auto lights issue, changed photocell but no dice

[npfd]

hi all,

 

I posted a few posts on the autolights issue, or twilight sentinel problems. With the lights not coming on at night at the start. I have to manually select the light switch to have the headlights/dash come on.

 

I went ahead and changed the photo cell, based on voltage readings, at the DRL unit I couldn't get the measurements for the photocell, but at the photocell connectors I read the voltage fine. This photocell costed a good bit due to being a discontinued part, and shipping etc... its kind of frustrating now that this didn't solve the problem.

 

What I find strange is after 10 mins of driving around and playing with the switch headlight switch, and I put it to off then the lights work, e.g. stay on. Another problem we had is lights randomly coming on during the day...

 

Does anyone have any ideas and cost effective solutions?

 

When coming to get the new photo cell I called around the scrapyards here and they dont have a similar W-body lying around, e.g. same years for the autolights.

 

Thanks.

[swift13]

lot of times it may be just the light switch or maybe even the the turn signal switch

[npfd]

hmm could be possible.....

I know the signal switch is flaky sometimes.... but believe was changed around 4 years ago due to a physical problem.

 

How much would light switches go for, I think they are expensive? Any way to test these?

 

Thanks

[dodgethis]

What car,and year?

[swift13]

j/y ftw wont cost you much even if it doesnt work or isnt the problem, the yard is a lot cheaper. if you give car and year i might be able to find both for you at the yard.

[GTP091]

I had a problem where the driving lights would always stay on. Sometimes by cycling the key on and off they would work properly. I 'bought' a driving light module at the JY and the problem was fixed.

[Night Fury]

LOL @ 'bought'!!!!! ROFL

[npfd]

Thanks dudes.

This thing is pissing me off, tonight it was not working at all.....

 

Sorry for not posting the year and model, 1997 Cutlass Supreme, sedan.

 

You mean the driving light module, where two connectors connect to it. I was getting trouble from reading the photocell voltages from the connectors, unplugged from the DRL unit. As mentioned sorry, but I noticed when I unplug the photocell, the lights come on and stay on... while I was testing it.

 

Tonight I tried restarting the car, and just leaving in the on position for the lights to come on, and playing with the foot brake, just to test whether the connections are fine, and whether the key thing works but it didn't. This is an off topic problem, but I do recall a few times starting the car, whether by remote or by hand and the rear defroster is stuck on, the only way to remedy this is to turn the car off then on.

Another thing I've noticed, I could be wrong, but the headlights seemed to stay at the same brightness levels when I flicked the lightswitch from off to P and to all lights.

 

My guess is that the DRL, purple heatsink, (from what I understand) is fine, but possibly the DRL unit or wires from the photocell to the unit connector are 'bad'?

 

I must make mention, that there was a remote starter installed by the previous owner, AS-1200, AS auto start, and a code to start the car. I don't know if any of these have an effect on the electronics or wiring. I've looked several times underneath, and get a bit confused at the different soldered wires etc....

 

I called around a lot at JY's and I can't even find similar year W Bodies, I found 1 or 2 second gen ones... but the guys are not even sure what I'm asking for.. whether they have it...

 

I'm a bit frustrated at this point, and do you guys notice when the headlights come on the turn signal clicks a tad slower.

[npfd]

I did more testing and messing around with it.

I couldn't get the second connector off the DRL module, black box, I checked part of the wires for the photocell and they seem fine. I checked the voltage at the photocell with it connected, and it did change while exposing it to light and dark.... and without the cell it stays at ~5.6 volts.

 

Driving around at night again, even with the old cell, the system seems too sensitive to light changes, e.g. under a street lamp, it will flicker, turn off randomly and stay off other times it will work... its really erratic.

 

I've noticed while testing, that I do not hear that, clicking noise, as when I'm driving and see/hear the lights come on when its dark. I think that clicking noise is from the DRL module? My first assumption, is that the DRL module may be working fine as the headlights do seem to operate at full power at night, but the parking lights/interior do not come on. What could be preventing this from happening after everything checks out in the DRL system, e.g. purple heatsink drl lights, black box, drl module (driving light module?) and photocell?

 

Secondly, maybe the DRL module, black box is messed up... I read on the net people with earlier versions of the DRL, early 90s, with Caddy's or something found solder cracks in the module circuit and just resoldered it and everything was fine.

 

Thanks.

[dodgethis]

I did more testing and messing around with it.

I couldn't get the second connector off the DRL module, black box, I checked part of the wires for the photocell and they seem fine. I checked the voltage at the photocell with it connected, and it did change while exposing it to light and dark.... and without the cell it stays at ~5.6 volts.

 

Driving around at night again, even with the old cell, the system seems too sensitive to light changes, e.g. under a street lamp, it will flicker, turn off randomly and stay off other times it will work... its really erratic.

 

I've noticed while testing, that I do not hear that, clicking noise, as when I'm driving and see/hear the lights come on when its dark. I think that clicking noise is from the DRL module? My first assumption, is that the DRL module may be working fine as the headlights do seem to operate at full power at night, but the parking lights/interior do not come on. What could be preventing this from happening after everything checks out in the DRL system, e.g. purple heatsink drl lights, black box, drl module (driving light module?) and photocell?

 

Secondly, maybe the DRL module, black box is messed up... I read on the net people with earlier versions of the DRL, early 90s, with Caddy's or something found solder cracks in the module circuit and just resoldered it and everything was fine.

 

Thanks.

 

 

I have a couple of luminas at my junk yard, you need a new DRL module?

[GTP091]

Thanks dudes.

 

Another thing I've noticed, I could be wrong, but the headlights seemed to stay at the same brightness levels when I flicked the lightswitch from off to P and to all lights.

 

That's exactly what my car did before changing the DRL module. I often asked myself 'why the F do I even have a headlight switch?' As soon as the ignition was turned on the head/park lights would come on. After changing my module the entire system works perfectly. I can't say what I paid for the module as the girl didn't charge me for it.

 

The clicking you hear when the lights come on and off is the relay inside the DRL module that is controlled by the sensor circuit of the module.

Edited May 23, 2010 by GTP091

[npfd]

Thanks again for the input that most likely the DRL module is messed, I hope it is. Thanks for the offer for the DRL module, it is the black box right like in this photo with the two blue connectors? I will try again to look around here, if so I will ask you guys to look it up. Thanks.

 

 

[GTP091]

That's it yep