IPF lighting issue

[TheeMikeB]

I installed my IPF 968s the other day and all seemed good. Yesterday when I was in the truck I accidentally hit the switch to turn the IPF lights on while the drls were on and my IPF relay started switching like crazy. The IPF lights were "trying" to come on and were in fact on but looked like 1/2 power.

So I played with it for a few and here is what I found:
If drls are on but headlight switch is off.... Relay goes crazy, IPFs try to come on.
If I switch headlights on... Relay works fine. No IPF
If I turn high beams on IPfs work like they should.


Anyone else have this issue? I'm guessing its because of the Drls and its just one more excuse to disable them anyway. But I'd like to know what the root cause is because I like to know.

 

[the great him]

did you fallow the IPF wiring diagram? i think this is your issue, while i have not had any eperiance with IPF wiring most lighting co make there lights to only come on with the high beam, as they are a driving light and should be used only off road, and when you dim your lights for on coming traffic they will auto shut off...

your issues is the reason i never fallow the manufactures wiring schematics, and always do my own wiring (with the exception of PIAA, they dont do crap like that). i want my lights to come on when i tell them to, not when the car thinks they should.

sounds to me like its as simple as power issue, the DTRL are a use of your headlights, but not at full power, they cut power to the lights, which actually hurts the bulbs, bulbs are desined to be run at 12v 55w, not half that, and when you do under-load them you are stressing them, and shortening their life. now it sounds like you are pulling power(or a ground or maybe both) from the headlights to power these, and with the DTRL on you dont get the full power needed and your relay is detecting that and freaking out, and cycling more than it should trying to pull the correct power. this will burn out your relay and make the lights not work period. try rewiring the lights to pull power directly from the battery and then see if this changes anything. also make sure your ground is all on its own, not tapped into another ground, that makes for poor grounds. just put a small self tapping sheet metal screw into the inside of your fender or some sheet metal next to where you have your relay. this will provide a good ground to use

 

[techno]

While this probably won't help much, I have IPF lights and have never had any issues with them and DRL's. I've had the lights since 1998 so it may be different from the newer looms, but my relay power is tapped into the headlight high beam wire.

 

[4ever4running]

[MENTION=60147]the kid[/MENTION] hit the nail on the head. It sounds like you tapped into the wrong wire to power the relay and it's not getting enough power unless the brights are on so it's tripping back and forth when its not supposed to.

I also agree that it is better to wire the lights to a separate switch so you can control them as needed. It also makes for a much easier installation.

 

[BigRogers]

[MENTION=60147]the kid[/MENTION] hit the nail on the head. It sounds like you tapped into the wrong wire to power the relay and it's not getting enough power unless the brights are on so it's tripping back and forth when its not supposed to.

I also agree that it is better to wire the lights to a separate switch so you can control them as needed. It also makes for a much easier installation.

:iagree:

I am extremely wiring challenged, so when i was working on installing my drive lights I just ended up doing the same. Easy install and i like the capability of running them independently from the brights.

That is what I would recommend you do.

 

[techno]

Where I am, state inspection inspectors always check for the driving lights being linked to the high beams. Plus, even though they have their own on/off switch, I always leave them on so they automatically come on with the highs, that way I have just one control to operate to dip the lights for oncoming traffic. In 25 years of driving I've never needed or wanted the driving lights by themselves.

 

[TheeMikeB]

While this probably won't help much, I have IPF lights and have never had any issues with them and DRL's. I've had the lights since 1998 so it may be different from the newer looms, but my relay power is tapped into the headlight high beam wire.

That's interesting, what color wire did you tap into for the High beams? I used the Red/Blue wire just behind the Drivers headlight.

Interestingly enough my neighbor down the street has an identical truck (and almost identical mods lol) but he has PIAA lights and I asked him if he had any problems. He said he had the same issue becuase of the DRL. He ended up using one of those add a ckt/fuse things and tapped off the tail lights fuse right out of the fuse box under the hood.

I'm guessing it's kinda like Kid said, running 1/2 voltage to the high beam, it's sending weak signal to the relay and it keeps switching. When I get a chance I'm gonna put my meter on it and see what kind of voltage/amperage is hitting that wire with the DRLs on.

Oh and Kid, yes I followed the diagram.

 

[techno]

Yeah, i'm tapped into the red with blue striped wire. Does your relay look like mine?

 

[TheDurk]

I would tap somewhere else, that does not receive the reduced DRL voltage, or go ahead and disable the DRL's. The relay will never be happy receiving that weak DRL signal. If you want them to come on only with the highs, and nothing else, then you could tap the wire between the stalk and the DRL Main Relay (Violet on a 2002, probably the same on yours). That's a switched ground, so the other end of the relay coil needs to go to a 12V+ that could be any key-on source. Don't use a full-time 12V+ or the IPF's will stay lit if you turn off the truck and leave the stalk in the high beam on position.

http://tacoma.site40.net/4Runner_96-02_Repair&Wiring/techinfo.toyota.com/ileaf/ewdtmc2/ewdtmpdf/ewdsourc/2002/024runne/systemci/020hldrl.pdf

 

[TheeMikeB]

Yeah, i'm tapped into the red with blue striped wire. Does your relay look like mine?

Yes same setup techno. So the problem only happens when I try to turn on my IPF lights while the DRLs are on. It wigs out (relay switches rapidly and IPFs come on at very low voltage), as soon as i turn on the headlights normally the situation corrects itself and it functions as it should. ( IPFs turn off, switch high beams on and IPFs come on). So technically it functions as it should when I use headlights. So it's really never going to be a problem, except if I accidentally hit the IPF switch while driving with the DRLs on.

Can you confirm for me that when your DRL lights are on and you try to turn on your IPfs you don't have any issues?

 

[TheeMikeB]

I would tap somewhere else, that does not receive the reduced DRL voltage, or go ahead and disable the DRL's. The relay will never be happy receiving that weak DRL signal. If you want them to come on only with the highs, and nothing else, then you could tap the wire between the stalk and the DRL Main Relay (Violet on a 2002, probably the same on yours). That's a switched ground, so the other end of the relay coil needs to go to a 12V+ that could be any key-on source. Don't use a full-time 12V+ or the IPF's will stay lit if you turn off the truck and leave the stalk in the high beam on position.

http://tacoma.site40.net/4Runner_96.../ewdsourc/2002/024runne/systemci/020hldrl.pdf

Yeah I'm most likely going to disable my DRLs. I don't care for that feature anyway. Thanks for the info in the other area to tap.