Fog lamps as back up low beams.

[1NZYaris1]

Originally Posted by ellenbetty

You may have forgotten I own 2 Yarises. The first Yaris has the problem of fog lamps always on. The second Yaris has the problem with on off switch always lit.

Okay the one that always has the fogs on , swap the 2 switching wires
around , should be problem solved , but it might end up with the switch LED permantly on , and the reason for that is
something to do with the way the Daytime running lights are wired , and as i don't have them
i can not advise a solution , you might want to talk with CTScott ,
Try PMing him

[CTScott]

The switches with some of the kits (or at least the one I received with mine) really aren't designed to be used with the OEM wiring method. To make the light turn off when the car is off requires modification of the circuit board within the switch.

[ellenbetty]

Well my 2 Yarises are different. One has power windows and power mirrors (the Yaris with the fog lamps always on problem). The other Yaris without power windows has the light in the switch always on problem.

I tried swapping the yellow and red wires on the Yaris with power windows. Zero effect on the Yaris with always on fog lamps.

[1NZYaris1]

Are they factory or after market options .

Can you put up photos of how you have wired them .

your problem of foglights not turnning off , is a first for me .
It could be the switch not earthing

[ellenbetty]

Yes I can take photos of install.

Which relay? The relay under the dash or the relay under the hood? The relay under the dash is easy to replace. I can just swap relays between the two cars.

[CTScott]

The easiest test is to completely bypass the switch. If you have the under hood wiring complete and the relay in the OEM socket, then all that you have to do is to jump pin 3 (yellow) to pin 4 (orange) on the headlight switch connector.

With the headlights on low beams, when you jump those pins fogs should light and dashboard indicator should come on.

If that works, then everything is fine except for the switch.

[ellenbetty]

What has me puzzled is there are 2 yellow wires coming out of the socket that plugs into the back of the switch and only one yellow wire coming out at the end of the plastic wrap (plus one black and one red wire). I know not know what was done at the factory with one of those 2 yellow wires.

A quick fix is to cut the black ground wire from the switch, install a second switch controlling the ground wire.

[ellenbetty]

I tried your test running a wire between 3 and 4. Fog lights did not come on. So I went ahead and switched the NARVA relays. The fog light switch lit up and the fog lights remained off. The fog lamps lit when I turned the key to aux, turned on the running lights and turned on the fog lamps. The brand new NARVA relay is bad.

[1NZYaris1]

Originally Posted by ellenbetty

I tried your test running a wire between 3 and 4. Fog lights did not come on. So I went ahead and switched the NARVA relays. The fog light switch lit up and the fog lights remained off. The fog lamps lit when I turned the key to aux, turned on the running lights and turned on the fog lamps. The brand new NARVA relay is bad.

now thats a first , congrates on finding the problem .

[ellenbetty]

Or is the relay just getting a bad connection? So I plugged the "bad" relay into my other Yaris, the Yaris w/out factory power windows and w/out factory power mirrors. Now both Yarises fog lamp are working. Working in a strange way. The fog lamps will only come on once. To get the fog lamps to come on again after turning the fog lamps off, another electrical switch must be changed to on or off. Of course I have not tried with the motor started. I hope that will not change things again.

[1NZYaris1]

Once you turn the foglights off at the switch wait 3 seconds
you will here the relay click .Then push the switch again and they will come on . this is due to the load resistor in the relay . there to protect it .
from on/off switching too fast.

[JCS_IMPORT_25]

definatley nogo

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by 1NZYaris1

Once you turn the foglights off at the switch wait 3 seconds
you will here the relay click .Then push the switch again and they will come on . this is due to the load resistor in the relay . there to protect it .
from on/off switching too fast.

The resistor is just a snubber. It doesn't induce a delay. I helped someone else recently troubleshoot a fog light issue with a similar behavior and the end result was that the switch was causing the problem.

[ellenbetty]

It sounds like a design problem. Finding a replacement switch seems problemmatic. I have already cut the plastic in floor console to fit the switches. Replacing the switch may also require replacing the wiring harness going to the switch.

I do not know of any driving conditions I would want to turn on then on, then off and the on again. I will be interesting to try the suggestion of wait 3 seconds before turning the switch back on.

[thebarber]

definitely cheaper and easier to keep extra bulbs in your glovebox in case a light goes out. standard oem bulbs last for years....i wouldnt worry about them burning out too much. besides, how often do you drive at night?

[ellenbetty]

Actually I did buy 2 bulbs and put one bulb in the sun glasses storeage area in each car. I kept each bulb in it's packaging. I do not plan upon changing bulbs when pouring rain or when it is bitter cold. I worry what will happen if the electrical system gets soaked. When visiting one of Cleveland's high crime areas, it is not safe to bend over a car's hood long enough to change a bulb. Once I lock my door in a high crime area, I do not unlock the door and get out until I reach my next planned stop.

Ohio's law requires turning on headlights when windshield wipers are being used. So night time driving is not the only time when my headlights are on.

In the last month I have been out once after dark. But that will change with the shortening of days. Plus here in North East Ohio, we get several snow storms each month of Winter. Driving up to and back from Cleveland lake effect snow is also a problem.

Next thing to do is sealing gaps between the fog lamp casing and the plastic insert that snaps into the outer bumper. While sealing gaps is not part of the instructions, I figure such gaps will let lots of rain or melted snow in to the area behind the fog lamps. While the fog bulb socket is rapped with rubber seals, water will get in any minor crack. Plus freezing water could cause damage. So I sealed the edges with clear silicone caulk. Unsightly looking.

Next day I did put a second layer of clear caulk to angle the edges around the plastic insert. Plus there were a few gaps created by drying or poor placement of the clear caulk.

I included two photos. A photo of the gaps and a photo of the second layer of clear silicone caulk. The clear caulk looks milky. Next step is use a razer blade to trim off some of the silicone caulk. Final step is to paint the plastic insert and the clear silicone caulk Meteoric Metallic.

[supmet]

^^ were you caulking with a shovel??

[ellenbetty]

Some of the gaps are rather big. Big enough to hold a ink pen in place. Plus if you want to change a flat edge to a slanted edge, for aerodynamic reasons, then more caulk or body putty is needed.

Plus I was hit by a van while on a bicycle years ago. Try laying on your back with 50% to 75% of the tissue in your neck and back torn, laced with scar tissue. Throw in a few compressed vertebra and couple of bulging disks, while installing caulk. I can only hold my neck horizontally for a couple of minutes every other day. That's with taking Naproxen and using a 4 x 6 inch lidocaine patch on each shoulder. So pre-planning each action and speed is more important than looks.