Removing Automatic Headlights completely?

[whisperer]

Is there a way to make my headlights just plain manual control? Is there a replacement “manual” DRL module or something? I’m tired of them coming on and blasting the house when I leave for work. Also when I start the engine they come on in the middle of cranking, sucking the battery power. I am not a fan.

 

[whisperer]

I’ve had several 2nd gen cars that didn’t have this system. What’s different?

 

[allmyEXes]

Which year Explorer are you talking about? My '97s don't have anything fancy like that...
Here are a couple of links discussing DRL module etc.
bypassing DRL module on Explorer
Enabling DRL Ford truck

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Which year Explorer are you talking about? My '97s don't have anything fancy like that...

my 98 XLT dont got it, and its been in the family since new so i know it aint got that

 

[whisperer]

This is a 97 Mountaineer with a 5.0. The only other one I’ve had with this was a 96 (?) Explorer Limited. I’ve had several 2nd gen cars.

The non DRL cars have to have a couple of different components and it seems like this should be easy to “undo”.

 

[DemonMudder]

Are you talking about the automatic headlights? Mine on my '99 XLT were controlled by a little switch on the rear view mirror, the switch was bad and it caused the headlights to be on constantly, I unplugged it and then I had manual control over the lights. The headlight switch left of the steering wheel, controls both the headlights and DRLs manually, keeping the lights from coming on any other way. Unless I'm reading this wrong, could be mistaken, but thats the only thing I can make sense of what you mean?

 

[whisperer]

Maybe I’m getting the terminology wrong. I was thinking that the Daytime Running Lights, that come on in the daytime, are automatic headlights. Yes, the mirror slider will lengthen and shorten the amount of time that the lights stay on when I kill the key. When I slide it clear to the left to the off position the lights still come on when I fire up the truck. Then if it’s light out it will shut them back off. This is with the light switch off.

 

[whisperer]

I want to make that silliness go away.

 

[DemonMudder]

My slider was busted, it just kept the lights on as long as that key started turning. Sort of are? DRLs are exactly as they say, they're supposed to run during the day, then run at night in combo with the headlights. Take my Silverado in my pfp as an example: the top housings are the headlights, the lower ones are blinkers/DRLs, though mine don't have an automatic, the headlights don't come on if I only turn on the DRLs. So if your headlights are just coming on with the truck, try unplugging the mirror, see if that does it, should just make the headlights and DRLs switch controlled.

 

[DemonMudder]

I want to make that silliness go away.

And thats why I unplugged mine, I preferred having control over all the lights myself

 

[whisperer]

I’ll try that in the morning. Thanks! So with your mirror slider working right and slid to the off position the lights didn’t come on immediately when you hit the key?

 

[whisperer]

That’s what I want too. When l’m just sitting here idling I might want markers or no lights instead of full headlights.

 

[DemonMudder]

I’ll try that in the morning. Thanks! So with your mirror slider working right and slid to the off position the lights didn’t come on immediately when you hit the key?

When it used to work a couple years ago, yeah, all the way left was off. But eventually it just said "Nope" and no side of the slider was off, just got old. But yeah, as long as it was all the way left, it stayed off, then it was manual control too.

 

[DemonMudder]

That’s what I want too. When l’m just sitting here idling I might want markers or no lights instead of full headlights.

Then thats the way to do it, just unplug it, its simple, honestly can just leave it hanging behind the mirror too, never even notice it so tucked away back there. Let us know how it goes, just to be sure!

 

[DemonMudder]

This was my DRL setup after all the light upgrades. Visor, grille, fogs, and halos; all hooked to the switch for DRLs, looked so nice, just those and no headlights being on constantly; going to miss that setup. Feel free to ask more light questions too, I've done and still am doing way too much lighting wise

 

[J_C]

If this were not an assembly holding a coated mirror, I might suggest spraying some contact cleaner into the mirror slider, but since it is, I might try low heat from a hairdryer while moving it back and forth several times to work some of the old, hardened grease out of the way.

If it can be non-destructively opened and cleaned, all the better but I can't recall.

Aren't these electrochromatic dimming? I mean if you unplug it, don't you lose the function of it getting darker when someone is tailgating and shining a lot of light at the mirror, or adjusting for sunlight? Seems like you could pull the Relay Output contact pin #2, (shows as white/purple wire on attached wiring diagram) out of the connector to keep it from activating the headlights, while still keeping the auto-dimming feature.

 

[DemonMudder]

If this were not an assembly holding a coated mirror, I might suggest spraying some contact cleaner into the mirror slider, but since it is, I might try low heat from a hairdryer while moving it back and forth several times to work some of the old, hardened grease out of the way.

If it can be non-destructively opened and cleaned, all the better but I can't recall.

Aren't these electrochromatic dimming? I mean if you unplug it, don't you lose the function of it getting darker when someone is tailgating and shining a lot of light at the mirror?

I honestly didn't even know the mirror itself dimmed for that, I just dealt with it, I had my ways off getting people off my bumper too
If they can clean it, even better, but unplugging is definitely a quick and easy solution, if the mirror actually does that, then thats definitely a good idea, can't say I ever noticed that with mine when it used to work though.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

I honestly didn't even know the mirror itself dimmed for that, I just dealt with it, I had my ways off getting people off my bumper too

tip: put a washer nozzle at the front and back of the vehicle and boom, theyre gone... may be mad, but gone! to take it one step further, fill with some paint stripper slightly diluted (so it can leave the nozzle) have fun watching it melt away in the mirror fix4dirt does not endorse this behavior. however fix4dirt will think about the idea for fun

 

[J_C]

I updated my last post, potential info to keep auto-dimming by pulling a wire out of the connector.

Another option is get a junkyard mirror and see if you can open that to clean it, then little money invested, and maybe the JY mirror already works fine without cleaning, then swap it in and see if you can open your original mirror to clean the slider tracks and keep as a backup.

 

[DemonMudder]

tip: put a washer nozzle at the front and back of the vehicle and boom, theyre gone... may be mad, but gone! to take it one step further, fill with some paint stripper slightly diluted (so it can leave the nozzle) have fun watching it melt away in the mirror fix4dirt does not endorse this behavior. however fix4dirt will think about the idea for fun

And this, this here is a madman, if ya want to keep a functioning vehicle with functioning lights, ignore the comment