DIY 93-97 (CDN) DRL disable

milhousse · Apr 26, 2005

DIY 93-97 (CDN) DRL disable

This is going to be my first DIY, so please go easy on the comments with this one
Please read the ENTIRE DIY before doing it (especially the ending)

First, to start off, on the 93-97, the DRL main relay is behind the right side of the dash, above to glove box. To get the glove box off, do the following.
Remove the right side kick panel. There will be a bolt behind there. Remove this. On the left side at the bottom, there is another bolt at the bottom of the glove box. There are two remaining bolts behind "covers" once the glove box is open. remove those. There are 3 screws on top, and two on the bottom which need to be removed.
With that, you should have the glove box removed (comes out really easy). Put it to the side. Now look up. Behind the dash there is the main relay.

Now on mine, I had a bit of a problem. The he-man that installed the two screws holding in the metal bracket which holds in the main relay and 2 relays above it... well let's just say he was he-man.
So to actually get these two screws off, I had to remove the vent tube behind the dash (there is a screw holding it in the middle, and it is clipped into the vent on the right. Just unscrew it and move it out of the way (leave the left side attached).

Now find the white wire that has a red stripe. It is on the bottom row, on the left side, second one in (making it wire number 6). Snip it with enough room to solder on some wires if you need.

With that, you have disabled the DRL, with still being able to use the high/low beams as you normally would.
Now since I live in Canada (and anyone who is probably going to do this, also is), I need to be able to have the DRL's on when needed, without chancing getting pulled over for not having them on.

So I put my switch on the centre console (the rear piece). To remove that, do the following.
Remove the carpet piece and the three screws from the top.

Now remove the A/T bezel, by lifting at the front, then off

There are 2 more screws that need to be removed. They are near the carpet, on either side.

As for wiring, do what you wish with whatever switch you want. I decided to use an old power supply switch (old computer power supply). It's just a normal on/off switch, and can easily handle the minimal load.

I did run into a small problem and didnt have enough wire in a single length to go where I wanted, so I had to join two. Most people normally so the "side-by-side-twist-it-together" for this, but I prefer a different "linear" method.
Just twist each wire invidivually, then bend in half against each other to make two hooks. I think this is called a wester union hook (from when they ran telegraph lines), but I'm not sure. Either way, it's really strong when soldered, and keeps a good line.

Cover with shrink tube if you have, or electrical tape. Now I did run into a couple problems while doing the whole process; like my heat gun being at the lake, along with most of my tools (renovating!). So I had to rely on the trust old fashion method - the zippo.

Do the same with the wires on the switch, put it all together, and you'll be good to go!

The whole process should take you no longer than 30 minutes if you know what you're doing. IF not, take some time, and ask for help if needed!
One thing I would recommend - remove the neg wire from your battery while doing this. I had to reset my ECU to get my DRL's working again for the first time for some reason.

Thanks goes out to the nice people at haynes for making manuals for our car, thanks to the old computer that donated wires and a switch for this project, but SPECIAL THANKS to SleepinRolla (from vvt-i.net) for figuring out which wire was needed for all this to happen. Thanks SleepinRolla!

Good luck. Any feedback on my first DIY would be greatly appreciated.