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Daytime Running Light issue

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Mitchxhell, Apr 10, 2017.

  1. Mitchxhell

    Mitchxhell New Member

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    Hello,

    Ive searched the forum a bit prior to posting this and only found older posts (pre2012) so Ill pose my question:

    I have the 2013 Prius - US, I am importing to Canada and (big surprise) the issue is that the US version has the ability to turn the DRL off or on using the switch. The Canadian cars, though they have the switch, it does nothing and they are automatically on when the car is on.

    I need to have mine fixed to meet the Canadian standard. Outside of the Toyota dealer telling me it will cost roughly $600CAD to rewire the whole thing, is there any other way or option that anyone knows of to fix this in order to pass the inspection?

    Thanks.
     
  2. bobzchemist

    bobzchemist Active Member

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    Couldn't you just pull the switch out and bypass it? Splice/crimp kits are easy to use.

    $600 sounds like an insane amount of money to do this, or am I missing something?
     
  3. StarCaller

    StarCaller Senior Member

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    make this connection in the fuse box in the engine compartment & the drl's come on when you get the car in ready mode/
    (BUT, they will stay ON even if you turn the head lights on; which wasn't a problem for me in the last three years....)


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  4. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    StarCaller, you should use a fuse tap instead of jamming a wire down into an installed fuse. ;)

    A normally closed (NC) SPDT relay could be spliced into the above setup with a tap into the headlight positive wire for the coil. That would cut power to the DRLs when the lowbeam headlights are on. The other side of the coil would be grounded, of course to complete the circuit.
     
  5. Mitchxhell

    Mitchxhell New Member

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    Which Fuse is that? I see in the diagram its 19 which is the ABS but I want to be sure.\


    Edit: I think I know why you would plug it in there since its always on. Don't worry I'll catch up. :)
     
  6. Mitchxhell

    Mitchxhell New Member

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    Im guessing if I tell this or show this to the family mechanic he'll know what youre talking :)about but either way these options seem easier and cheaper than the dealership. It makes more sense to just bypass the off/on versus rewiring the whole thing.
     
  7. StarCaller

    StarCaller Senior Member

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    not my setup, that's a picture from someone else/
     
  8. Mitchxhell

    Mitchxhell New Member

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    It is insane, the Toyota dealer is stating its about $40 in parts but at least 3 hours of labor at about $140/hour plus tax and whatnot. So this is why Im looking for a simpler option. Ive passed every other part of this inspection but the DRL since theres an option to turn it off.
     
  9. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    You can wire it with a relay and a fuse tap for around $10 in parts.

    Wire as outlined above with the wire shown in StarCaller's post, but insert a 5 terminal Bosch type relay in-line with the NC (normally closed) side of the dual throw relay contacts. Then tap into your lowbeam headlight positive wire and connect that to one side of the coil on the relay. Ground the other terminal of the coil circuit on the relay.

    DRLs would be on when in Ready mode, off when you turn on the headlights.
     
    #9 xliderider, Apr 11, 2017
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2017
    StarCaller likes this.
  10. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Use a fuse tap like this instead of the wire forced down a fuse:

    1491889877147.png
     
  11. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    I believe it is the fuse for the inverter coolant pump. No, you do not want to tap a fuse that is always on/powered. You want to tap a fuse that is powered only when the car is in Ready mode/ignition On. Wiring it to a constant power fuse would make your DRLs on at all times and will drain your battery till it dies.
     
  12. bobzchemist

    bobzchemist Active Member

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    Xlideriders solution is much more elegant than mine. I freely admit that yanking the switch out and splicing its wires so that it's as if the switch is always on is a somewhat ghetto-like solution. Finding a blank cover for where the switch used to be may also be an issue.

    It won't be very expensive if you can install the elegant solution yourself, but I don't know how much a mechanic would charge for installing fuse taps and relays, etc.

    On the other hand, you should be able to find an independent mechanic to use the quick-and-dirty solution and remove the switch and splice wires for you for less than $100. Maybe less than $50.

    Doing it yourself should cost less than $25, and that's assuming you need to buy a crimper and a multimeter. It all depends on how confident you feel in your wiring skills and what your budget is.
     
  13. apollo1

    apollo1 New Member

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    Sorry for reviving the thread, but going through the same thing importing a 2014 prius, and the dealer wants $600!

    From what I understand in your example we're linking the PCU (always on when the car is on) to the DRL relay.
    How did you confirm that this is the DRL relay? In the fuse box diagram I can confirm the fuse, but it doesn't tell me what the relays are for.

    Thank you so much!