GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I couldn't take the headlights turning off and on during bright sunlight so I decided to disable the automatic headlights and the DRL's. In order to do this I simply snipped the yellow wire going to the DRL module above the gas and brake pedal, then grounded the side that goes to the module and covered the other side. There was a convenient ground right by the module that I used. I tested it out and couldn't find any ill side effects. No DRL's and I don't have to mess with any brake wiring. The yellow wire is a signal that the car is running. If the yellow wire is grounded the module doesn't think the car is running and if it's not grounded it thinks it's running. Here is a picture:

Wow great way to figure that out. You must be an engineer. Did you get the Wiring Diagrams to the Vibe?

ATTN;--N2SOUND-------What do you think of thi?

I haven't tried this mod yet. It looks easier than my brake wire bypass! ... I'm always up for a short cut.

Hi,In my '96 Chevy Blazer I found the easiest way to disable the DRLs was by pulling the fuse. The fuse that controlled the DRLs did not control anything else. I picked up my Vibe on Saturday and according to the manual, the setup is the same in the Vibe/Matrix - the DRL fuse controls only the DRLs. Is there a reason that you couldn't just pull that fuse to do the same thing as described above?

With 96' Blazers, didnt you just have to pull the E-brake down 1 click? Thats how most chevys disabled DRL up till now.

quote:I picked up my Vibe on Saturday and according to the manual, the setup is the same in the Vibe/Matrix - the DRL fuse controls only the DRLs. Is there a reason that you couldn't just pull that fuse to do the same thing as described above?I didn't try it but I thought I read on this board or the matrix board that the fuse controls other things that aren't listed in the owners manual. I think the fuse you are talking about is ECU-B. Wouldn't we feel stupid if that worked!

So basically this way kills DRL. How about this annoying automatic lighs on feature? It's really ticking me off.

quote:So basically this way kills DRL. How about this annoying automatic lighs on feature? It's really ticking me off.That's what was annoying me as well so I disabled it. This method disables both DRL's and auto lights. From my original post:quote:I couldn't take the headlights turning off and on during bright sunlight so I decided to disable the automatic headlights and the DRL's.

Man, I tried to disable the DRLs and it's really tight fit there. I tried to remove the plasting cover from underneath but man I couldn't. Did you remove this plastic cover, the one that covers all the stuff where your knees are? If yes, can you tell me how?

quote:Man, I tried to disable the DRLs and it's really tight fit there. I tried to remove the plasting cover from underneath but man I couldn't. Did you remove this plastic cover, the one that covers all the stuff where your knees are? If yes, can you tell me how?I didn't have to remove anything. I just cut the wire and then grounded it. I had to lay on my back and look up using a flashlight. My head ended up right by the pedals.

So...........Has anyone just tried to pull the DRL fuse to see what happened? James

Well done. I had tried cutting it, but not grounding it. May I suggest you not cut into the wiring harness, and you might want to disable DRL and auto headlights independently. For details, see http://vibeowner.home.attbi.com

By the way, there is no "DRL fuse" on this car. The DRL relay connects to 4 different fuses but all of them have other functions.

quote:I didn't have to remove anything. I just cut the wire and then grounded it. I had to lay on my back and look up using a flashlight. My head ended up right by the pedals.Sorry to revive such an old thread but ... figure this thread is helpful to everybody. Anyway ...So, you gotta go under the car? The pic you posted at the top, that's the view looking up from the ground?

Yoiks, no, the ground would be easier. That's the view with your head against the brake pedal, looking up.

Ah, reviving an old topic.Just want to mention that I just did this today, and other than it being EXTREMELY cramped, it went pretty smoothly and the results have me giddy.I actually can control the lights on my car! GO ME!

WARNING! I did this modification about four months ago. After securing all the wires and grounding everything out... which really sucked being on my back in the Florida sun... I turned my car on only to find that now the stereo would not come on. That's right no power to the stereo, granted it was not the factory sound system. I fixed the problem by running the stereo power from the strobe light controller box I have in my dash. Whether or not that crazy yellow wire has anything to do with the stereo, I have no idea... but it wasn't until I started digging around under the dash that this happened. So be careful... oh and if the dealership or insurance company gets wind of this mod... it really ticks 'em off. Now if i could just get the fog lights to run independantly... good luck

Wow, that sucks I just went to check on my car and doubled checked all electrical things, and as far as I can tell, everything is working just like it did. If a problem does come up, it'll be easy (relativly) to splice the yellow wires back together. I might even go back in the future and install a plug system so all I would have to do is flip a switch to disable/re-enable the DRLs. I just love these low-cost mods, I wish there were more for the Vibe

quote:WARNING! I did this modification about four months ago.It seems like if this mod was to blame, it would have happened day 1.(?)quote:strobe light controller box I have in my dash.O.K.....I have to ask. W.T.F. is a strobe light controller, and what is it doing in your dash?

I blew my CIG fuse this morning, and it took out power to the stock radio, but the lights and DRL stuff seemed to work OK. Maybe your aftermarket radio was installed in an unorthodox manner.And, that under dash fuse box **** **** **** **** **** **** !(precensored, so genvibe won't have to)°

It wasn't the fuse... and it happened during the install. The strobe light controller, controls the strobe lights in the headlights. It makes them flash pretty colors like red and white. My buddy had them in his Celica and gave them to me. Their kinda fun.

Here's a picture of what they do.

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just did this one this morning......what a sweet and easy mod....works perfect.

quote:I simply snipped the yellow wire going to the DRL module above the gas and brake pedal, then grounded the side that goes to the module and covered the other sideOK, I've gotta give this a try, but want to double check (Hawke's pic is gone) to see if the pic below is the correct "module", if I've labeled the correct wire, and the text on the pic is correct.For those of you who have done the mod, is this correct?Thanks,CarlP.S. I just changed the pic from what was on there this afternoon. A member noted I had the text wrong in the pic.

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Also looking to do this mod, so Hawke's pics would be great at pointing out the ground point. Thanks (again).

O-Tay..It works! Below is a photoshopped pic of how I did mine.I spliced in a longer piece of wire (photoshopped into the pic, leading to the bolt that holds down a couple other ground wires) onto the lead that goes into the module and grounded that end. I put a piece of tape on the other end of the wire that was cut.Thanks James (Vibe) for your help. I was about to ground the wrong end. Thanks again,Carl

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Great!!!!!!!! You did it like mine even to the same grounding point. Hope all is well !! James

how do i get to the wiring? under the dash or do i have to take the steering column apart?

It is really hard but you have to lay on your back with your head by the pedals and look straight up. Plus manage to get your hands in there. It's real tight. James

So ... it's the ONLY yellow wire under the steering column, right?And ... how do you ground it? Do I need a wrench or a screwdriver?Finally ... do I need to unplug the battery first? Will I get shocked doing this?Thanks in advance.

quote:So ... it's the ONLY yellow wire under the steering column, right?Probably not, but it's the only yellow wire leading into the relay type box labeled "relay assy running light"quote:And ... how do you ground it? Do I need a wrench or a screwdriver?I don't remember the size wrench, once you're under there, you'll see the bolt that is in the above pics that I grounded mine to. You'll need a piece of wire about 6 inches long to fasten under the bolt, then wire up to the lead going into the relay box. Tape off the wire splice.quote:Finally ... do I need to unplug the battery first? Will I get shocked doing this?I didn't unhook my battery. Just make sure your headlights are off, and your keys aren't in the ignition. Besides, it's only 12V....

quote:Finally ... do I need to unplug the battery first? Will I get shocked doing this?I didn't unhook my battery. Just make sure your headlights are off, and your keys aren't in the ignition. Besides, it's only 12V.... I would advise unhooking the negative terminal of the battery. I tried to ground my FM signal booster, there was a spark, ended up frying the AM1 fuse...and if you don't know, that's a wicked crucial fuse!!!

quote:So ... it's the ONLY yellow wire under the steering column, right?No. Air bag wire are yellow as well. But they are really noticable

Yikes, it was tight in there. But I got it done. Now, I'm a bit dizzy from looking up in a funny position for 10 minutes.

OK I HIGHLY DON'T RECOMMEND DOING THIS MOD! At least it didnot work on my GT and it caused the battery light on the dash. This even after i connect the yellow wire back. Had to take it back to the dealer and of course they said it's b/c I cut the DRL wire. So now I'm having to 126 bucks to the dealer to put in a new wiring hareness. And they told me that if it would have shorted out the main wiring harness, i would have to pay over 1000 bucks to fix it . DAR

quote:of course they said it's b/c I cut the DRL wire.Do you know this was the cause?Did the battery light come on immediately after you cut the wire? Did the wiring harness burn up or something??????? It does seem odd that this has happened to yours only. Anyone else have any problems after doing this mod? Mine is fine.

I did the mod 1 month ago and mine has worked flawlessly. Sorry to hear of your misfortune,but I believe your trouble lies elsewhere and the dealer is using you mod as a scapegoat. James

i just did this todya and it was an incredibly tight fit. and i'm a relatively small person! no probs with it so far. in fact, i got the check engine to go off, but only for about 30 miles, then came back on. damn thing been on since i installed my cai. quite annoying.

I have a Frosty GT Vibe and was wondering if any other GT owners have had any problems with the automatic headlight mod? Thanks!

Quote, originally posted by mrgoodrt »I have a Frosty GT Vibe and was wondering if any other GT owners have had any problems with the automatic headlight mod? Thanks!Welcome to genvibe. I like the Frosty vibes Seems like a lot of people have done the mod, and only a few have had problems. Not sure why they had problems, but it wasn't a base vs. GT thing, the wiring for the DRLs is exactly the same on base Vibe, Vibe GT, Matix (XR, XRS) I haven't disabled mine yet, but think I might just for the hell of it. I saw a thread on another site that said you can just cut the red wire w/ white stripe, and don't have to ground it. the thread was http://www.matrixowners.com/mo...12523If I do the mod, I would put in a switch so that it would be easy to enable/disable them. I'd use the switch more as an auto-headlight kill switch than a DRL disable, because the DRL/autoheadlights don't bother me most of the time, but have run into a time or two where it would have been useful to be able to turn off the headlights without restarting the car and leaving the parking brake on. I almost always want to be sure that other drivers see my car.If you cut the yellow wire you have to ground the correct end. If you cut the red/white wire, you don't have to ground it. Which wire I go after depends on what kind of switch I can find. I want to get one to replace one of the blank panels next to the coin holder under the mirror controls. I want it to have some kind of light to indicate that the DRL/Autoheadlights are enabled, so I'd probably need to run a ground to the switch to get it to light up anyway, but if I can't find a switch with a light that fits the slot, then I'd go for the red/white wire because it would be simpler.All that being said, I haven't cut any wire to the DRLs box yet myself.

I was wondering if anyone set theirs up with a switch. I'm going to put a clean-looking small rocker switch in the dash to the left of the steering column (next to the coin holder), so I can turn the DRL's on/off as I wish. I already disabled the autoheadlights - all you need to do is disconnect the harness from the sensor - takes 1 minute...Pete

THANKS for the info and the link!! Just did the mod and it works perfectly. At some point I may put in a switch, but this suits my needs perfectly for the time being. Is it possible to turn the foglamps on with only the parking lamps on and not the low beams? If so, does anyone know how to go about this? Thanks again joatmon!

Quote, originally posted by mrgoodrt »...At some point I may put in a switch, but this suits my needs perfectly for the time being....There is a switch of sorts already in the Vibe. As Flip-Side touched upon about a year ago, if you pull the E-brake up one notch, it disables the DRL. There should always be enough slack in the cables that it takes several more to actually engage the brakes (jack up the wheels and check if you're concerned) Of course the warning light comes on, but think of it as a "DRL Disabled" reminder. As long as you always apply the E-brake firmly when you use it, there should be no chance of frying the brakes by driving with it on,and you can restore normal function anytime just by dropping it that last notch. (You could also break into the wire to this switch and install a "DRL Off" switch, perhaps in the console coin holder space, thus retaining the warning light feature:thumbup:

found an amusing article where someone caught grief for not being able to turn off the headlights in her Matrix while driving through a Christmas light show. The Oregonian

I finally diabled my DRL's with a switch. Works great!Pete

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Theres an easier way to dis-able day Time Running lights without snipping or grounding anything.

Quote, originally posted by Merzbow »Theres an easier way to dis-able day Time Running lights without snipping or grounding anything.I can't drive with my e-brake on - my remote start will never arm unless it sees the e-brake off when I'm driving, and back on (amongst other factors) to "arm" my remote start.Pete

how did you hook up the wiring for that switch? that's a great idea. i just cut and ground mine. would be nice to turn them on or off.

Small problem this morning (and it should have nothing to do with the switch)... Got in my car to go to work, driving down the road and I realize my fogs are on, but my headlights aren't. I pull over into a gas station - no headlights. No daytime running lights, no light at all coming out of my headlights. I go home and go over my wiring, call in to work to tell them I'll be late, and pace around my garage thinking I broke something expensive. I check and recheck my wiring, then I start troubleshooting the lights themselves. Headlight relay? check. 12v at fuse? check. high beams work? check. 12v at headlight harness? check. Wait a miniute, something's wrong here. I unplug the harness from the headlight and plug in another bulb (on of the factory bulbs) - it works when I turn on the lights. HUH!? Turns out BOTH sylvania silverstars blew their low beam element this morning - I just can't figure out WHY?After having to remove the battery to get at the driver side bulb (I have the TRD intake that is RIGHT in the way), I swapped in my factory headlight bulbs, removed my switch (just in case) and drove to work with DRL's disabled (I just grounded the yellow wire) and everything worked fine. Why the headlights would blow out is kind of beyond me...Pete