Need a headlight wiring guru to check my work

[MagikDraggin]

I decided to incorporate an external relay into the headlight circuit to make the low beams stay on when going to high beam.

This is what I did. It works, but with an odd side effect, and I need someone knowledgeable in this sort of stuff to let me know if what I did is ok and not detrimental to the Vette itself.

Here is how I hooked it up:

1) I got a 30a relay with a set of N/O contacts.

2) I tapped into the hot wire which feeds the "High Beam" lamp on the drivers side headlamp assy and attached it to the input side of the relay coil.

3) The other side of the coil I fed to ground.

4) I attached a "hot" wire directly from the "+ side" of the battery to the "input" side of the N/O contact.

5) The "output" side of the N/O contact was tapped into the "hot" wire that feeds the "Low Beam" headlamp on the drivers side headlamp assy.


So now, when I turn on the low beams, only the low beams come on. And when I go to high beams, the low beams stay on as well.

The "odd side-effect" I mentioned is when the headlights are off and the doors are down, when I try to "flash" the foglights by pulling on the switch lever, the fog lights do not come on, but the doors come open with all 4 headlights on.

As soon as I release the lever, the doors close and the headlights go off. Otherwise, everything works just as it did before.

I guess my main concern is that while out driving at night, I could have all the headlights fail and find myself suddenly "out in the dark". While it may be easy to simply unhook the relay connections, I don't know if that would "fix" the problem, should that occur.

"Experts", please feel free to jump in with some helpful suggestions.

 

[MagikDraggin]

I guess its not best to be holding my breath waiting for an answer.

 

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,
Did you get any codes in the BCM???
If its wired as you stated, you might.
Please let us know.
Allthebest, c4c5

 

[MagikDraggin]

HI there,
Did you get any codes in the BCM???
If its wired as you stated, you might.
Please let us know.
Allthebest, c4c5

Umm, I don't know. I mean, nothing has come up on the DIC. Everything seems to work (actually, it works exactly it would if I already had the headlights on low beam and pulled the switch to momentarily turn on the high beams).

All 4 are on, the (headlight) doors are open, and if I had had the fog lites on, they would have gone off.

How would I go about checking if I had any codes in the BCM?

And if I do, is that necessarily serious?

I was looking at the installation diagram the comes with the Ecklers set up and it LOOKS to be wired the same way I have mine.

Ok, bottom line, if what I did IS wrong......in your opinion, how SHOULD it be wired?

I do really appreciate the reponse.

 

[U.P. John]

Link for pulling codes...


http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72535&highlight=pulling+codes+C5

 

[MagikDraggin]

Link for pulling codes...


http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72535&highlight=pulling+codes+C5

Thanks UP John, that was good info. There were 3 codes, all suffixed with an "H". One was for the r/h DRL relay, another was for the l/h DRL relay, and the third was for the back up lights.

I cleared them all and then ran the headlights all through their paces, up, down, high, low, fogs on, fogs off, and no additional (or new) codes showed up.

Does this mean I can procede with the "assumption" that all is well with my changes?

 

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,
Yes, it is as good as it will get with the wiring changes made.
Just make sure that all your connections are water tight.
Allthebest, c4c5

 

[MagikDraggin]

HI there,
Yes, it is as good as it will get with the wiring changes made.
Just make sure that all your connections are water tight.
Allthebest, c4c5

Thanks, Dan. I will go back and ensure all is indeed watertight and button her up for the trip out to Colo Springs.