Uncle Tattoo

ok so i have been searching and searching and couldnt find a straight answer.

i have a 92 honda prelude S with jdm 1 pieces that i decided to go drl with. i wired the h4's so they are high/low. i then wanted to make my h1's daytime running lights or to act as fogs. so i was searching google and found THIS and decided to purchase the insight drl module it was talking about. i got it and hooked it all up today according to the diagram on that page and the wiring instructions that came with the module.

my question comes in here. the module will make the h1's come on like theyre supposed to. then when i turn on my headlights, they turn off. i want mine to stay on while the lows are on but turn off when i turn the high's on. how can i do this? ive been at this since earlier today and am tired of searching and guessing.

i know that hondas work off a ground system where the power is always running to the headlights so how do i get around this?

all i want to know is how do i have drl with the lows on and off when the highs come on?

please help me out with this im tired of giving myself a headache. once again i searched already but couldnt find a straight answer so thats why i posted.

Fabrik8

Edited.

Uncle Tattoo

yeah i dont know how relays work so that just confused me lol. the only thing i know is that hondas work off grounds turning things on. like htere is always a constant power running to the headlight but when you turn the switch, it connects the ground, thus causing it to turn on.. just confused, let me know what your idea is and ill try it and tell you if it works. but you have to break it down cuase i get lost and confused easily lol.

Fabrik8

Edited.

Fabrik8

Edited

Uncle Tattoo

it didnt come with a diagram but instructions on how to hook it up. here's what it says verbatum:

BLACK WIRE: always connect the black wire first. the black wire supplies the module with an electrical ground. a solid ground connection is essential for proper module operation. connect the module's black wire to an existing vehicle ground or to any vehicle wire connected to the chassis ground.

RED WIRE: the red wire supplies +12 volts from the battery to the module. use a volt-meter to locate a vehicle wire that can supply +12 volts at all times. connect the module's red wire to this battery wire.

PINK WIRE: the pink wire is the module's ignition input and is used to signal the module that the key has been switched on. use a volt-meter to locate a wire that will indicate +12 volts only when the ignition is in the "on" position. connect the module's pink wire to this vehicle ignition "on" wire.

YELLOW WIRE:the yellow wire supplies the vehicle's low beam headlights with a reduced voltage output during drl mode. use a volt-meter to locate the wire at the rear of a headlight that will indicate voltage only when the low beam headlights are switched on. connect the module's yellow wire to this vehicle low beam wire.

WHITE WIRE: the white wire supplies the module with a disable signal when the vehicle's high beam headlights are manually activated. use a volt-meter to locate the wire at the rear of a headlight that will indicate voltage only when the high beam headlights are switched on. connect the modlue's white wire to this vehicle high beam wire.

ORANGE WIRE (OPTIONAL): the orange wire supplies the module with a disable signal when the vehicle's park brake is activated. use a volt meter to locate the wire connected to the low brake fluid pressure switch at thebrake master cylinder that wil indicate voltage only when the ignition is in the on position and the park brake is not activated. for vehicles with anti-lock brakes, this connection must be made to the park brake switch located inside the vehicle near the park brake. connect the module's orange wire to the vehicle's park brake wire. NOTE: if this optional feature is not desired, cut and insulate the orange wire 2" from the module.

i used the diagram below that i found on the cb7 site for the yellow wire


also at the very beginning of the drl instructions, it says:

SPECIAL NOTE: this module is not suitable for vehicles with the headlight switch on the ground side of the circuit or for vehicles equipped with vaccum or mechanically operated headlight covers.

i didnt know it said that until i recieved it in the mail. the whole point i bought it was becuase it said it dims the lights and since i was using my h1's (normally high beams) i wanted to reduce the power going to them so as to not blind anyone.

so after you put this all together, what do you think i should do. keep the module and/or use the relays?

Uncle Tattoo

also if i might add, im not really good with those wiring diagrams you drew up, so if you could put something im more lamens terms, i would appreciate it, lol.

Fabrik8

If you're only going to use the H1s for DRLs, and nothing else, you might want to get a pretty low wattage bulb to go in there. Seriously, for the way that you want to enable this, you'll end up needing a relay or two in addition to the DRL module, so you might as well just use relays and low wattage bulbs.
Do you know how the headlight switch works? Does it switch power or ground?

The module sounds like it should work great, the white wire should make the DRLs turn off when the high beams are on, so what other features did you need?
I looked at the UK model 95-98 Civic manauk, and they switch power to the headlight through the switch, not the ground.. 91 Accords do also.. The DRL module should work fine. I'm not sure why it's shutting off the DRLs when the low beams come on though. I suspect that it has to do with the high and low beams sharing a bulb. Stock DRL headlight systems usually have one power and two grounds per bulb, instead of two power and one ground like a non-DRL car. That's where the problem is. There is a usually a dimmer relay and a lighting relay, and you don't have either on your car. Your car looks more like a Civic than an Accord from what it sounds like.

I need to think about this a little, there should be a really easy way to use a relay or two and the DRL module and do everything you need.. It actually all boils down to the bulb wiring.. Do you know of anything online that has a shop manual for your car? I'd love to look at the wiring diagram for this..


Forget the wiring diagrams I posted above, they aren't true after what I just found out..

Uncle Tattoo

yeah im pretty sure my car switches power through the ground. if you look at the paintbrushed diagram i posted, the h4 would be the low beam. there is 1 power and 2 grounds that make it work high/low. lows on h4 is 1 filament, highs is both filaments at once. ill pm you on how to get the manual for my vehicle.

Fabrik8

Ok, so here's the real solution. According to the Prelude manual, the power for both high and low beam are tied together, and the low beam is on all the time when the headlights are on. The high beam is turned on by a relay. The problem you're having with the DRLs turning off whenever the headlights turn on comes from having the power wire common to both bulbs.

So, I've added a single relay to use with the module; it taps off just the high beam enable and also changes the signal polarity to what the white wire on the DRL module wants to see. It's very simple, and should solve all of your problems. The DRLs will be on when the low beams are on, and will shut off when the high beams are on. I would still consider using lower wattage H1 bulbs if you're only using them as DRLs, you'll put less strain on the module and they'll be a bit less bright.

The schematic came from page 1254 (?) of the manual and is for the USDM 'Lude. The relay I added is obviously in blue, and the wiring taps are in red. This should solve your problem completely.

Feel free to post this on the CB7 forum, just give me credit.