Mod: Disabling Automatic Headlights

I was wondering what that sensor was during my DS18 tweeter install. Saw no references to it in the YouTube videos I watched replacing the tweeters. Might do this mod tomorrow.

 

Here in Canada, manufacturers are required to make impossible to drive around at night without taillights. Toyota does this by installing automatic headlights. There is no longer an off switch. The headlights automatically turn themselves on at night, whether you want them on or not.

It would be a fantastic feature, if they had made it so that they don't turn on until the park brake is released. But because they turn on as soon as you put the key in, it's a real pain in the ass in situations like camping, or drive-in movies, where you want the vehicle on, but the lights off.

You could also toss a relay in there, so that it only activates when the park brake releases, if you want to keep the feature, but it's not that important to me right now.

 

Didn’t read this thread but hell yeah go Canada! I’m sick and tired of all these dumb shits driving around with zero lights on after dark. Don’t care about anyone’s passionate exception, safety first ALWAYS. You’ll figure it out. The people who are horribly affected by preventive auto accidents can’t. If you defeat this basic safety feature I hope you get a fat ticket lol.

 

lol why not give "fat tickets" to those running around with only DRLs and no taillights...? Like I get your point, 100% there are way too many people that don't know any better. But mandating headlights on at all times rather than revamping drivers ed courses and upping the non-existent bar to get your license doesn't make any sense at all.

 

Your comment about DRLs and no tail lights still applies to my point though. And talking about the bar that’s set for getting a license can get real murky (political) real quick so no need to delve in there. Suffice to say I think the better solution is to make it harder to eff up. For my money, the “parking light” setting is the dumbest thing ever and I’m fine to have it mandated away. Why the hell does anyone ever need an illuminated speedo and no headlights!? Crazy!

I totally support no off switch, tails on constantly, and auto DRL or headlights. So in fact there should be no switch cause parking mode is the most dangerous like I said before. Being seen is the most important thing for safety.

 

Its not at all political..

Doesn't change the fact that removing the headlight switch is the wrong solution to a problem that should not exist.

 

Would be great if high beams would turn off on roads with other cars around so bunch of low iq morons and apes wouldn't blind people. Now that would be way more useful than that.

 

I unplugged the sensor on my 23. Reason being I like having the drls on, but don't want the lights coming on during the day if I drive under a dim lit area, short tunnel, freeway over pass or leaving my garage.

 

Mine has automatic high beams. They're useless.

 

Then blame Toyota for half-assing the feature.

A truck is supposed to support my lifestyle, and make it easier to do the things I enjoy, not more difficult.

If I can no longer go camping without the headlights blinding the entire campground whenever I use the inverter, then it defeats the purpose of buying a truck.

If I can no longer go to the drive-in movies on date night because my headlights are blinding the entire audience, it defeats the purpose of buying a truck.

If I can no longer do night sky photography because my headlights are ruining the shot, then it defeats the purpose of buying a truck.

It would have literally taken 2-3 lines of code in the ECU software, or a single relay under the dashboard to make it so the headlights remain off until the park brake is released.

They did it for the DRLs. There's no reason they couldn't have done it for the automatic headlights.

 

That was very annoying as well. I probably could have learned to live with it, but there are some situations where I just need them off.

 

Same .. camping and trying to use the rear plug while bliding the entire campsite is not cool!!

Going in a dim area that changes all your internal lights is very annoying.

My corollas lights stayed off until I dropped the ebrake so I am very much of the opinion it wouldn't have taken much to keep that feature .

 

First, thank you to @Okkine 2.0 for starting this thread. I also live in Canada and while I agree with the Canadian law to require automatic headlights generally, I was hoping they would have an OFF override. No such luck. I too on occassion want to have the headlights off, for a number of the reasons mentioned above. I thought I would embark on an adventure to add the DRL-OFF feature in my truck and purchased the US light switch (part number 84140-0R010). Unfortunately, I did not read this thread until after I installed the US light switch... and the DRL lights are on in both AUTO as well as DRL-OFF.

As mentioned above, there ECU must use the light sensor to turn on the lights regardless of the status of the light switch (AUTO versus DRL-OFF) on Canadian model Tacoma's. I drove a rental Tacoma in the US this week and the DRL-OFF switch worked exactly as it should have. I traced my pinout of my Canadian light switch (thanks to @caribe makaira for posting the wiring diagram. I verified this pin out to make sure the Canadian light switch worked in the same manner.

Has anyone checked to see if this can be tweaked in the ECU to make the Canadian ECU function in the same manner as the US one, with the Techstream software. Thanks!

 

@rboonstra , removing the connector to the light stalk switch, turn vehicle on and verify "Canadian Lights" turn and stay on. Just a test.

 

Hello @caribe makaira ... I was pretty sure I have a Canadian model, but confirmed it this afternoon. I took the covers off the steering column and unplugged the harness for the headlights / fog lights / turn signal. As expected, with the harness unplugged:

• The DRL stayed off with the parking brake on. I have a manual transmission. If I remove the parking brake, the DRL comes on. If I re-apply the parking brakes, the DRL stays on.
• If I start the truck with no parking brake applied, the DRL comes on right away.
• This is the exact same behaviour (outside on a sunny day) with the US headlight switch in either AUTO or DRL OFF.

I am hoping for a software fix... but in reading the forum, that is unlikely. The next step would be to take two small relays (or a dual pole relay) that have the coil(s) energized with 12VDC and the negative going to the AUTO wire of the harness, pin 19. In this manner, the relay closes only in AUTO. Use one set of normally closed (NC) contacts to break the circuit on the DRL relay. Use the second set of normally open (NO) contacts to activate the ambient light sensor. It may be possible to do this with a single relay.. but I need to find the wiring schematic for the ambient light sensor.

I did remove the DRL relay in the relay box behind the battery under the hood (thank you @caribe makaira for posting in the "Trying to figure out Grille Lights" thread, post 8; it is the light blue DENSO relay as shown in the photo in post 26)... and the DRL turned off unless the parking lights were on or the headlights were on.

Now to explore how the ambient light sensor works...

 

As you have found out, the DRL is a separate circuit "controlled" by the parking brake. Fiddling with the light sensor is not part of the DRL. It was my understanding that Canada version also has the uncontrollable parking circuit with the DRL's. Would you confirm this?

 

I was watching the parking / tail lights as well. The parking lights are on without control associated with the ambient light sensor (essentially the AUTO function of the light stock operates lighting in AUTO whether the switch is in AUTO or not present - same as DRL OFF). I will look at the ambient light sensor this week and see what happens when it is disconnected, as @Okkine 2.0 discusses above. Therefore, that is why I believe on needs two relays (one for the DRL relay to disengage and one for the ambient light sensor).

 

Since your Canadian model has the parking circuit always on via Combination PCB, could you test the fogs ON with just the vehicle ON without selecting any position on the light stalk?

 

Auto TAIL (Parking)

 

Funny part is I would like this auto behavior in my ‘02 Tundra. Since it’s always raining and often dark and gloomy. But, I only really want it on when the stalk is on auto, always nice to have stalk off control.

I have a long laundry list of hopes and dreams for auto including speed and temp sensors.