Low beams on with high beams and maintain DRL's?

[Vinman]

05 TJ,
Can it be done? I'd like to add a relay to the low beam circuit that would be energized when the high beams are on thus resulting in both high and low beams on at the same time.
I attempted it with a previous Jeep but ran into issues when the headlights were off, the low voltage from the DRL's would "try" to energize the relay I installed and resulted in a lot of clicking and a short life of the new relay if I hadn't noticed right away.

Option 2 is to remove the DRL module and forget about it, however, I temporarily dicsconnected it last night and the high beam indicator ceased to work while the module was unplugged. I ran into the same problem on the last heep and fixed it but cannot remember how, I believe it was as simple as cutting the orange/white wire at the module plug and possibly grounding it but am not sure now.

Anybody else successfully mange this task?

Vince

[binare]

Don't do it with expensive bulbs, low and high on would burn bulbs out very quickly due to the extra heat. Same wire, but don't ground it, its the moving sensor, if you cut it the DRL module will just assume your TJ isn't moving and won't turn on. You should also use good relays with a diode in it, the inductive kick will cause a crap ton of current to flow in the opposite direction when you cut power to the relay (coils magneting field collapsing). The crappy low/high/fog switch in TJs won't last long without a diode to stop that from happening.

[morerpmfred]

When you remove the drl. Use a test light to determine where to hook up a short jumper wire. Then your high beam indicator light will work.
You will burn out your bulbs running both at the same time.
 A better solution would be to upgrade your wiring harness from like  22 gauge wire to 10 or 12 gauge wire. Run straight from power box using a relay powered by the existing head light harness. You will have to remove the drl for this. This alone will give you way brighter head lights and gives you the option of running high wattage glass and bulbs.

[Vinman]

When you remove the drl. Use a test light to determine where to hook up a short jumper wire. Then your high beam indicator light will work.
You will burn out your bulbs running both at the same time.
 A better solution would be to upgrade your wiring harness from like  22 gauge wire to 10 or 12 gauge wire. Run straight from power box using a relay powered by the existing head light harness. You will have to remove the drl for this. This alone will give you way brighter head lights and gives you the option of running high wattage glass and bulbs.

I was playing around tonight and just ran a 10 ga jumper directly from the battery to the backside of the headlight connector plug (temporarily of course). I couldn't believe the difference in increased light output from that alone. I will definitely be upgrading the harness soon. Oh, no need to remove the DRL module for this mod.

Back to running high and low at the same time,  the main reason I want to do this is to still have a low beam pattern while the highs are on on.
Although I read the bulbs will prematurely fail if both are on at the same time, what about the older vehicles that still maintained low beams when the highs were on? No possible way to run H4's in the older stuff?

I bought my new lights at Modern and while speaking to Drew, he said he has been running same setup (IPF housings with PIAA bulbs) in his JK and older Broncos  for years without failure. Now while I'm not 100% positive, I'm relatively certain the 69 Bronco (with stock wiring) will have both lows and highs on at the same time.
I may just try it and see what happens, worst case, it will cost me new bulbs I guess.

[morerpmfred]

Using the drl on a new wiring harness will trigger the relay if you use the excisting head light wiring to trigger the relay. That is why the jumper wire where the drl was for the high beam indicator.

[Vinman]

Using the drl on a new wiring harness will trigger the relay if you use the excisting head light wiring to trigger the relay. That is why the jumper wire where the drl was for the high beam indicator.

So I have to ditch the DRL module, put a jumper in the now exposed DRL plug to allow the high beam indiocator to operate correctly and that will allow me to use the existing high beam wire at the headlight to trigger the new relay which in turn, will force the low beam to stay on when the high beam is selected, right?

The only negative to this method is the loss of DRL's, right?
Do you happen to know which wires I have to jumper at the DRL plug to allow the high beam indoicator to work? I'm 99% sure one of them is orange with white strip but am unsure of the other wire.

[binare]

The white/orange is the speed sensor, don't jumper it or it'll think your constantly moving

It's not the only negative UNLESS you use relays with diodes. And no, it won't allow low and high beams. You'll need a relay for low and a relay for high. Just make your highbeams energize the coils for both low and high.

Again, I would just cut that one wire, no exposed plug and the module stays, if you ever sell it just put a but splice in.

I've done the exact same thing to my 03 if you ever wanna see it Vin.

[vantagetes]

I think fog lights that came on with your high beams would be the least PITA way of doing what you want. Or simply fog lights on their own switch.

[Vinman]

The white/orange is the speed sensor, don't jumper it or it'll think your constantly moving

It's not the only negative UNLESS you use relays with diodes. And no, it won't allow low and high beams. You'll need a relay for low and a relay for high. Just make your highbeams energize the coils for both low and high.

Again, I would just cut that one wire, no exposed plug and the module stays, if you ever sell it just put a but splice in.

I've done the exact same thing to my 03 if you ever wanna see it Vin.

Which relays did you use? I want to do this one time only without future issues.
I've been communicating with Daniel Stern Lighting and can get a top quality "kit" of components to make my own harness for 50$. all I supply is the wire, so I may just go that route.

[morerpmfred]

Standard automotive relay. Also the only head light pig tail that does not melt that I have found is from napa. Takes about 45 minutes or less running on the highway on high beam using the high out put bulbs. Then no lights.

[Vinman]

Standard automotive relay. Also the only head light pig tail that does not melt that I have found is from napa. Takes about 45 minutes or less running on the highway on high beam using the high out put bulbs. Then no lights.

I may skip the high and low together and just add a set of bumper mounted lights like previously suggestef that I will wire up to come on with the high beams.

[binare]

I use Bosch dual 87 w/diode relays, personally I'd never use a standard automotive relay found at princess auto, Napa or autovalue etc. When using existing factory wiring to control another circuit, your just begging for issues.

[Bnine]

I thought painless has a setup to do this exact mod that upgrades the wireing to be able to handle the extra heat. Although not my deal. I drive with mud covered headlights on highbeam at all times because I have a low that is burnt out...............................

[Dingleberry]

Vinman, in order to get your high-beam indicator to function again after disconnecting the DRL module, you need to 'jump' (run a wire between) pins 1 and 4 on the multi-socket connector.

I used this webpage as a guide to build myself a new headlight wiring harness, instructions for the DRL module are at the bottom:
http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoHeadlightLoom.htm