I want to install a switch to allow me the capability of turning on and off my daytime running lights on my car when needed. The vision I have is using two wires from each side of the where the fuse inserts and connecting them to another inline fuse and switch but my electronic knowledge isn't the greatest and unsure of that method.
What is the easiest method to install a switch for accomplish my objective?
How are you going to get a connection to both sides of where the fuse inserts? If you're going to find the wire coming from that fuse to power the lights, then you could just put your switch in series with that wire, no new fuse. If you do what you're suggesting, then the new wire from the battery side of the old fuse that goes to your new switch is now unfused, ie it has no over current protection.
Aside from that, whether it will work depends on how your car is wired. If it's an old style, where the path is battery, fuse, switch, lights, it will work. But many cars now have various lights driven by electronic modules. How that responds to what you're proposing, who knows.
Inquiring minds of course want to know, what is the purpose of this modification? Sounds to me like you're fixing a problem that doesn't exist. Another issue would be whether current fed or state law requires daytime running lights.
Some vehicles these lights can be deactivated by input to the ODB II connector. This of course won't allow random on/off changes without additional input.
I do surveillance work and often, I need to cut the lights for obvious reasons.
My car uses the DRL as the high beams when needed, but I am able to remove the fuse to completely turn them off and still use them as high beams since they require a separate fuse, but I like the DRL. Therefore, my thought was to use that DRL fuse and install a switch since technically, removing it turns it off, a switch would provide that option without having to remove it when on a job.
Well, I'll be damned, you actually have a good reason. Have you tried pulling the fuse, seeing what happens? If it does what you want and nothing else bad happens, then you could do what I suggested, find the wire from the fuse, insert your switch, no extra fuse.
Yes, as I stated, pulling the fuse will deactivate them and nothing more, at least that I discovered. I will ensure nothing more becomes of the pulled fused and if confirmed, I like your suggestion of tapping into the light side of the wiring.
To avoid cutting into the car's wiring, you might do this:
disconnect the battery and remove the existing fuse
with an "inline fuse holder", attach its wire from the "barrel" side to the battery-side terminal of the car's fuse holder.
from the other end of the inline fuse holder, splice on a wire that you run to one terminal of the switch
from the other terminal of the switch, run a wire to the other side of the car's fuse holder.
That way the fuse is "nearest" to the battery feed, and you have not cut any of the existing car wiring, should you want to remove the switch later.
Depending on what type of fuse (blade, round, etc) is in the car now, NAPA, etc should have terminal lugs to use to make the connections to each end of the car's fuse holder.
I think there is a compelling reason to be able to turn off all of this crap. The alternator crapped out on my wife's fairly new Lincoln. I was able to jump start it and put enough juice into the battery to drive it home ... but not with the lights on and all the other stuff that is there whether you want it or not.
Depending upon the make/model of vehicle, SOME will deactivate the DRLs by merely engaging the parking brake to the FIRST detent while the car is turned off. The theory is that that position is not sufficient to engage the brake but is sufficient to deactivate the DRLs.
Step one is to find out the consequences of disconnecting the battery. You may have to enter a radio security code to use it again. Battery shops insert a power source in the the lighter to keep some power when the battery it taken out.
Are you getting a discount because your car is listed as having DRL? Wouldn't it suck if they denied a claim because they determined that you modified a built-in safety feature?
(Before anybody tosses something derogatory in my direction, I seriously doubt that this would ever be an issue. I'm just putting it out there. Heck for all I know, the Ins Co may not even know that the vehicle is being used for commercial purposes. Now *that's* something that could be an issue.)
If this is what I think you're saying, this was the general idea I have.
If you don't mind helping me understand.....I'm not certain what the "barrel" side of the inline fuse holder is if I use one like this >>>
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You're saying insert the wire from one end of the fuse holder into the open battery side of the car's fuse which was removed. After running through the switch, insert the other wire to the other side of the empty car's fuse holder and that's it?
I assume the terminal lugs are what I will use to secure those two wires into the empty fuse holder? I also assume the fuse I removed from the car will be the same one I reuse in the inline holder?
Others have suggested putting the park brake down a notch. There must be a switch right there. Maybe you could use that circuit for your on/off switch if you don't want to depress the park brake pedal.
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