How to do DRL's for z32 300zx?HELP

[300z-shaat]

I just bought my 1st 300zx TT, from a member on the board.

As I'm from Canada..in order for me to pass the provincial inspection I NEED to have the DRL's or the inspection will fail..

So if anyone knows if theres a DIY on it, I would REALLY REALLY appreciate it!!

Thanks!

[nsrZ32]

Honestly I'm not 100% sure as in the US we don't have to worry about DRL and infact disable them on a lot of cars that have them haha. My best guess would be just to wire it so that the low beam headlamps have power on start up so they come on automatically. As for what wires are what, just trace the wires with the help of a service manual

[Zwicked]

You can buy those kits at most any auto store, or wire them through an ignition powered circuit as NSR says using a relay as the headlamps draw more power that a small fuse will stand.

[hannibal]

Dont know Canada's DRL rule, but could you use the fog lights as DRLs?

[Jaykit]

Not sure about that but the way that mine are run is the projector lights are run through the fog light switch in the dash and to the ignition. So when I start my car they come on as long as I leave my fog lights on. Although I don't believe it was wired correctly because I have already fried the fog light switch in the dash once. Going to have to pull it apart and figure out that mess some day.

[Zwicked]

You might be able to get away with that. Quite a few cars, like my wife's 240 has separate lights to act as DRL.

[300z-shaat]

Well I took my Z to a local shop that did the DRL's for my vr4..I was there for 2hours..and the guy comes out telling me he gives up on doing it on my car as its complicated or something and that theyve never given up on a job since 5-6years....

anyways today hopefully I'm going to see another guy that says he's done on a Z before, so lets see!

[SLE-PR]

I have a question in this department, I hope there is still ppl looking at this thread.

I put 'Beamers' HID conversion kit in my '90 US marketed Z32 and they worked fine.
I decided to put them into the Beast which is a '92 CAN marketed Z32.
For what ever reason the Japs did this for, I am unable to understand it and was wondering if anyone else come across this issue. The DRL's share the same bulb as the brights, 9005 type bulb.
When the car is started in the day for example, the bright beam is what comes on for the DRL's but at a lower voltage, it seems, if u turn the light switch on, they come up to a brighter beam.
I did a voltage test on them with DRL and switch on and see no difference. (yet)
When the HID lights are hooked up, and doing the same thing, they flicker a bit and don't want to light up, which tells me there must be a voltage difference and for the DRL part of the system, some how does not deliver enough power to fully power up the HID lights
I do like my DRL's as they do serve a purpose in my opinion, so the other drivers are aware of u at a distance, just like u being able to see a train for along ways of, its my safety Im concerned about.
I realize this is tough to explain but anyone that may have done what I did will know exactly what im talking about.
If there is some way that I have to alter them, I will and just turn them on manually but I don't want to burn up a 400 dollar set of HID conversions, if that might be what is going to happen

Any thoughts guys?

[300ZXttZMAN]

Hmm I have very little knowledge about this. If someone can't shed light on the thread in a day or so I'll see if I can get the rest of the staff to weigh in.

[SLE-PR]

Hmm I have very little knowledge about this. If someone can't shed light on the thread in a day or so I'll see if I can get the rest of the staff to weigh in.

Hey Mark, if this comment is for me, I appreciate it. The strange thing is, the DRLs don't come on until the engine is running, its not like any newer domestic vehicles I have encounter, there has to be some type of a 'trigger' that once the engine is running on all 6, it turns them on, at a lower voltage. If there was a separate wire that run a dual beam bulb, I woulda had it figured by now, but so far, no google or other forum write up that I have found. I even checked with Seb and he is puzzled but it is the difference in the traffic laws and whether it was US or CAN marketed, not sure what the UK laws are either.
And HID systems can be fussy about voltage not to mention rapidly turning them on and off,,,, repeatedly. That's a big No-No, if u want the ballasts and igniters to live a long life.

Thanks Mark!

[shuswapz32]

I believe the DRLs run off a tach signal trigger. I looked at disconnecting mine on my first Z but it was wired through the ECU IIRC and I really didn't want to mess with it. The Z I have now was a California car, and it had aftermarket DRLs installed for Canada. It was a really simple set up, made by hamsar and purchased from Canadian Tire ($40ish) but I deleted it when I bought the car as I didn't like the way the PO had it all spliced in. It looked really ugly.

[SLE-PR]

Thanks there Shuswapz, that does make sense to me and puts me in a direction of looking. Did u say u think it may be tied to the ecu ? If so, then im gessing it must run to a relay, possibly under the hood. When I get a chance, maybe I will compare the '92 CAN car to the '90 US car and see if there is something different in the relays or modules. Like I mentioned, they are a dimmer light on the "DRL" mode until I turn the head lamp switch on, then they are a lot brighter. I will do some research with your information and see what I come up with. It wont b for a month and half or 2 until I can get to it.

If any one else has some ideas, please shoot them to me as other possible leads that may help me.

Thanks Partner

SLE-PR

[shuswapz32]

Ya, I think it was tied to the ECU, and if i had disconnected it, then the other lights wouldn't function properly. I'll see if I can find what I dug up about it and post it here for you.

[shuswapz32]

I can't find the wiring diagram, but if I remember, the relay is located behind the right wheel well under a plastic shroud.

[Zeke21]

Canadian spec Z's have a DTRL control module located in the passenger side fender well. This module activates the high beams at half illumination whenever the engine is running. If the parking brake is applied before the engine is started, the DTRL will not turn on. The DTRL will turn on once the parking is release. After that, the DTRL will continue to operate even when the parking brake is applied.

For those wanting to use a HID kit, I believe you may have to disable your stock DTRL operation in order to get the DTRL to work correctly. You could then turn your fogs into DTRL or hard wire your low beams to come on all the time. You could also pick up a set of JDM Z32 fog lights as they have a second bulb that is used as a clearance light. You would have to add an additional wire to power that second bulb but it might be bright enough to pass as a DTRL.

I remember reading European guys had a similar issue when installing HID's. Euro spec Z32's have something called Dim Dip, which turns their low beam into a DTRL per say. The low beam runs at half the illumination. They had to get rid of their Dim Dip system to run HID's.

[SLE-PR]

Thanks to both of you guys for the posts, this all makes sense now and I should be able to get it from here. LOL...I usually have issues that no one else has and have a hell of time figuring it out. I am handy with 12vdc but with automotive wiring, positive grounds and 'ground out' to operate applications, some of it can be a bit confusing, making sure what one is attempting to accomplish, does not hamper something else.

I run Chevy Duramax and Vortec units for yrs and have only been into the Z32's for about 2 yrs now but.....trying to find issues on Chevy in the forums is frustrating sometimes. The problem I see is, everyone wants help but alot of the times, some people will not follow up and post their resolve to an issue, which is what I think the forums are all about. Once you have a general understanding of the Z32, it is, in my opinion, the easiest car in the world to work on. I think the Japs put their heart and sole into this car in the basic concept and design. The Z32 community, with Nico being #1 in my eyes, is the best place to find info from the Gentleman who share the same passion for them "Beauties" that I do.......Priceless. I'm not a young fellow anymore, I'm almost 53, so needless to say, I have had a lot of vehicles over my time and even a Z31 back in the '90s, so I've been around for a while (-:

Thanks Guys!

[shuswapz32]

If it makes you feel better, I've been snooping this forum for years, and registered just to answer your question

[SLE-PR]

If it makes you feel better, I've been snooping this forum for years, and registered just to answer your question

Thanks Partner, Like I said, I appreciate everyone's input for help

[SLE-PR]

Canadian spec Z's have a DTRL control module located in the passenger side fender well. This module activates the high beams at half illumination whenever the engine is running. If the parking brake is applied before the engine is started, the DTRL will not turn on. The DTRL will turn on once the parking is release. After that, the DTRL will continue to operate even when the parking brake is applied.

For those wanting to use a HID kit, I believe you may have to disable your stock DTRL operation in order to get the DTRL to work correctly. You could then turn your fogs into DTRL or hard wire your low beams to come on all the time. You could also pick up a set of JDM Z32 fog lights as they have a second bulb that is used as a clearance light. You would have to add an additional wire to power that second bulb but it might be bright enough to pass as a DTRL.

I remember reading European guys had a similar issue when installing HID's. Euro spec Z32's have something called Dim Dip, which turns their low beam into a DTRL per say. The low beam runs at half the illumination. They had to get rid of their Dim Dip system to run HID's.

Hey Zeke,

I have time now to mess around with this DTRL system and I got wondering, with it being on the parking brake, if that happens to be a grounding issue like a lot of vehicles. Im wondering if I could mount a toggle switch in by the parking brake activation wire and leave it on and hidden underneath rather than go in the fender well and maybe mess something up? This way I would just turn my headlites on normally or do what you mentioned about hard wiring low beams on when the car is started, this way it would bypass the low voltage system that would eventually cook the HID system. Does this make sense of the way I purposed or not.

Thanks, SLE

[SLE-PR]

*******UPDATE*********
I guess I better post my results because it aggravates me when ppl come looking for answers to their problems and when they do get it figured out, never post a follow up for others to read. So, here goes on the DTRL's on Canadian Market Z32s

I printed out the wiring diagram for the Can. Models and the only thing besides the E brake to stop the DTRLs was the little (W/R) White w/ Red tracer wire from the alternator. I went into the module that is on the pass side fender and pulled it out (easy to do) and de-pinned it from the harness and started car, no DTRLs, left car running and pushed it in until I seen lights come on in DTRL mode. Unplugged it and taped it up and took it for a drive today.

Although this has eliminated my DTRL feature for now, it has saved my HID lights from a "lower voltage" that run the DTRLs. So far, I have not noticed any other implications from disconnecting this wire until I am able to figure out later on how to gain a full 12 volts from the DTRL module and consider re-hooking up that feature. For now, I will just do them manually. I also have a couple pics of the harness and de-pinned wire if anyone would like to see it.

One last thing, of all the online FSM's that are available, I think "Z32 Wiki" site has the most clearest pages and print out awesome on the laser printer. I'm not sure if its "Stadsport" or who is responsible for that site but my hats off to who ever he is for an excellent site full of good, clear information.

SLE-PR

[shuswapz32]

Glad you got it figured out!

That aftermarket DRL module that was in mine might be your best bet for running a full 12 volts through your HID's. Since the wires are already run to that location in the fender, you could easily splice in the module.

[canadian booster]

the easiest DRL 'mod' for canadian inspection is to wire the foglights to your ignition (i think it is) fuse. done. when you pass the inspection unplug from fuse box

i had to do this, and other stuff, for my 92 JDM

if you really want DRL there's other ways of course, but this way will pass inspection if that's your goal

[Zeke21]

SLE-PR - I like to see some of the photos you took of the harness and the DTRL control module if you can share them.