Disable parking lights

[Dreadl0ck]

So - another problem when trying to get my 1969 Roadrunner registered here in Sweden.

I fixed the crank case ventilation and went back for a second inspection. Now he failed me because of the amber lights up front - they can only flash orange but can't be on constant amber. I figured it would be an easy fix - lifting off the cable for constant on and leave the flashers cable but it turns out I can't have brake lights on if I don't have the amber lights on...

My question is: The switch on the dashboard that goes from off -> park -> headlights on - is it possible to bypass the park signal all together so it's really an off->off->headlights on type of switch?

Does the switch pop out easily?

Any other advices on how to fix it?

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

Headlight switch might be bad, the parking lights are through that switch.

 

[Dreadl0ck]

Well - it IS the parking lights I want to disable. No requirements to have them on a car pre 1971 here in sweden.

 

[Propwash]

That's interesting that they want you to Modify your car away from factory spec's. Here in the states, replaced technology/standards is just grandfathered in if it came that way from the factory. Anyways, I would think you would need to obviously segregate off that circuit it's currently on because it's incorporated with the tail lights through the headlight switch.

One idea that comes to mind is just jumping from the wires off the turn signal switch to the rear lights brake lights, and run those signal wires to your front turn signals. You would need to locate the Dark green (left brake light) and Brown wire (right tail light) coming out of the turn signal switch harness, run them up to the front. I would think that would eliminate your "Parking lights"

As far as modifying the headlight switch internals, sorry can't help you there. I have no diagram/drawing of the internals-workings of one of those.

 

[JamieZ]

You're talking about the lights in the bumper that are also turn signals?
Based on the diagram below there should just be one wire to disconnect. The Black Yellow Tracer in slot U of the bulkhead connector.

 

[nm9stheham]

^^^ This advice above is the way to fix this. You pull out the black-with-yellow-tracer wire from the bulkhead connector at postion U, tape it up, and then you can restore it if you ever need to do so. This will disable the front parking lights only. The rear parking lights will still work in the middle position of the headligth switch as well as the license plate light.

Your rules in Sweden seem very odd in that regard. I drove and raced Manta A and Ascona A Opels for years and the amber parking lights up front always stayed on with the headlights. Are you sure this is being interpreted correctly?

 

[Cranky]

Having the parking lights on with the headlights is a safety feature. If a headlights burns out, you still have the parking light for that side still burning so others can see you are not a motorcycle etc. It acts as a clearance light like trucks have on top.

 

[patrick66]

The rules are different in European and Scandinavian countries that they are here in the US and Canada, guys. I lived in Germany for three years, and am reasonably familiar with German, Dutch and Belgian laws regarding safety equipment and such. I sold a few US-spec vehicles to citizens of those three countries while I was there, and they have to do certain lighting mods to be legal to register in those countries. Sweden and Norway have similar conditions for registration. It's no different than if you were to take a car or pickup built overseas, but never sold here in the US or Canada when that model was new (Nissan Fairlady Z and Skyline coupe come immediately to mind), they have to be older than 25 model years old (15 in Canada), or be modded to meet the requirements that were in effect that build year.

 

[Photon440]

So - another problem when trying to get my 1969 Roadrunner registered here in Sweden.

I fixed the crank case ventilation and went back for a second inspection. Now he failed me because of the amber lights up front - they can only flash orange but can't be on constant amber. I figured it would be an easy fix - lifting off the cable for constant on and leave the flashers cable but it turns out I can't have brake lights on if I don't have the amber lights on...

My question is: The switch on the dashboard that goes from off -> park -> headlights on - is it possible to bypass the park signal all together so it's really an off->off->headlights on type of switch?

Does the switch pop out easily?

Any other advices on how to fix it?

Do they have to flash amber? What if you used clear bulbs so the parking lights are white light?

 

[Dreadl0ck]

Well rules say that if I have parking lights - they can't be amber. So I thought about just shutting them off - but then I have the tail lights which can't be on if I haven't any parking lights. Cars older than a certain age don't need parking lights at all.

Best thing would be to find a clear lens for the parking lights - and I'd be all set, but there's no such things so I thought that just removing the parking lights (front and rear) for inspection would be the best way to do it.

Question really was if it wasn't easier to bypass the actual switch rather than pulling cables at the bulkhead - i mean I want to kill it both front and rear.

 

[CCR]

This is how i solved the problem http://www.diodhuset.se/produkter/produktvisning-varianter?item=prod_prod-s1%2F5741

Yellow flash and white parking light :headbang:

 

[kiwigtx]

Easy fix - re-configure the front amber parking lights to be the flashing turn signal lamps - as you will not get clear lenses for the bumper lights.
Then, replace the both outer headlamps with semi-sealed units which incorporate a 5-Watt bayonet lamp - this will become your parking lamp.

I did something similar for a '32-Ford Coupe hot-rod (American Graffiti style car) a few years ago - actually even worse than that. The guy didn't want separate turn signal fittings on the chassis. So I ended up installing a yellow/amber 5-Watt lamp in the semi-sealed headlamp and dropped the voltage to the low-beam side of the headlamp (on the turn signal circuit) to create a parking light when required. To get the voltage down enough, I used 2 x ballast resistors and kept them well clear of anything that would melt.

Hope that helps :icon_thumleft:

 

[Dreadl0ck]

Thanks for advices but some issues

1) Lens is orange - so having a switchback led that flashes orange but has white parking light won't help me
2) Replacing headlamps with semi sealed with bayonet lamps require a whole new head light assembly - wouldn't it be easier just to find a way to kill parking lights (front AND back) since there's no requirements of them here in sweden on cars older than 1971

 

[kiwigtx]

Thanks for advices but some issues

1) Lens is orange - so having a switchback led that flashes orange but has white parking light won't help me
2) Replacing headlamps with semi sealed with bayonet lamps require a whole new head light assembly - wouldn't it be easier just to find a way to kill parking lights (front AND back) since there's no requirements of them here in sweden on cars older than 1971

Those headlamp fittings are made by Hella, and I'm sure the ones I used were German made units - should be easier for you to buy than me. They are relatively cheap - you should be able to buy a pair for under 100 Euros I would think.....if memory serves, they only cost around $50 NZ pesos each (approx 25 Euros)

And to quote your first statement.... "Now he failed me because of the amber lights up front - they can only flash orange but can't be on constant amber."

I think my fix will cover this. :icon_winkle:

I just realised that I made a similar mod to my Dodge A100 lighting. The original turn signals and parking lights were together in the same amber lens fitting. By using a semi-sealed headlamp, I was easily able to make the parking lights on the headlamp, and turn signals only behind the amber lens.

Here's a video with Parking lights and Turn signals;

[video=youtube;JyY3e3mRbUg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyY3e3mRbUg&index=3&list=UUIUMhgxJzGpDukUkAD2Ak9w[/video]

 

[Dreadl0ck]

Well, disabling them up front is a pretty easy fix but I'm having a problem with the taillights.

I'm still wondering if it wouldn't be easier just to kill the "park" mode on the switch.

 

[kiwigtx]

And here's the headlights on;

[video=youtube;NHADy17wrPs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHADy17wrPs&list=UUIUMhgxJzGpDukUkAD2Ak9w&index=1[/video]

:hello2:

 

[JamieZ]

What problem with the tail lights? Are you saying you need to disable the tail lights in park as well? That's much more difficult. You would probably be better off going with a switchback up front and making a clear lens out of some plexi (if that is legal)

 

[nm9stheham]

I think the above comment may be the easiest. You can kill the rear tailights by tracing out the taillight wire to the rear harness connector. But that would kill the license plate light too and kill the taillights when the headlights are on.

The problem with the idea of changing the switch itself is that one terminal on the switch feeds both the front parking and rear tailights. But there is a way: use a relay an activate the parking lights with the headlights.

Find the wire at the top of the headlight switch that connects to a switch terminal marked P. This is the wiring to both the front parking lights and the rear taillights. Disconnect that from the headlight switch connector and make a jumper from that wiring connection to a relay contact with fused 12V coming into the contact on the other side. Then find the light green wire from the headlight switch; that wire carries the power to the headlights. Add a jumper from that wire to the coil of the relay and ground the other side of the relay coil.

 

[Dreadl0ck]

Alright. I might have come up with an idea now.

Two cables are feeding the parking light - one 21W and one 5W both 12V. Grounding is through the casing right. So if I just pull the 5W cable and run a set of white parking lights off it for inspection, and then mount everything back afterwards - I'll have parking lights + tail lights and everybody is happy.

Sounds like a plan?

 

[kiwigtx]

Alright. I might have come up with an idea now.

Two cables are feeding the parking light - one 21W and one 5W both 12V. Grounding is through the casing right. So if I just pull the 5W cable and run a set of white parking lights off it for inspection, and then mount everything back afterwards - I'll have parking lights + tail lights and everybody is happy.

Sounds like a plan?

Not really a plan for long-term....just a plan to cheat your nation's laws.