Driving light switch aka fog lights & angel eyes

Andy E34 · 03-17-2006, 06:31 PM

Has anyone re-wired their system to allow turning on the driving lights without "switching on" exterior lights?
As my E36...just like my last E34...has lights on all of the time without turning them on by the dash switch, it would be nice to activate the driving lights at the touch of a single switch. (duh, had the problem of leaving my lights on when parked as I was not used to having to turn them off

)
Also, when adding angel eyes, how are they switched...always on like the head lights? or will this be just another step in lighting management and remembering to switch off another circuit when leaving the car??
If this has been covered in other posts, I apologize in advance!

spooner_dee · 03-17-2006, 07:40 PM

angels are usualy wired into the marker lights, (spliced into the corner lights) and go on when you turn on your marker or headlights. If you wanted to do the trouble, you could have them wired to go on by a lone switch.

Andy E34 · 03-17-2006, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spooner_dee

angels are usualy wired into the marker lights, (spliced into the corner lights) and go on when you turn on your marker or headlights. If you wanted to do the trouble, you could have them wired to go on by a lone switch.

Spooner, do all of your lights come on when you start your car like CDN Bimmers?...no switch involved (sept for the driving lights)...that means angel eyes on all the time 2

sloveniaboy · 03-18-2006, 04:41 AM

here is what I did back in '04 and had no problems since...

http://maxbimmer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36709

T-spec · 03-18-2006, 06:15 AM

What I did was this:

I hooked the angel eyes into an ignition source so that there always on with the ignition( why would you ever want them off, right?)

I took out the daytime/highbeam relay and hooked up a generic relay that deletes the daytime lights and only lets the highbeams on when switched on.

Justin e36 · 03-18-2006, 06:21 AM

My car never had DRL's.. I'm not sure why, though I suspect it being from 1992 has something to do with it.

I created a new circuit for my angels.. (did not tap into an existing circuit), and added a relay so they turn on with my foglights.

spooner_dee · 03-18-2006, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy E34

Spooner, do all of your lights come on when you start your car like CDN Bimmers?...no switch involved (sept for the driving lights)...that means angel eyes on all the time 2

Nope i start my car, no lights come on unless i turn the switch.

I know most every car ive seen with day time running lights, only the headlights ever came on, and they were on low wattage... Never seen one that had all the lights come on b4.

Andy E34 · 03-18-2006, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justin e36

My car never had DRL's.. I'm not sure why, though I suspect it being from 1992 has something to do with it.

I created a new circuit for my angels.. (did not tap into an existing circuit), and added a relay so they turn on with my foglights.

Weird, my E34 was a '91 and all lights came on all of the time like my E36 does now...?
Think thats what I'll do. might run fogs with angel eyes for DRL's and kill the low beams....hmmm.

Quote:

I know most every car ive seen with day time running lights, only the headlights ever came on, and they were on low wattage... Never seen one that had all the lights come on b4.

Yep, BMW Canada took another approach and turns on head lights (full power), corners and tails....all of the time when you drive. at least on both Bimmers I have owned)
Wonder if I can mod in a dash mount daylight sensor from a NA car company and turn the low beams on automatically at dusk? Better than more switches (already have 2 on my dash that were installed my a previos owner and I have no clue what they are for)

Quote:

Sloveniaboy... here is what I did back in '04 and had no problems since...

thanks for the link...yep more switches...only if I must, I'll figure it out when my Depos come in from the group buy

Soldo · 03-18-2006, 01:23 PM

Justin, theres a good chance your E36 was a 91 model 92 E36..... and didn't the DRL come into play in 91?

Justin e36 · 03-18-2006, 01:53 PM

Maybe the fact that my vehicle was originally a Quebec car has something to do with it then. It's not a 91 car... it was built 8/92.

edit:

Just remembered.. I do have DRL's installed, but I have the old style ones which are done during the recall in 94 at BMW. It was not a replacement relay or anything. For my car, Position 1 my low beams are on. Not like the relays which give 50% power to the high beam bulb.

So for my car it looks like this.

Position 1: Lowbeams on. Foglights and high-beams don't work. (never use this)
Position 2: Lowbeams OFF. Foglights work (which turn on angel eyes). Highbeams can be turned on.
Position 3: Everything on. Lowbeams, foglights, angel eyes, and I can turn on the headlights too.

Furious · 03-18-2006, 02:05 PM

my car had the DRL, my mechanic wired it up so i could use the switch for the lights..

angel eyes on all the time because they run off the corner signals.
position one only angel eyes on
position two angel eyes and fogs
position three angel eyes, fogs and HID (low beams)