Black1997T/A

Only an idiot would remove an airbag to put a TV screen, but give Me a break are the amber DRL's really that neccesary? Besides, aren't We supposed to have our headlights on in poor visibility situations like rain,fog, dust etc. anyways? I could'nt agree with Jeff more.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Oh, I see...your front turn signals are also a safety item that you don't need (DRL and T/S use the same bulbs).

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Yes, you're right - you are supposed to use headlights in low visibility. The problem is the many people who don't. They figure "I can see fine why should I use lights" without thinking about whether others can see them.

And what about sunny days driving on a "canopy road" (trees cover the roadway)? It's often hard to see another vehicle with the shifting light filtering through the trees but headlights aren't necessary. That's where DRLs make you more visible.

It's a proven fact that DRLs reduce daytime collisions by between 7 and 11 percent (different countries). For example, Canada compared accident rates between 1989 model cars that don't have DRLs and 1990 models that were required to have them and found an 11 percent difference in frontal daytime collisions.

RACN1320

No offense but if you can't see a car unless it has its lights on in broad daylight you shouldn't be driving anyway.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The point is not whether you see the car but how soon you see it. If DRLs help me notice a car sooner (or help somebody else notice me) then that's an important safety item. How often have you heard about someone cutting off another driver because "I just didn't see them" - it happens a lot even with motorcycles that have their headlights on all the time. With all the traffic these days and the number of fools on the road, I want every advantage I can get.

DAVESS02

iTrader: (30)

I agree with racn, thankfully the safety nerds havent gotten to all of us yet. "you'll shoot your eye out"

MiaSSmaro98

iTrader: (9)

whitebird all my fuses are good

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Did you test them, replace them, or just look at them? Sometimes a fuse will look fine but not work. This happened last week when someone else had exactly the same symptoms.

If it's not a fuse then it could be a bad BCM but that doesn't happen very often. There's really not a whole lot that can go wrong with the BCM.

Do the map lights work? If they do then it's not a fuse or power supply problem - it's likely the ground circuit in the BCM (the white wire). If the map lights don't work either then the fuse is the likely cause.

InfiniteReality

iTrader: (6)

???? I have a screen and didn't disable either airbag. No reason too.

MiaSSmaro98

iTrader: (9)

whitebird wats the bcm?and the only way the lights on the rear view mirror work is if i manually turn them on.if i open the doors trunks or move up the dimmer none of the light work.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The BCM is the Body Control Module. It is a black box about the size of a paperback mounted under the dash behind the glovebox. It controls various body functions such as keyless entry, alarm system, and courtesy lights. The white wire is the ground return from the courtesy lights to the BCM. The BCM gradually reduces the ground to provide the "theater dimming" effect of the courtesy lights.

tracetrimble

I did the jumper thing, works great. It disables the DRLs and the auto headlights. I'd never disable and airbag, and always wear my seatbelt too.

A big problem with the DRLs in the late Fbodies at least is that GM just decided to turn on the front turn signals constantly, but they weren't originally designed for that. The heat melts the bulb sockets over time. Check yours - I bet they're pretty crusty if you have over 30k mi. How safe are you without turn signals?

I'm trying to figure out where this module is on my Silverado as well so I can turn the headlights off when loading my boat at night, so I don't blind others trying to back down the boat ramp.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

What year is your Silverado? Recent models (2004+) should have an OFF position on the headlight switch to disable the automatic headlights. On earlier models you can disable them by pressing the dome override button four times within six seconds while the ignition is on. A chime will sound and the automatic headlights will be disabled until the next time you start the truck.

The DRLs have a separate fuse that you can remove to disable daytime running lights.

tracetrimble

mine is a 99 model, and the dome override trick doesn't work on the 99s.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

On a 99 model you should be able to turn the headlight switch to the Park position and the automatic headlights will shut of leaving just the parking lights on. You can permanently disable the automatic headlights in the same way as an F-body by shorting across the sensor leads (white wire and gray wire). Or you can also disable them by disconnect the white wire in postion A11 of the 24-pin white/gray connector at the BCM. There are two white wires in that connector - the one you want is the one second from the outside edge (not the one close to the middle of the connector). The BCM is mounted under the left side of the dash below the steering column. It has a big harness with three connectors - 24-pin brown, 24-pin white/gray, and 16-pin purple.

komik

iTrader: (7)

I have my DRL's on a switch. I cut the wire leading to the reed switch on the e-brake, ran it to a switch and connected the other lead of the switch to a ground. The switch is installed where the ashtray used to be next to the switch for my LEDs. Sure it makes the brake light illuminate on the dash, but I already had the center console out and haven't bought a new soldering iron yet. So this approach was easiest.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Problem is that only works if you use the switch before the DRLs first go on. Once the DRLs have turned on they won't turn off by pulling up the parking brake or flipping your switch.

tracetrimble

thanks for all the help on the Silverado. i actually followed this write up and put in a resistor on a switch, which worked for a while but then stopped working. http://fullsizechevy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114544

(i've posted there as well)

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The resistor isn't necessary (either on your your Silverado or on F-bodies). What happens is that people measure the resistance of the stock photosensor and try to find a matching resistor to replace/bypass it. You'll see wildly varying resistance values posted in various places because of this.

The sensor circuit is a 5-volt loop where the BCM determines daylight by the resistance of the photosensor. The lower the resistance the brighter it is outside. Using a simple jumper wire to bypass the photosensor produces zero resistance which the BCM interprets as full daylight so the automatic headlights never go on. In fact, this is how the factory disabled the automatic headlights in US Firebirds - a jumper replaces the photosensor that is used in Canadian models.

komik

iTrader: (7)

I am aware of that and it's really not a problem. I always keep the switch turned off. Each time I start the car and release the brake, the lights stay off. If I want to turn the lights on then I'll flip the switch, but that rarely happens.