 14, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2016
  11. John Sayre

    John Sayre New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2016
    9
    3
    0
    Location:
    Whispering Pines ,NC
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Tell me about it. My first car was an Austin Healy Bug Eye of course with positive ground. Trust those darn English(and Lucas) to mess up a good thing. Try to find a radio with pos ground, otherwise you isolate everything. Not hard to make it a neg ground system but each light has a separate ground wire. One of my first car fixes. Did you find the forum with the box with relays and diodes? Maybe if I have time I will go in the bundle and find the blue wire that comes from the light switch DRL and hook it up with a relay and get my LED DRL's to work on the switch and not just all the time . That would also bypass the green Dim/DRL relay in the fuse box. Theory is great , I just want the darn things to work.