highrider43

Im pretty sure this wont work for the simple fact that the "computer" in the car does not see voltage to make the lights work.....it uses resistance and putting in a relay will not provide the correct resistance to allow the lights to work properly....its just going to pass 12 volts and zero resistance.......im not about to try it because it seems very redundant as well, and its not that difficult to flip a switch when it gets dark.......Props for trying to better the idea though.....keep up the good work guys.......Later

Acey

iTrader: (3)

If your suggestion works this one should as well. If the light sensor provides resistance and that's what activates the dash lights and auto lights, my wiring scheme also includes said resistor. When you have not manually turned your headlight switch to the parking lamp notch, the light system will work as it does in a factory car. In theory doing it this way simply adds an automatic way to re-add the full 12V+ so the car again thinks it's night time. You're right, though, it's really not that hard to flip a switch.

highrider43

I do understand what you are trying to say.....in theory your way should work, but when the resistor is inline with the factory sensor the park lights or running lights as you call them will not turn on with the 1 click on the headlamp switch......therefore, you cant use that as a relay trigger.....if you are talking about the daytime running lamps then yes you can use that wire because they come on as soon as you put the car in gear.......BUT that would defeat the whole system because that would inturn allow the headlights to turn back on along with the dash lights......i hate this new car **** cause its all computer controlled and you can only fool it so much......i like my 1980 ford 4x4 cause its sooooo straight forward......LOL...Later

SV513

i just wanted to reply again and say this does work.
thanks! sorry it took so long to try

n0xid

Just got my parts and will be doing this in a few days, glad someone figured this out. How do you go about taking off the part of the dash that the sensor is in though?

kernalz

I have a brand new 2009 cobalt from alberta canada i pulled the drl 10 amp fuse and done . No auto head lights. I saw a post of some crazy do hickie set up. Not needed

Acey

iTrader: (3)

You still have auto headlights, just no DRL's. Reading > you.

highrider43

First impressions are important......first posts i guess are not......ya gotta read before you pipe up bud.

a-ron

i did the switch thin and it doesn't work, what wire does the resister have to be on the green side or the yellow side

wilpy26

Is there a way to switch headlights, tail lights, and brake lights off??

Acey

iTrader: (3)

Yeah... but you'll need resistors or cruise will not work, and I refuse to give you details on how to disable your brakelights because that is absolutely moronic and illegal.

Eric_7810

idiot

serega12

iTrader: (1)

So the first link with the diagram doesn't work...

soundjunky

iTrader: (4)

unless you have a Canadian car (RPO: 'Z49' would be on your options sticker), you shouldn't need it, as the Canadian cars actually have the "autolights off" feature disabled - they are wired/programed differently.

But if you need to do this, the link isn't actually needed, it's spelt out in the first post;

I edited the quote, and highlighted in bold/red the part that makes Canadian cars (unfortunately) unique.

This was the first modification I did to my car, instead of cutting and splicing Imade a complete pigtail that had a switched relay/bypass, and just pluged it inbetween the dalight sensor, and the sensor plug - it works flawless for me.
I used male and female plug ends from early 1990's GM seatbelt warning connectors to make my setup.

serega12

iTrader: (1)

So to revive an old thread. This worked for me. While my installer was wiring up the sunroof module to my alarm, he charged me $20 to do this. It was super quick since he has everything right there. Switch installed right next to trunk release button. He wired up two 350 ohm resistors and it works prefect.

I wanted to do this because I had remote start alarm installed, and that turns on HID's because of auto headlight feature, then it cycles them when the remote start turns over the engine. That's too many cycles for me.

Meadowvalien

Not sure why my car is different... I wired a 1kohm resistor on switch in parallel with the sensor, the dash lights DO work at night when the switch closed, im not sure why everyone else's car seems to need the sensor to have dash lights come on. With the sensor defeated the combination switch works as auto being off, parking lights-normal operation (dash lights do come on) headlights-normal operation (dash lights do come on) I'll take a video if you don't believe me! Haha

soundjunky

iTrader: (4)

I'm not sure what you're saying;
the Canadian auto lights cannot be turned off;
they dim the gauges (most notable on RPD equipped cars, and on the radio) when the daylight sensor thinks it's dark out (low light situations, or near dusk/dawn) it dims the dash lights, making the radio & RPD nearly unreadable.

This in-line resistor tricks the bcm(?) into thinking that it's light out so that dash lights/radio/RPD get full illumination.

It appears as though I mis spoke in my quoted post;
The dash lights will always work, and even with the bypass turned on you can still manually turn on dash lights;
The key in this modification is always being able to easily read the radio & RPD.

Meadowvalien

I read 2 pages of posts in bold text saying they will not work... Let's only post things we know are true instead of guessing.. Not the end of world but I kinda wasted $10 on switch n drilled some low unvisible plastic for the switch, just would have perferd not to is all.

I will check to see tonight if the dash light dimming or whatever are affected by by-passing the sensor.. However I really doubt the dash lights need to be dimmed at night, they look fine to me.

I haven't turned the resistor off since I out it in, I have had no issues at all. I have a sedan, no rpd, it seems like your saying the sensor dims the dash lights when it's light out, which makes perfect sense, your complaint is that they don't turn bright soon enough. A resistor with no switch accomplishes this by just using the combination switch as regular switch where auto is off.

THE SWITCH IS NOT NEEDED! LOL

soundjunky

iTrader: (4)

if it was absolutely required the cars wouldn't have been built that way, however if yours is a Canadian 'Z49' car, the daylight sensor dims radio, and RPD to nearly unreadable backlighting levels at an annoying occurance;
American destined (non'Z49' cars) can disable autolights if this happens;
The only time Canadian cars can disable autolights, is when they're parked with the e-brake up - as soon as the e-brake is released the autolights re-engage.

I use my switched resistor every morning, and have for nearly five years...

How long have you been here that you're telling us this is an unwarranted mod? ~ Oh look, you haven't been here even a year...

How about you quit trying to reinvent the wheel(?) - this thread has been invaluable to many people for YEARS prior to your signing up.

tomj77

iTrader: (2)

Or u could just snip the signal wire from the light sensor and put a switch in there, way easier

Meadowvalien

Lol if the sensor dims the dash light n you want that to not happen why would you a need a switch, simply having the resistor accomplishes everything needed, put the parking lights on the n the dash lights come on full. You don't even know why you need a switch, cuz you don't.

Why would it matter if I only been here less then a year, I purchased my cobalt inside the year n I don't troll forums for cars I dont have lol. I've been working on cars for 15 years, licensed tech, I understand how the system works - I knew I wouldn't need.

Tom77 is right, all you really need to do is unplug the sensor, thereby giving you infinite resistance which bypasses the sensor as the sensor resistance goes up when it sees sun light. All you want to do is trick the car into thinking it's daylight all the time.

Are you somehow saying you want the automated dash lights without the headlights doing the same? I just don't understand, if the autolights dim the dash lights why not just control them manual all the time, your saying your to lazy to flick a switch to control the dash lights but your willing to flick a switch every morning lmao this thread is a fail, but that's what I get for taking the easy way out n not figuring it out myself, laziness never pays!

Lastly maybe if I had have come to the forum sooner all the ppl who wasted their time wouldn't have lmao

Meadowvalien

I'll ad before you spout off about me being a mechanic or whatever .. I work at Honda n can't get wiring diagrams for other makes otherwise I would have just used them

I dunno what it is with this site, everyone on here knows everything about a cobalt... Lmao

soundjunky

iTrader: (4)

Without this in line resistor switch, I couldn't read my RPD, or radio at an annoying rate.

The only way that I can describe it for people who haven't done this mod, is when parked in low light situations, with the ebrake down, the RPD & radio dim & the exterior lights all go on - this is fine except often in this situation, you cannot read the RPD or the radio (the radio is probably 20% brighter than the RPD);
If in that situation, you pull up your ebrake, and rotate your headlight switch to disable the autolights, then the RPD & radio once again become readable;
As soon as you release the e-brake, the autolights engage, and you cannot read the RPD again.
With American (cars not showing hte RPO (regular production order) code of 'Z49', the autlights disable feature works regaurdless as to if the car is stopped with the ebrake up, or the car is moving with the ebrake down - Canadian cars don't - the autolights override your ability to control "dash" (including RPD & radio) backlighting ~ but at the same time do so, in accordance with Canadian daytime running lights laws.

With this switch, I can control the diming of the RPD & radio like I couldn't before - and it effectively allows me to disable autolights like american cars can right out of the box...

I really couldn't care less where you work, if you feel this is an unwarranted modification, that's fine - you've said your part - please drop it now, because not everyone shares your opinion - just like not everyone is going to share my opinion.

As I had understood it, you cannot simply unplug the daylight moniter - the BCM looks for a signal, resisted or staright through, in a similar way how when these cars were new people were trying to find other ways to get around this Z49-only feature by unplugging things...

To myself, and others to whome I have spoken, this is a very handy thread.

Meadowvalien

You must not be reading n understanding what I'm saying.

I understand what the mod does, it does work, what I said was you don't need a switch at all, you don't even need the resistor..... All you have to do unplug the sensor, as the dash lights do still work, which you suggested they wouldn't.

Thanks for coming out, End of story.