Automatic Lights

Burrito · November 23, 2004

When it is dark, the lights on my 2001 2500HD come on automatically. How do I disable this feature?

willscary · November 24, 2004

use the switch to turn them off. Right now they are set to "auto".

Metz Motorsports · November 24, 2004

where is the he*l is that switch...

Peter_C · November 24, 2004

If you hit the interior light button I think four times in a row it turns off the headlights.

Wingnut · November 24, 2004

On an 01, I don't think there is a feature to disable it for good. You would have to do some minor wiring work to make it happen.

But if you press the "dome override" button 4 times within 5 seconds, it will give you manual control of the lights until you turn the truck off. What sucks, is that it resets to auto-control when you start the truck again.

Also, if you have the parking brake set when starting, the lights will not come on until it's released.

soccermom · November 24, 2004

Burrito, I have been unable to find a permanent fix for this on my 02. The dome override works, as mentioned earlier, until you turn off the truck. I find the feature totally annoying as the sensor is way too sensative and turns on the lights well before they are needed.

willscary · November 24, 2004

I apologize...I didn't realize that your truck didn't have the same switch that I have in my '03.

On a related subject...my brother in law bought a '99 LS and he has the same switch as me, but he does NOT have an "auto" setting. Does this mean he doesn't have them? I thought all the trucks from '96 and up had DRLs and auto lights...his has neither.

Finally, while we are on mysteries of the trucks, my brother in law's truck has a push button switch under the radio where the airbag shutoff key is on my '03. When we push it, there is a click behind the driver's door, but we have not been able to find what this button does. Any help? (it is not even in the owner's manual!)

soccermom · November 24, 2004

My truck has a simple 3 position light switch (off, parking, head) plus the dome override below that. The auto light sensor is in the center of the dash, near the windshield - looks like a little LED bulb. There is no "auto" mode for the lights on mine, it's just the default setting.

Shawn T · November 24, 2004

The "sensor" on the dash is a photoelectric cell. It is wired independantly of the headlight switch. I can't be posative, buy you should be able to remove the photo cell and leave the circuit open and still use the switch to activate the headlights. This will "fake the circuit" showing an "daylight reading" on the photo cell at all times. Don't quote me on this method but I remember a guy trying something similar on this forum and it worked. I just can't remember when and who.

Silverado4x4 · November 24, 2004

willscary, the button your talking about is a button to turn on roof emergancy lights, like on police cars, tow trucks, etc, if you would drop the head liner down there is a wire harness up there to connect to the flashing light bar on top of the roof if you install one.

willscary · November 24, 2004

That is what the manual says. Our problem is that the truck does not have and never did have roof clearance lights.

Burrito · November 24, 2004

Thanks for all the replies. I tried pushing the dome override button 4 times within 5 seconds and it worked. I bought the truck used and it didn't come with an owner's manual so I'm trying to figure out all the little tricks. I might be hollering at yall some more if I have any more questions.

MS3DALE · November 24, 2004

willscary,that switch is so you can add an emergency or strobe light to the roof of the truck,it is already prewired and the wiring is under the headliner as 96vette said earlier,it is not for roof clearance lights,that also means the truck has the snow plow prep pkg. (RPO code VYU)

And on the '99's you cannot turn off the DRL's or auto headlamps by pushing the dome override button in four times (I had a '99 and wish I could have been able to turn the auto lights off!) that didn't work until 2000 and up model years.

All trucks from '96 up have DRL's and all trucks from '99 up have auto headlamps unless ordered with RPO code T62.