Headlight Question

K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#1
#1
Let me begin by saying that so far I'm pretty happy with the headlights on my '10 Corolla, especially the high-beams which I use frequently (I live on a dimly-lit street) but what I don't like is there seems to be no way to over-ride the auto-on feature. Let me explain.

The other night I was driving my Corolla and the lights were on normally however when I got to where I was going I wanted to leave the car running (in Park with the brake set) with just the parking lights on. I couldn't figure-out how to do that without shutting the car off and re-starting it which I thought was dumb.

So my question is, is there a way to make the lights work manually, independent of the ambient light sensor on the dash? If not has anyone by-passed the sensor? I did it once on a Silverado I owned and it wasn't hard.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Kevin
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#3
#3
Yep, mine's got it. My friend has an '03 Corolla and her's has it too. Though on her's I think the headlight switch has to be set to Auto or something, I'm not sure.

Kevin
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#5
#5
Thanks guys, another member PM'd me a how-to. I'm going to give it a try (probably this weekend) and if it works maybe I'll post a quick write-up about it so others know what needs to be done. If it doesn't work look for a question from me asking why headlights no longer work! LOL

I know it probably seems like a small thing but for me I like being able to move the car at night with just the parking lights on. Funny that this is the first vehicle I've had where the headlights work this way.

Kevin
 
Scott O'Kashan

Scott O'Kashan

Super Moderator
#7
#7
Just a for your information; leaving the engine running with the car standing still is delivering exactly zero miles per gallon and can obliterate a good fuel economy average.
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#8
#8
Thanks for the info Scott. Most of the time I don't leave the car running, however if I'm just moving something in or out of my driveway and will be moving the car back in shortly than I will let it idle. So far I've been pretty happy with the MPG on the Corolla; not counting my motorcycle this car gets better mileage than anything else I own!

I'll post a write-up about the headlight mod when I do it this weekend (if it works! LOL)

Kevin
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#10
#10
I have no doubt idling does kill fuel economy. It can also drive coolant temps up too, depending on conditions. I have a Scan Gauge II I move around from car-to-car which gives me instant coolant temps (among many other things, I love that thing!). Though it all depends on the car, for example my old Isuzu 4x4 (with a new cooling system) will raise it's water temp almost 10 degrees after 10 mins of idling. Stop and go traffic on a hot day with the A/C on pushes it almost 15 degree's above normal for that engine (~180F). So I try not to idle that one too long if I can help it. From what I've seen using the Scan Gauge on my Corolla the water temps seem to stay pretty much rock-steady, though I've yet to do much stop-and-go driving with it. I don't expect to do much four-wheeling with it either! LOL

Kevin
 
Scott O'Kashan

Scott O'Kashan

Super Moderator
#11
#11
Kevin - Could you make a post about the Scan Gauge in the aftermarket products section? I've been considering getting one of these and would appreciate any information you have on them, how they work, how do they install, etc.

Thank you.
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#12
#12
Sure thing! I'll try to get something up tonight about it. For gearheads it's like crack; gives a LOT of live info that the factory gauges (if you can call them that) just don't also has some handy features relating to MPG too.

Kevin
 
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