Got these fancy headlights

[Onenicedenali]

They have LED parking lights in them and they are big. They look good when they on with the headlights. I’d like for them to be on instead of the DRL headlights. How would I reconfigure wiring to keep the LED parking lights on?

 

[adventurenali92]

It would help to know the year make and model rig that you’re working on, and phots of said headlights to determine how to help setup LEDs.

 

[Onenicedenali]

It would help to know the year make and model rig that you’re working on, and phots of said headlights to determine how to help setup LEDs.

I got a little ahead of myself. Thank you for letting me know. It’s a 2012 Yukon XL Denali. I’ll include a pic.

 

[CMoore711]

You're going to have to figure out and offer up a lot more information than a picture of your rig with the headlights if you're looking for help and input on how to have the LED parking light strips illuminate as the DRL. Especially since they're aftermarket.

How does the LED strip operate now?
What illuminates as the DRL?
If you use the headlight switch and turn from auto to just parking/running lights does the DRL strip illuminate by itself that way?
Is the to projector low beam and bottom reflector high beam?
What connections or plus are on the back of the headlight housing?

 

[gooffeyguy]

The Yukon uses the low beam headlight bulb as the DRL, unlike the Tahoe which has a seperate bulb for it.

These housings have the LED bar wired with the parking lights. They can easily be rewired to the low beam harness and come on when the headlights are on, but not sure if they'd come on with the DRLs since the DRL circuit uses a lower voltage to the low beam headlight. Even if the LED bar works with the lower voltage, the low beam headlight will still come on also as a DRL

@Doubeleive bought some headlight housings that have a LED C shaped strip in them that gets wired directly to somewhere under the hood that come on as the DRL, but they were pricey, like $1200. Maybe he has more insight how to wire these, or what needs to be done to just have the LED as the DRL

 

[Doubeleive]

it really depends on how those C lights are wired up or if they are wired internally somehow, if they have seperate wires you can do as you please with them
as already stated we need much more information on the wiring.
maybe pull one out and show the connection and what was done when they were installed? typically there is a couple extra wires.
on my morimoto's the extra wire goes to the fuse box I think, they have been installed for a while now

 

[Onenicedenali]

it really depends on how those C lights are wired up or if they are wired internally somehow, if they have seperate wires you can do as you please with them
as already stated we need much more information on the wiring.
maybe pull one out and show the connection and what was done when they were installed? typically there is a couple extra wires.
on my morimoto's the extra wire goes to the fuse box I think, they have been installed for a while now

Hope these pics help. They are from the manufacturer. They were plug and play for my Yukon.

 

[gooffeyguy]

I have the same headlights, but smoked. I noticed a couple months ago that the thin, clear coating on the outside of the lens, is starting to flake near the top edge. I installed them in March of 2020. The clear on my black GMC grill emblem is doing the same, and also the top of the aftermarket rear spoiler with the full length smoked HMSL. They were all installed around the same time.

Anyway, these headlights have two plug connectors. One for the parking and turn signal, and one for the high/low headlights. The LED bar is spliced into the harness with the parking lights

 

[j91z28d1]

there's a fuse in the under hood fuse box that has power with the key on and off. you will have to find the other wire from the led bar and wire it to that.

without a wiring diagram, you're going to have to take it apart and figure it out.. then run a fuse tap off that fuse to those wires.

 

[Onenicedenali]

I have the same headlights, but smoked. I noticed a couple months ago that the thin, clear coating on the outside of the lens, is starting to flake near the top edge. I installed them in March of 2020. The clear on my black GMC grill emblem is doing the same, and also the top of the aftermarket rear spoiler with the full length smoked HMSL. They were all installed around the same time.

Anyway, these headlights have two plug connectors. One for the parking and turn signal, and one for the high/low headlights. The LED bar is spliced into the harness with the parking lights

View attachment 405625

View attachment 405626

The lights really made a difference on mine. You might like these bulbs, they are super bright.
HIKARI 2023 Future 30000LM H7 LED... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1MJ4LFZ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Too bad about the peeling. I put 303 on mine and do after every wash. Hopefully that will slow it down.

 

[Onenicedenali]

there's a fuse in the under hood fuse box that has power with the key on and off. you will have to find the other wire from the led bar and wire it to that.

without a wiring diagram, you're going to have to take it apart and figure it out.. then run a fuse tap off that fuse to those wires.

That makes sense. So, after I do that I would just pull the DRL fuses? So the headlights don’t go on?

 

[gooffeyguy]

The lights really made a difference on mine. You might like these bulbs, they are super bright.
HIKARI 2023 Future 30000LM H7 LED... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1MJ4LFZ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Too bad about the peeling. I put 303 on mine and do after every wash. Hopefully that will slow it down.

I didn't think LED bulbs worked well in projector housings?

I use LEDs in my fogs, but just normal Sylvania Silverstars for the headlights.

 

[adventurenali92]

I have the same headlights, but smoked. I noticed a couple months ago that the thin, clear coating on the outside of the lens, is starting to flake near the top edge. I installed them in March of 2020. The clear on my black GMC grill emblem is doing the same, and also the top of the aftermarket rear spoiler with the full length smoked HMSL. They were all installed around the same time.

Anyway, these headlights have two plug connectors. One for the parking and turn signal, and one for the high/low headlights. The LED bar is spliced into the harness with the parking lights

View attachment 405625

View attachment 405626

Most aftermarket headlight housings will peel after about two years or so. Especially black housings. I’ve had several sets on my GMT800 do it, including the anzo u bar so pad like $350 for…. Ridiculous at that price point to not have better clear. The good news is that it’s pretty easily fixable. I detail professionally and restored my anzos last month jsut like any other set I would do in a client vehicle. Give them a couple rounds of wet sand using 1500 grit, then 2500 grit, sand paper, and then use an orbital polisher with w good gritty polish compound and they will shine right up. If you don’t have a polish machine on hand, 3M makes a kit that’s sold at Carquest and I’m sure all the big name brand parts stores, that has each of the sand paper types you’ll need as well as the little backing plate that goes into the chuck of any battery operated impact drill. It also includes little three inch diameter orange pads that will do the polish step. It’s pretty inexpensive. I actually use the 3M kit for small or odd shaped headlight housings where my bigger polish pads and the orbital won’t do a good job. You’ll want to make sure you follow behind the polish step with a good ceramic product to keep them sealed up against the elements.

 

[Onenicedenali]

I didn't think LED bulbs worked well in projector housings?

I use LEDs in my fogs, but just normal Sylvania Silverstars for the headlights.

View attachment 405652

They work quite well. Nice solid strait line on top. I’ll get a pic tonight.

 

[gooffeyguy]

They work quite well. Nice solid strait line on top. I’ll get a pic tonight.

Do they have to be installed "clocked" a certain way for best cutoff?

 

[Onenicedenali]

Do they have to be installed "clocked" a certain way for best cutoff?

Yes, straight up. The directions are included.

 

[Onenicedenali]

Yes, straight up. The directions are included.

Here’s some pics. I’m about 25’ away on a sloped driveway.

 

[j91z28d1]

I didn't think LED bulbs worked well in projector housings?

I use LEDs in my fogs, but just normal Sylvania Silverstars for the headlights.

View attachment 405652

when I was looking around it seemed the more expensive and name brand the led bulb is, the better job they did and placing the chips where's the bulb would put light out.

some are like 200$ a pair thou.


edit but if you can retrofit a true led projector will be better. that's what I ended up doing with my car. I didn't like any of the aftermarket housings, and they made a drop in kit with 2 really good led projectors. so before I just had one low beam and one high. after I had a low/high in the low side and a nice beam focused in the high. pricey but worked very well. just had to open the housing to install it. the yukon I liked the expensive drop in housings that looked newer, so I just bought them.

 

[j91z28d1]

Most aftermarket headlight housings will peel after about two years or so. Especially black housings. I’ve had several sets on my GMT800 do it, including the anzo u bar so pad like $350 for…. Ridiculous at that price point to not have better clear. The good news is that it’s pretty easily fixable. I detail professionally and restored my anzos last month jsut like any other set I would do in a client vehicle. Give them a couple rounds of wet sand using 1500 grit, then 2500 grit, sand paper, and then use an orbital polisher with w good gritty polish compound and they will shine right up. If you don’t have a polish machine on hand, 3M makes a kit that’s sold at Carquest and I’m sure all the big name brand parts stores, that has each of the sand paper types you’ll need as well as the little backing plate that goes into the chuck of any battery operated impact drill. It also includes little three inch diameter orange pads that will do the polish step. It’s pretty inexpensive. I actually use the 3M kit for small or odd shaped headlight housings where my bigger polish pads and the orbital won’t do a good job. You’ll want to make sure you follow behind the polish step with a good ceramic product to keep them sealed up against the elements.

I think mine have a 5 year warranty. I've used the this brand before for hid kit and a ballast went out before the warranty, they shipped a new one right out.

 

[petethepug]

I ran those in our 08 Denali, during the day I just flipped on the parking lamps to run the LED daytime light bars.

HID bulbs work well in them but running LED bulbs in that projector makes you a major pariah to all oncoming traffic. I’ve got teens driving smaller pickups that get spot lit like deer in the LED that works well for your truck. The pics show 8k light bleeding all over the road without any pattern or cut off.