My Fogs Work With The Hi Beams! Do Yours!

mjdxtreme · September 14, 2009

Gunna have to do this to my truck soon, did you get the fuse taps at Radioshack too?

Dad had some laying around in his garage. but I believe you can get them at radio shack or any place like that.

mjdxtreme · September 14, 2009

More importantly anyone doing this needs to be sure to get the anode/cathode sides of the diode correct or this won't work. A diode is kind of the electrical equivalent of a check valve for those who don't know. You want current from the headlight relay to the fog relay and not visa versa.

Correction:

Yea I should have included that in my write-up. The cathode side of the diode is the side with the line aound it. That should be facing the headlight relay. It is kind of hard to see in the pictures above but if you look closely there is a silver line around the diode.

GMC_SD_08 · September 14, 2009

More importantly anyone doing this needs to be sure to get the anode/cathode sides of the diode correct or this won't work. A diode is kind of the electrical equivalent of a check valve for those who don't know. You want current from the headlight relay to the fog relay and not visa versa.

Yea I should have included that in my write-up. The anode side of the diode is the side with the line aound it. That should be facing the headlight relay. It is kind of hard to see in the pictures above but if you look closely there is a silver line around the diode.

When running this connection between between the relays is the may purpose to bridge "electrical" on/off switch for the fog lights (basically bypassing the switch in the cab) or is the connection between the relays actually bridging/supplying the main power for the fog lights. Did you happen to test the amount of amps/voltage running through the connection with a voltimeter from the headlights to the fog lamps when all is running? Just curious.... Thanks again for all your most appreciated responses.

mjdxtreme · September 14, 2009

More importantly anyone doing this needs to be sure to get the anode/cathode sides of the diode correct or this won't work. A diode is kind of the electrical equivalent of a check valve for those who don't know. You want current from the headlight relay to the fog relay and not visa versa.

Yea I should have included that in my write-up. The anode side of the diode is the side with the line aound it. That should be facing the headlight relay. It is kind of hard to see in the pictures above but if you look closely there is a silver line around the diode.

When running this connection between between the relays is the may purpose to bridge "electrical" on/off switch for the fog lights (basically bypassing the switch in the cab) or is the connection between the relays actually bridging/supplying the main power for the fog lights. Did you happen to test the amount of amps/voltage running through the connection with a voltimeter from the headlights to the fog lamps when all is running? Just curious.... Thanks again for all your most appreciated responses.

CORRECTION-after getting some clarification from my electronics specialist(aka My Dad)

I am not the best at understanding electronics and stuff like this. Thats why I had my dad help me with this. I do know that in order to figure out how to hook this up we used a volt meter to figure out which pins to use. We did not use a volt meter to test after it was all hooked up. We are not really bypassing the switch. What we are doing is controling the ground side on both the headlight and the fog light relays. We are using the little current that is put throught the coil side of the headlight relay to complete the circuit/coil on the fog relay turning the fogs on with the headlight.

blue dave · September 14, 2009

Nice clean install!

I replaced my lame OEM driving lights with aftermarket lights that fit right in the OEM brackets and look just like the stock ones! When I connected the new supplied relay (they draw more current than stock) I wired the relay to draw power right from the battery and the relay coil is wired to my parking light circuit so that they are always on with the lights.

If I want only the driving lights (which are better than my low beams) I simply turn on just the parking lights. I also wired my low beams to stay on with my high beams. Therefore when my high beams are on I have high, low, and driving all at once!

I am not sure if we have a 4 light maximum law in MN but I really do not care. I only use the 6 lights when no one else is ahead of me or aproaching me. However if someone aproaching high beams me, they shut them down pretty fast when I show them mine!

05silvycrew · September 14, 2009

My fogs go on with my lows and my highs

6 hi mod FTW! I did the same thing with 2 diodes from RadioShack. Best $1 I ever spent on my truck. I drive 10 miles through farmland/deerland in the country to and from work everyday. I need all the light i can get to keep those buggers out of my grille! I always dis-liked how you had to manually turn on the foglights everytime, seems GM doesn't learn.

700 sportsman · September 17, 2009

Is there any specific reason you didn't shrink wrap over the diode, besides not being able to see the line?, I was thinking of just doing the whole thing, and just marking the shrink tube, and just as an FYI for everyone, at radioshack:

2 1N4005= 99 cents

4 pack of fuse taps= $1.99

tjcbenz · September 17, 2009

There is a module called an Innova Brite Box that is plug and play that will keep the lows and foglights on when the brights are on. I don't have one but I am sure looking at getting one.

GMC_SD_08 · September 17, 2009

Is there any specific reason you didn't shrink wrap over the diode, besides not being able to see the line?, I was thinking of just doing the whole thing, and just marking the shrink tube, and just as an FYI for everyone, at radioshack:

2 1N4005= 99 cents

4 pack of fuse taps= $1.99

Were you able to get the fuse taps that fit the mini fuses/relay prongs at Radio Shack? I visited two separate stores and both only had the fuse taps that fit the larger auto fuses. They could not even tell me a part number? If you don't mind would you post the part number if yours are for the mini fuses?

The reason I believe the diode is left exposed is due to heat. The diode is trying to allow current in one direction from the headlight relay to the foglight relay but not the other way around. Since it would be keeping current from going from the foglight relay to the headlight relay it would generate heat in the diode. The extra covering over the diode might would cause it to breakdown prematurely. Someone else may be able to confirm?

blue dave · September 17, 2009

I wouldn't think that the diode in this application would get very hot since it is in the relay coil circuit which is low current.

700 sportsman · September 17, 2009

yeh that's what I was wandering about the heat, I guess I didn't really check the taps I got out, but I believe they'll work, I'll look into it some more tonight or tomorrow, and see what I can come up with

Spurshot · September 17, 2009

I have a 2000 Helms manual and it shows the headlamp and foglamp control passing thru the BCM after the dash controls, but before the lamp relays. In theory, reprogramming the BCM to allow direct control of the fogs regardless of hi/lo beam should be possible. Same with hi/lo simultaneous function. I think the EFI Live programmer has this capability. But it's beyond my capability.

I'd just like the foglamp control to be independent of any hi/lo beam setting.

mjdxtreme · September 17, 2009

Is there any specific reason you didn't shrink wrap over the diode, besides not being able to see the line?, I was thinking of just doing the whole thing, and just marking the shrink tube, and just as an FYI for everyone, at radioshack:

2 1N4005= 99 cents

4 pack of fuse taps= $1.99

Were you able to get the fuse taps that fit the mini fuses/relay prongs at Radio Shack? I visited two separate stores and both only had the fuse taps that fit the larger auto fuses. They could not even tell me a part number? If you don't mind would you post the part number if yours are for the mini fuses?

The reason I believe the diode is left exposed is due to heat. The diode is trying to allow current in one direction from the headlight relay to the foglight relay but not the other way around. Since it would be keeping current from going from the foglight relay to the headlight relay it would generate heat in the diode. The extra covering over the diode might would cause it to breakdown prematurely. Someone else may be able to confirm?

I believe that my dad got his from car quest but not 100% sure. They are for the mini fuses and sorry I dont have a part number. Ill see if he has a part number for them next time I talk to him.

mjdxtreme · September 17, 2009

Is there any specific reason you didn't shrink wrap over the diode, besides not being able to see the line?, I was thinking of just doing the whole thing, and just marking the shrink tube, and just as an FYI for everyone, at radioshack:

2 1N4005= 99 cents

4 pack of fuse taps= $1.99

The shrink wrap I have was not large enough to fit around the diode. We did this on mod on my truck, my girlfriends truck, and my moms tahoe the same way. No concerns of heat problems at all with any of them. We left the lights on for 1-2 minutes each just to see if the diode would heat up and never felt a thing.

hgl800 · September 17, 2009

Mine don't come on in high beam and they never will.... There's enough azzhats that are on the road and leave there high beams on and blind you let alone with there high's and fog's on together....

You get a lot of nights in vegas that you have that much trouble seeing? lol