Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - Daytime Running Lights + Switchback LED’s

TheW3r3W0lf · 04-24-2013, 09:46 PM

Thanks for all the feedback and reps! Sorry about the delay in responding; hopefully this covers your questions. Like with most things DIY, you should have some basic understanding of vehicles and their electrical systems before attempting to modify them away from their original state. If you are doing this job and get stick, just send me a PM and I will try to answer back promptly! Remember you can refer back to the original post for some of the photos in these steps!

DRL Write up

This conversion replaces the existing turn signal bulb in the headlights on the 370Z with an LED turn signal bulb which “switchback” to Daytime Running Lamps. The LEDs do all the work of detecting and switching between the functions and if wired correctly will be on with the parking lights. This means that they will also be on when the headlights are on or in “Auto” mode when it’s dark. The OEM bulb socket is wired for a dual filament bulb which is not utilized in the US market cars but can be easily connected to the parking lamp circuit with the unused 3rd wire. Since you will have access to the current parking lamps in the headlights it’s a good opportunity to swap the bulbs for LEDs at the same time too!

1) Remove front wheels and the forward plastic fender well covers exposing the rear of the headlamps. Plastic covers have body panel retaining clips which require a small flathead screwdriver to pop the center lock portion out, and then pull the retaining clip out.

2) Locate the turn signal and parking lamp bases and pop them out of headlight enclosure.

3) Using a multimeter determine which is the positive feed for the parking lamp and tap wire for DRL power. You can use wire taps, splice the wire and solder or cut the wire and use connectors. I would suggest solder and heat shrink personally as it will be the most reliable. I ran the new feed wire through the existing wire shielding for the turn signal base to keep it clean.

4) Connect the new parking lamp feed wire to the unused third wire on the turn signal base. You won’t need to run ground as it already has shared ground. This will feed the DRL portion of the new LED switchback bulb and give positive power to the now used 3rd wire when the parking lights or headlights are on.

5) Swap the original turn signal bulb for the LED Switchback bulb and test your parking lights. The DRL portion should be lit. Then test your turn signal and ensure the LED switches to flashing amber, then back to DRL when turn signal is stopped. You can also turn your parking lamps on and then turn the hazards on and off to see them both “switchback” at the same time.

6) Install the transistor between the positive and negative wires for the turn signal circuit. Each side will need one as Left and Right are separate circuits. This transistor will get rid of the fast flash from converting to LED and is optional. You can zip tie this somewhere with adequate ventilation or some guys go as far as frame mounting it with thermal paste and some screws.

7) Button it all back up and that’s it!

Parts needed:

 Two Switchback 7443 base LEDs – These are available in a variety of configurations but I went with the ones that flash amber while turning and return to white. The other alternative is flashing between white and amber while turning but I felt this was confusing to other drivers and defeated the cool transition part of the switchback LED. The link is below and I took a screenshot of the correct ones I purchased since the page is super busy with various bulbs. The one I went for is the “AO” meaning Amber Off as the pattern it flashes.
http://autolumination.com/7443_7440.htm

 Two 6 ohm, 50 watt Transistors which I bought on eBay. The current listing is listed below but over time will obviously expire. Just search for “led load resistor fix” or something along those lines. I added a screenshot of those as well.
Load Resistor Fix LED Bulb Fast Flash Turn Signal Blink | eBay

A couple more photos showing the above steps:

This first photo I posed in the original post shows the unused third wire on the turn signal base that you will be tapping into (step 4) so look to the original post for this photo.

This photo shows the positive tap off of the parking lamp wire (dark green) with my new wire (light green) run through the oem wiring loom to the turn signal base (step 4). Don’t rely on my wiring colors to identify your positive lead as they are not always the same.

This photo shows the new light green wire run through the oem loom to the base. The next step is to connect it to the unused third wire (step 4)

04-24-2013, 09:46 PM	#28 (permalink)
TheW3r3W0lf Base Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Arizona Posts: 111 Drives: 2012 Z34 Nismo- SOLD Rep Power: 12	Thanks for all the feedback and reps! Sorry about the delay in responding; hopefully this covers your questions. Like with most things DIY, you should have some basic understanding of vehicles and their electrical systems before attempting to modify them away from their original state. If you are doing this job and get stick, just send me a PM and I will try to answer back promptly! Remember you can refer back to the original post for some of the photos in these steps! DRL Write up This conversion replaces the existing turn signal bulb in the headlights on the 370Z with an LED turn signal bulb which “switchback” to Daytime Running Lamps. The LEDs do all the work of detecting and switching between the functions and if wired correctly will be on with the parking lights. This means that they will also be on when the headlights are on or in “Auto” mode when it’s dark. The OEM bulb socket is wired for a dual filament bulb which is not utilized in the US market cars but can be easily connected to the parking lamp circuit with the unused 3rd wire. Since you will have access to the current parking lamps in the headlights it’s a good opportunity to swap the bulbs for LEDs at the same time too! 1) Remove front wheels and the forward plastic fender well covers exposing the rear of the headlamps. Plastic covers have body panel retaining clips which require a small flathead screwdriver to pop the center lock portion out, and then pull the retaining clip out. 2) Locate the turn signal and parking lamp bases and pop them out of headlight enclosure. 3) Using a multimeter determine which is the positive feed for the parking lamp and tap wire for DRL power. You can use wire taps, splice the wire and solder or cut the wire and use connectors. I would suggest solder and heat shrink personally as it will be the most reliable. I ran the new feed wire through the existing wire shielding for the turn signal base to keep it clean. 4) Connect the new parking lamp feed wire to the unused third wire on the turn signal base. You won’t need to run ground as it already has shared ground. This will feed the DRL portion of the new LED switchback bulb and give positive power to the now used 3rd wire when the parking lights or headlights are on. 5) Swap the original turn signal bulb for the LED Switchback bulb and test your parking lights. The DRL portion should be lit. Then test your turn signal and ensure the LED switches to flashing amber, then back to DRL when turn signal is stopped. You can also turn your parking lamps on and then turn the hazards on and off to see them both “switchback” at the same time. 6) Install the transistor between the positive and negative wires for the turn signal circuit. Each side will need one as Left and Right are separate circuits. This transistor will get rid of the fast flash from converting to LED and is optional. You can zip tie this somewhere with adequate ventilation or some guys go as far as frame mounting it with thermal paste and some screws. 7) Button it all back up and that’s it! Parts needed:  Two Switchback 7443 base LEDs – These are available in a variety of configurations but I went with the ones that flash amber while turning and return to white. The other alternative is flashing between white and amber while turning but I felt this was confusing to other drivers and defeated the cool transition part of the switchback LED. The link is below and I took a screenshot of the correct ones I purchased since the page is super busy with various bulbs. The one I went for is the “AO” meaning Amber Off as the pattern it flashes. http://autolumination.com/7443_7440.htm  Two 6 ohm, 50 watt Transistors which I bought on eBay. The current listing is listed below but over time will obviously expire. Just search for “led load resistor fix” or something along those lines. I added a screenshot of those as well. Load Resistor Fix LED Bulb Fast Flash Turn Signal Blink \| eBay A couple more photos showing the above steps: This first photo I posed in the original post shows the unused third wire on the turn signal base that you will be tapping into (step 4) so look to the original post for this photo. This photo shows the positive tap off of the parking lamp wire (dark green) with my new wire (light green) run through the oem wiring loom to the turn signal base (step 4). Don’t rely on my wiring colors to identify your positive lead as they are not always the same. This photo shows the new light green wire run through the oem loom to the base. The next step is to connect it to the unused third wire (step 4)