27Mar2019 82,521 mi
I kind of like my DRL in the daytime, so I wanted to keep them. However, when I want to run parking lights and fog lights only during white-out or heavy fog conditions. After reading the
DRL Disable Thread, [MENTION=4160]KDCane[/MENTION]
posted some diagrams that got me thinking. Since I still want the ability to run DRL's, bending the pin in the relay wouldn't cut it. I needed a switch somewhere in the circuit.
:director:
WARNING: This mod involves cutting and splicing into your factory main harness. If you are not comfortable doing so or competent in electronics and wiring, then get someone who is. I take no responsibility for any action you or your associates take with your vehicle even using this information as a guide.
I encourage you to read this through several times before deciding to continue with this mod. I mean, you're literally reading a thread written by a "Friggin Idiot"
According the the diagrams the easiest place would be from the driver's side junction box, connector 2C, wire 37 (light green). Unfortunately it took me about 90 minutes to locate said connector, and easy is a very relative term. As in it's easier to access than say the wiring that's under the fuse box next to the battery. If [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION]
gave up on the hood fuse box, then it must be really bad!
Step 1: Disconnect the battery negative terminal.
To get at this connector you need to remove quite a bit of the lower driver's dash. Start with the step plate at the bottom of the driver's door, it pries up easily with a body panel removal tool. Unscrew the cap left of the foot rest & pop off the lower left kick plate. Pop the middle center console loose (the part with the HVAC controls). You don't need to remove it just get it loose on the driver's side. Open the cover for the lower dash bolt nearest the center console, remove the bolt and the one on the other side (10mm). Then pop off the lower dash on both sides, disconnect any switches as well as the hood release.
The hood release is a little tricky: pull the cable sheath towards the front of the truck then to the side to free it from the holder. Slide the piston out of the latch and you should be able to remove the entire lower dash. Set aside the lower dash. There are some wires in my pictures which you may not have. They are for my remote start, dashcam, light bar, UCON-EMS, Maestro-RR/Kenwood, and other electronic accessories.
View attachment 329950
Remove the 4- 10mm bolts holding the airbag bracket in place (red diamonds). I didn't waste time figuring out how to disconnect it, and just let it dangle.
View attachment 329956
Now saddle up and disconnect all of the harnesses on the front of the Body ECU. The ones with the black retainers have a tab at the top you need to depress then pull the end of the retainer out so that it rotates freeing that connector. Then remove the 3- 10mm bolts holding the Body ECU in place (top, left side - red diamonds, bottom - orange diamond can only see from under the dash behind the interior fuse block).
Pop the bracket off the ECU at the top plastic pin. Now you should be able to drop the Body ECU down and access the harnesses on the rear.
View attachment 329953
You're after the bigger of the two connectors under the yellow locking latch. In order to unlock that latch you need to remove the smaller connector, slide the latch, and then disconnect the larger connector. Near the yellow latch is the small light green wire you've spent the last hour trying to get to!
Cut it & wire in your switch. The switch harness from AOB of course isn't long enough to reach back behind the Body ECU from the front of the dash, so I had to wire in some extensions. While I usually prefer the twist and solder method with heat shrink covering, but there's no room for that so crimp connectors are about the only option.
View attachment 329954
Reassembly in reverse order. Don't forget to reconnect the battery to test it before you completely reassemble the dash.
Expected Result! The button works as a toggle to enable/disable the DRL in all lighting modes (DRL & Parking)
Unexpected results: The AOB switch has 2 LEDs, one behind the "DRL" & one behind the light logo. When the vehicle is off the light logo stays lit constantly. When vehicle is ON or running, the logo is lit only when the DRL's are off. I figure this is easily reversible by swapping the leads. Don't know if this would fix the always on issue. The "DRL" on the switch never lights, but I didn't connect the blue illumination wire since just getting a working switch was hard enough.
When starting the truck the TPMS light flashes, then stays lit. I figure when the battery was disconnected, then I disconnected everything from the Body ECU it lost the addresses of the TPMS sensors and they need paired/synced back to the truck.
View attachment 329957
This is not for the feint of heart. If you can live without DRL completely, just bend the pin in the relay. Bending the pin would take less than 5 minutes. Splicing into the harness and reassembling everything took me the better part of 3 hours.
