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I generally leave my headlights set to auto but on the TL the system seems to be far too sensitive. It keeps the headlights on in far lighter conditions that it should and kicks them on with the slightest reduction in light. Even driving during cloudy conditions can trigger the lights to come on. I find that on darker days the headlights go on and off very frequently which is starting to drive me crazy. Is this normal .....? Is it adjustable in any way...?
not adjustable.. i dont even bother with auto headlights. although it's better than having to drive around in those newer chryslers that turn off a headlight when you signal lol.
I generally leave my headlights set to auto but on the TL the system seems to be far too sensitive. It keeps the headlights on in far lighter conditions that it should and kicks them on with the slightest reduction in light. Even driving during cloudy conditions can trigger the lights to come on. I find that on darker days the headlights go on and off very frequently which is starting to drive me crazy. Is this normal .....? Is it adjustable in any way...?
i didn't know our car has this feature, i have a 04, was this included on the 07-08 model or for all 3g version, and where is the auto light located.
During winter, I keep my lights on almost all the time as its foggy/cloudy during the day and the 04-06s don't have DRLs. If I had an 07-08, I wouldn't even bother with the auto setting. It's not necessarily a bad thing to have them on more than needed.
So what is the L for, and the dial for that is next to to L, on the autolight control unit? What does L stand for? Is it Light vs dark... or Longer vs. shorter?
I just installed the same system on my TL. You see a pic of the unit here
Mine also come on too soon, but not terrible. It just has a tendency to go on and off on cloudy days, like yesterday in Dallas.. But I did notice yesterday, some cars also had their lights on.. but most were off.. But that's still too early for me. I turned the L dial, but I cant tell a difference. I need to experience more about what it does in real time to figure out what it is for.
Also note: part of the reason why mine are coming on soon is because I moved the sensor location and light does not shine directly into the sensor. In fact, the sensor is facing the windshield at a downward angle like toward the lower front edge of the glass, but still the sensor is located right under the black dots (which is shaded) at the top edge of the windshield.
Nevertheless, I think I can make that sensor adjustable with a small low powered potentiometer.
Worst case, I can move the sensor down to the lower Left A-Pillar and face the sensor upwards and get more direct light so the system wont be triggered as soon.. There is plenty of room behind that panel.. I know because I ran a wire that way..
Question to the OP. Do you have your windshield tinted? If you do then that is the answer why the come on so often. I always keep my headlights on auto an never had issues during cloudy days. It would only turn on when it rains or when under the bridge for more than 5 seconds.
I don't think you are looking in the right spot my friend.. The control unit is under the dash. er behind the dash.. Did you see the pics on the page above?
Question to the OP. Do you have your windshield tinted? If you do then that is the answer why the come on so often. I always keep my headlights on auto an never had issues during cloudy days. It would only turn on when it rains or when under the bridge for more than 5 seconds.
I don't think you are looking in the right spot my friend.. The control unit is under the dash. er behind the dash.. Did you see the pics on the page above?
I did look at your pics. I will look one more time........
so try it.. See what it does. report back, if you want. I have not used it long enough.. nor do I drive that much. So its going to be a while for me.. haha I'll probably install a potentiometer (like below) to give it adjustability.. I think I can make it work. I have to go downstairs to take a few measurements with my voltmeter to make sure it doesn't work backwards from what I am thinking... long story.
the potentiometer didnt work. It uses some random bits or analog signal that goes to the BCAN to actually turn on the lights. So its not just a typical DC voltage swing that causes the lights to toggle on. like a relay.. Its somewhat "smarter" than that. So instead, I took off the tinted cover on the sensor since my mounting location is in an obscure location. I have not fully tested it yet though to see if I got it to not turn on the lights so soon or so easily. I will this weekend. I only drive my car a few times a week. And I have not driven it since 10/18
2015 Pilot we just bought has adjustable auto headlights. Nice feature but not necessary. Either deal with it, turn on the headlights manually or leave them on.
I found a solution. Disconnect your OEM sensor, and install this sensor. It is 100% compatible with oem setup. Then you can adjust until your heart is content! I just did it. And it works awesome! Its another "1st time discovery" for me.. haha I have an 07 HELM electronics manual for sale for $50. By the way, you will disconnect the sensor under the dash at the "automatic lighting control unit".. And you will have to cut the 3 wires to tap into the system with your new sensor. And you will have to figure out a ne place to mount the sensor.
So, last night, for some reason it turned off my headlights and then after a few minutes it came back on. I have no idea why this sensor did that when it was dark.. So, I guess I should say, this sensor is a bit hard to adjust and a bit flaky. It will turn the lights on and off, but I am not sure if it is consistently reliable. Plus, sometimes when I adjust it to just barely go off, when it comes time to turn the lights back on, it has a huge delay and its gets dark before they come on. So, there is a large threshold of when this thing changes states, and I have not been able to control it properly yet. Of course, I don't drive my car but a few times a week during the day.. So, its a really slow process for me to troubleshoot something like this. So, basically, I just wanted to say this might not be the best fix. If there is a higher quality one online somewhere, I would love to see it. By the way, this device has an analog output and a digital output. It controls the lights by using the digital output. So, if you see one on the market somewhere, try to get one with a digital output. It would likely have a better chance at being compatible with oem stuff.
I have an update. I got rid of the oem sensor and I used that "Auduino" switch. BUT I only used that switch to send the signal to the autolight sensor brain under the dash panel. The Auduino does have a light sensor but I found it to be inconsistent. The good thing is that the Auduino has a dial on it that you can turn it to always send the signal to the brain to turn on the headlights. So, why would I do that? Why leave them on all the time? Well, I bought a GM sensor for $5 and that sensor has only 2 pins on it. After some analysis, I determined the GM sensor does not send a smart signal to any "brain" to turn on the lights. Instead, all it does is it starts to flow current when it gets dark, or dark enough. So, basically, I connected that GM switch in series with 1 power leg of the Auduino. The Auduino has 3 pins just like the OEM sensor. And the Auduino sends the same signal to the brain to turn on and off the lights. (amazing but true). So, again, I turn the Auduino switch so it always stayed ON, and I put the GM sensor in series with the + power pin of the Auduino. So, when it gets dark outside, the GM switch begins to flow current, and this turns ON the Auduino switch thereby sending the signal to the autolight brain turning on the lights. When it becomes bright outside, it removes power from the Auduino. And this acts like a disconnect as far as the brain is concerned and there is no signal telling the brain to turn the lights on, So, since the signal is gone and the Auduino is cutoff, the lights go off! With all that being said, I found a great "OEM-ish" place to mount the GM sensor. The Auduino is under the dash.
I also figured out that the +L and arrow on the brain under the dash controls the delay of when the lights come on. It does not change the exposure threshold for when the lights should toggle on or off. It only controls the delay of when that threshold is met. So, when driving under a bridge, you can turn the delay to +, and it will lengthen the delay of how long it takes for the lights to come on, once it gets dark. Again it does not change what the brightness should be when the lights toggle on or off.. It is only a delay. The delay can be used for coming home and parking your car in the garage.. When you pull in, and park and shut off the car, if the dial on the brain is toward the +, then the lights will not come on, unless you just sit there for a while.. Interestingly, when the car is first turn on, if the conditions say "turn on lights" or "eave the lights off", there is no delay. It is an immediate measure and action when you first start your car.. The delay only works after the car has been on..
Anyway, so far, this GM sensor is working better than having the OEM switch mounted in the overhead console. Also, the OEM light sensor might be able to be used like the Auduino if you cover it with tape or paint it, and put the GM sensor inline with the power pin.
Hey i just had a duh moment. I said some of that backwards. I could not use the oem light sensor with the auduio because it has to do with how the circuit was controlled. I think the gm sensor actually passes current in daylight and at nite it stops the flow. So that was opposite to the way i wAnted it with the oem sensor. But i could dial in the auduio sensor to be constantly on or constantly off. So i used it. I almost forgot some of the characteristics but basically if i used the auduio as a on /off switch instead of the oem sensor then i had to force the oem sensor to always see dark by placing tape on it. But that was backwards to the way the power was being Fed through the GM sensor. Its sort of tricky. And its hard to explain.
01-22-2010, 12:42 PM
