disabling drls

Has anyone in US disabled DRLs before on an 06 Accord Sedan?

I've read that fuse #3 from the interior box (10 amp fuse) can just be
pulled to disable DRLs. However, this does apparently cause a DRL
circuit warning light to display but the warning light goes off when
headlights are on.

Another way I've read is that there's a molex connector that can be
unplugged from a wiring harness that will disable DRLs. However, the
poster didn't give any specific info on where the harness was or what
connector it was. Anyone have any ideas on this?

I don't know if the second method would also cause the warning light
to light up or not?

Anyone know?

Thanks
Drew

 

You may wish to ask your dealer if there is a TSB for DRL disablement.
Toyota has such a TSB, which was issued to address the considerable
unpopularity of DRLs in the US. Many Canadians dislike them as well, but
somehow have got the idea that they are mandated by law, which in at least
some provinces thay are not.

Unfortunately tegger.com has nothing on DRL disable. If you end up with a
copy of any relevant TSB, it would be nice to get a copy of it...

For much older Hondas (early '90s), DRL disable may be effected by simply
pulling the DRL fuse, or by disconnecting the DRL resistor. This will also
have the benefit of making your clock normal daytime brightness again.

 

What's a DRL?

 

Just curious, why the dislike of DRL's? I can see disliking the back
lit display when the lights are off, but I don't know why anyone would
care one way or another about the DRL's.

 

Headlights on when engine on.

 

Ah, thanks. I actually like that feature. Wish my car did it. Motorcycles
have been required for years to have the headlights on when the engine is
running. Studies show that people are far less likely to pull out in front
of them than when the lights were off.

I supposed I could wire it up...

 

Why disable them? Do you know more that all the safety studies? If
so, please report your statistics. I'm sure then that the insurance
industry will beat a path to your door to hire you.

And if it's an attempt to look "cool"...give it up. But then again,
you can disable your DRLs, don't fasten the seatbelt, and light up a
cigarette to celebrate the fact that you're right!

 

============================

Take a google at HAMSAR relay Daytime Running Light kits. There's a few
excellent web sites that feature installations on Honda S2000, etc.

'Curly'

 

Thanks. I'll look it up.

 

how bout "normal"? that count? i dont like the fact its a power drain.
if i want the lights on, ill turn em on myself.

 

HAMSAR is probably the most common aftermarket DRL solution.

 

Oh, boy, a do it yourselfer - spare us the rugged individualism, okay?

<vbg>

 

I can think of a couple reasons to disable it along with reasons to keep
it.

1) Works the alternator harder, headlight are what, 50 watts each? so with
2 on you have nearly 10 amps that the alternator has to supply constantly.

2) Reduces fuel economy. The more current you draw from the alternator, the
harder it is to turn.

You know for years, honda ECU's in the US have had control of the
alternator charging circuit. You notice it at night where the head lights
will dim and brighten (like a flicker) as you're driving down the road. I
just cut the control wire so, now I have a normal alternator. Lights don't
flicker any more. So, I'm sympathetic to people who want to change their
cars to suit them.

 

<snip>



What say we kill this thread right now? The original question's been
answered in both directions.

Descents into political OT are what killed alt.autos.toyota, which used to
be an excellent group. Let's not let this group die that way.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not sympathetic and neither is my company. I'm an
insurance investigator. Whenever I'm called in to investigate an
"accident", I ALWAYS look for evidence of tampering or disabling of
any safety equipment. If the accident is judged to be your fault and
there is evidence of tampering, it no longer is a simple insurance
claim, but rather becomes a case for our legal department. Those
folks do NOT like the outcome.

 

Well, you know what, if they screw the car up and hurt themselves or
someone else then I'm all for blaming them. When I was in Germany back in
'81 they'd passed a law that pretty much stated, you're not required to
wear a seat belt but, your insurance doesn't have to cover you if wreck
your car without one on. I'd like to see non-nanny laws like that here.

 

Do you know how much this might shorten alternator life?

Again, do you have a quantitative measure of this impact?

I'm pretty sure driving around with a high performance sound system
blaring causes a greater draw from the alternator than DRLs and keeping
a window open has a greater impact on mpg as does driving around on
underinflated tires. In short, 1) and 2) aren't compelling reasons to
disable DRLs. From a styling standpoint GM's use of separate colored
DRL lamps is a superior implementation IMHO, but I don't hear anyone
claiming that DRLs aren't a valuable safety feature. I can point to
several two-lane roads in my State that require headlight use in order
to reduce crashes.

 

wrote in

Just to be clear, I wouldn't disable DRLS. I like that feature (if I had
it that is). I was just suggesting reasons someone might want to disable
it to defend the original poster who was being attacked as some kind of
ludite.

Do I need quantitive measurements? If you're using 100 more watts of
power from the alternator (and the engine) with the lights on versus off
then the power has to come from somewhere. It's coming from the engine
so, while you may not be able to measure the fuel economy change in a
tank or two, there's some affect. It's not magic or anything. More load
on the engine requires more fuel.

So, I'm not saying anything about how much it affects fuel economy just
that there has to be some affect even if it's so little it's only
measurable over 1000's of miles.

 

-------------------------

Staying COMPLETELY away from the political / moral debate, it should be
noted that DRL (on many makes / models) use a tiny bit of power compared
to just 'turning on your lights'. In Canada, many DRL's just run the
HIGH BEAMS on about 40% power, leaving everything else OFF. Cheap.
Turning on your headlights runs the low beams at full power and you you
also get your dash lights, front and rear park lights, license plate
lights, and side marker lights.

In Canada, the DRL's on GM, Dodge, and Ford trucks draw NO POWER because
the bulbs burn out or the controllers fail within 6 months.

The farmers don't bother to replace them and the hot shots disconnect
them intentionally, right after they install the dark tinted tail lights
and the BLUE front turn signals. :-(

'Curly'