When I start the car, I would like to automatically use the parking lights. This is for a 96-00 Civic. Would I need a relay if I were to connect the red/blk wire at the light combo switch with the IGN. If so, how do I wire up the relay?

 

Man, if I had a car with daytime running lights, I'd convert it to normal. It's going to hurt your gas mileage a little bit.

I would use Accessory power, not ignition. You will want to bypass the combo switch. Post up a diagram of the combo switch and I'll tell you what to do.

 

Install a fused, [7.5A I believe] jumper between 2nd ign. free pin and park light free pin on the under dash fuse box, a 10A diode will also have to be installed in the jumper line to isolate ign. from park lights. 94

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by suspendedHatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Man, if I had a car with daytime running lights, I'd convert it to normal. It's going to hurt your gas mileage a little bit.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Que???

 

I was thinking of using the RED/BLK wire and connect it to 12V.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Install a fused, [7.5A I believe] jumper between 2nd ign. free pin and park light free pin on the under dash fuse box, a 10A diode will also have to be installed in the jumper line to isolate ign. from park lights. 94</TD></TR></TABLE>

So I take a inline fused wire, one end to IGN, and the other to parking light (fuse #23?). What kind of diode do I use and where do I put it? How do I easily use the under dash fuse assembly? Do I remove the screw and work on the back?

 

Yes an in-line fuse holder, you have to install a diode in the line, [just like the fuse]
with cathode, [white strip] on park light end, plug one end into 2nd ign. free pin, and other end into park light free pin, the free pins are the unused terminals just above the top row of fuses on the under dash fuse box...
read about diodes... http://www.the12volt.com/diodes/diodes.asp

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread/1794938 about 2/3 of the way down you will find a 96-00 fuse box.

The 2nd ign. free pin has power only when ign. switch is in run, [not when cranking to start]
The park light free pin has power on it when the park or head lights are on.
That's why you need the diode, you want ign. to power the park light circuit but you do not want the the park lights to power the ign. circuit.

You can also use a relay, a fused line from the constant 12V+ free pin to #30 of the relay, #87 of relay to the park light free pin, #86 to ground and #85 to 2nd ign. free pin, again 2nd ign. will power up the park light circuit but the park lights can not power up the ign. circuit. 94

 

Thanks FCM, your the best. I had a feeling what a diode did but havent used it for a long time. Never thought about the parking lights powering the ignition .

I never touched a fuse assembly. Do I make the connections at the back?

Does IGN = Accessory?

Is this the one you are talking about?

 

Yes, the circle is on the accessory, and that's what you want. If you read the paragraph that was above the original diagram, it tells you how to connect to that socket.

No, ignition is not the same as accessory. Accessory doesn't have power when the starter is cranking, and that's what you want.

To B18C_EJ8, daytime running lights suck. If you're ever working on the car and you need the key on engine off, you kill the stupid battery. Also, the added drain on the alternator is added drain on the crank pulley which amounts to a reduction in gas mileage. Yes, the harder the alternator has to work, the more parasitic drain it causes. So what I was saying is that if for some reason I won a late model car in a jackpot, and I wasn't able to sell it for some reason and I was forced to drive it, I would probably put a switch inline with the lighting circuit to eliminate the daytime running lights.

 

"If you're ever working on the car and you need the key on engine off, you kill the stupid battery. Actually the DRLs on our cars do not come on until you release the hand brake, the only thing stupid would be not using the hand brake if your working on the car, [if you have DRLs], the benefits of DRLs far outweigh the minimal "parasitic drain", [although I don't know what is parasitic about it] and although I agree that gas mileage would be effected, again hardly enough to offset the benefits.

Also, ideally he should use the 2nd ign., [if one is available] as it also does not have power when cranking, but more important is it does not have power in acc. only in run. 94