my basic question is who can tell me what the

difference is between American spec and European spec old 70 series

Lighting systems.

This is what I have learned..

In the US, All cars come with the Daytime driving lights enabled.

The way that this system works in the US is that the headlights are always on along with the marker lights, regardless of the headlight switch position.

This configuration is nice for those of us who like to have their lights on.

But it does have a tendency to cause your turn signal lights to short and your main headlight bulbs to burn out prematurely..

Now, looking at photos of european spec Volvos, I have found that many of them

Use clear turn signals..

When investigating these turn signals I found that they use a different bulb setup, that only works as a turn signal (not a marker light like in the us)

I have also found and wired in a new headlight harness the includes a 5watt bulb and socket

The plugs into the headlight just below the main light.

The next thing I did was to disable the daytime driving lights so that I could light my indicator lights (parking lights) and just the 5watt bulb in the headlight.

This is cool because it illuminates my headlights and marker lights however I have found that my front side markers are brighter than my headlights and my interior lights are still on.

And the final problem is that when in the parking light mode my lights stay on even when the key isn’t in the ignition.

All of this brings up the root of the question, which is what is the logic and wiring of the two different lighting systems..

> When investigating these turn signals I found that they use a

> different bulb setup, that only works as a turn signal (not a marker

> light like in the us)

Correct. Most european countries only use an amber indicator light (normally off) and parking/city lights in the headlights.

Driving with parking/city lights is often illegal or restricted (as the name implies) to inside city limits. Day or night is of no consequence (legal oddities).

Because of the legal problems with driving with city lights on do most manufacturers not offer this as a DRL option (and it's too low power to be visible on a bright day).

I'm afrair that if you want this then you may need to be a bit creative with some relays and build it yourself..

Bye, Arno.

I can't answer the specific question. Have one of

my own: With your mods then are just the parking lights

on when in DRL mode? I guess not with the extra 5 watt

bulb. Reason I mention it is because here in California it

is illegal to drive with just the parking lights on (not

sure about other states) (parking lights on mean the car is

parked and not moving). But if you have a 5 watt bulb

in the headlamp then maybe that is enough.

I hope this will answer your questions. Also The headlight wiring harness that I'm using is a stock Volvo replacement harness for all 70 series cars. The other wire's are already in your main wiring harness.

The Default logic with DRL mode enabled, with or w/out modification:

Switch position:

Off = Headlights and all indicator lights on, interior lights off

Parking light = Headlights and all indicator lights on, interior lights on

ON = Headlights and all indicator lights on, interior lights on

Switch position:

With the modification and DRL mode disabled.

Off = All Lights are off

Parking light = Headlights off all indicator lights on with 5watt bulb in headlight interior lights on

ON = All lights are on including the 5watt headlight bulb.

This is logic I would like:

Switch position:

Off = Headlights off all indicator lights on with 5watt bulb in headlight on, interior lights off

Parking light = Headlights off all indicator lights on with 5watt bulb in headlight on, interior lights off

ON = All lights on except for 5watt headlight indicator off

Chris,,

If I remember correctly some places in Europe it is ok to park 1/2 on the sidewalk 1/2 in the street. At night when this is done the parking lights are on. So with your key out and in the lock position, the lights of the European style would be on. Another fun fact: on some European model cars ALL the light go on momentarily , that is high/low beams and markers/turn signals, the whole deal, when the stalk is pulled back for "passing" flash. (You know when you flash your headlight to help someone to remember, slower cars to slower lane please.) Sould's like you have a neat set up, I'm sure that took some time to research and install, bravo.

Kele,

parking 1/2 on the sidewalk and 1/2 on the street is not legal. It is just a bad habit that most Europeans have acquired since most European cities' streets are very narrow and parking on BOTH sides of the road is allowed. Therefore, if both sides had cars parked entirely on the street, one car (even a small Peugeot or Fiat) would not have enough room to go by. Therefore, albeit illegal to "stradle" the curb, most authorities tend to look the other way for practicality reasons. They only tend to enforce the rule if you are downtown where things "have to" appear neat...:)

Yannis

Yannis,

You'll have to admit that the curb hopping parking style is so frequent that many car makers have made it possilbe to only have the marker lights on the side in the street on. Sure makes that battery last longer.