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Auxiliary Driving Lights V70-XC70 2002

posted by  NHXcountry on  Sat Mar 22 06:06 CST 2003
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Has anyone installed auxiliary driving lights on a recent model Volvo? I want to put some PIAA driving lights in the airdam on my '02 XC, but am worried about increased resistance reading by the car's computer. Any thoughts?








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    Auxiliary Driving Lights V70-XC70 2002

    posted by  davidm on  Sat Mar 22 08:35 CST 2003
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    I would bypass the car's computer and hardwire the lights using a relay and an OEM switch. A PIASS fixture would be manufactured to the necessary tolerances...
    --
    David
      Our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over - The Onion
    98 S70 T5SE // Black, misc mods (mostly lighting), red calipers
    92 940GLE // Hella Micro DE foglights








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      Auxiliary Driving Lights V70-XC70 2002

      posted by  NHXcountry on  Sat Mar 22 11:13 CST 2003
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      PIAA recommends connecting directly to the battery, which should avoid the computer, but they recommend that the switch wire be connected to the highbeam switch. Do you think connecting to the highbeam switch would link to the computer ?








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        Auxiliary Driving Lights V70-XC70 2002

        posted by  someone claiming to be n0v8or on  Mon Mar 24 04:51 CST 2003 [RELATED]

        The high beam switch connects only to the body computer. The high beam lamps are switched by a relay. So, you don't want to try to connect directly to the high beam switch.
        A disadvantage of the recommended connection is that the driving lights will only operate whan the high beams are on; I would definitely prefer independent operation (ability to operate whenever the ignition is on).
        There is already a fused driving lamp feed wire available in the engine compartment. It is fed directly from the battery via fuse 2 near the firewall (20Amps). Look for an unused 2-pin connector taped to the harness in the area behind the left headlamp assembly. The Red-Black wire is the fused battery feed.
        I would control the driving lights by means of a separate switch and relay, with the control circuit active whenever the parking and tail lamps are on.







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          Auxiliary Driving Lights V70-XC70 2002

          posted by  someone claiming to be keefus on  Tue Mar 25 14:09 CST 2003 [RELATED]

          I agreee with inov8r. Run the lights directly off the battery feed. You can purchase a small rocker switch from any parts store (some of them look pretty good!), and carefully cut the switch into one of the switch blanks between the climate controls and the gearshift.








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            Auxiliary Driving Lights V70-XC70 2002

            posted by  someone claiming to be n0v8or on  Tue Mar 25 14:38 CST 2003 [RELATED]

            Another option is to run a wire to the trunk area and tap into the rear fog lamp. Then you can use your existing fog lamp switch to operate the driving lights. This is how I wired my front fog lights. A bonus is that you get a confirmation indicator in the instrument panel when they are on. Downside is that the rear fog lamp is on whenever you use the driving lights.
            If you need a wiring diagram, I can send you one as a jpg image (send request to n0v8or@cox.net).

            Resist the temptation to use the other wire in the 2-pin connector. It goes directly to the body computer. In some markets, there must be a switch and software available that activates a relay plugged into this connector.







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          Auxiliary Driving Lights V70-XC70 2002

          posted by  NHXcountry on  Mon Mar 24 12:42 CST 2003
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          You are so correct. Thank you. I found the two pin connector on the red-black wire feed. Also found the number two fuse position empty in the fuse box (just too bad I broke one of the darn clips off the fuse box cover). Thanks again. I think I'm on my way to order the driving lights.








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    Auxiliary Driving Lights V70-XC70 2002

    posted by  someone claiming to be Bob on  Sat Mar 22 08:30 CST 2003 [RELATED]

    I don't have any experience changing lights, but based on the rather flakey electronics on my 2001 XC, not to mention posts by others, I would be hesitant to do much of anything to the electrical system.

    In my opinion the multiplexed communications bus protocol that Volvo uses is not robust and results in occasional intermittent, non-reproducible, unpredictable and erratic behavior whch can only get worse if you mess with it.

    At the very least, you might get continual warning messages about the lights if the load is lighter or heavier than the Volvo lights...







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