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Hi folks, i have a 2001 Honda Civic Si (Canadian Model), lately I have noticed the DRL (Day Time Running Light) is on, when this happens the right head light does not come on at full strenth and high beam on left light does not work.
At first the problem would go away after 15 sec. once the car starts but now its more permanent. The only way to over-ride this problem is by turning on the headlights. Initially, I thought it was the bulbs that had burned, it was replaced, but the problem still persist most of the time.
I realized there are many problematic scenarios like faulty relay, wiring and burned fuses. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated cuz. I want to exhaust my research before taking the car to the shop.
I would suspect the DRL control unit. You could try tapping the unit and gently moving the connector with the DRLs on in failed state and look for changes in operation (changes could indicate a possible cold solder joint)
I had the same problem. When mine does that, there would be a buzzing sound coming from the passenger side under the dash somewhere. I was told it was a relay and it would cost a lot to fix. So I just turned on the headlights all the time to solve the problem...until one day I forgot to turn off the headlights and it drained my battery. After that, the next day I disabled the DRL instead. So far I havent had any trouble without them on.
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I have the same damn problem. I just switch on the high beam lights (during the day) and the buzzing went away. So it could temporarily be fixed by turning off the relay? Where could I find that? Thanks!
you switch them on during the day? doesnt that piss people off? or do you mean that you just flick them on and off and that makes it go away?
anyway, you dont need to mess with a relay or anything to disable them, just remove the drl fuse in the fusebox located just above your battery. your drl wont work without that fuse in place.
i personally think theyre pretty useless except for maybe when its really rainy or foggy, but in that case you just turn your light switch once to get your signals/parking lights on. i havent had my drl lights in about 2.5 years and ive never had a problem. my hid kit got rid of my drl/high beams which i dont need either of. i just have regular evening headlights.
I have had the same problem (2001 Civic LX, right head light DRL) for one year. It got worse in the past couple of months. I just turned on the head lights all the time to get rid of the buzzing. I checked the wiring diagram and suspect the DRL module. I found a clue at wikianswers and took out the DRL module board. Crack solder points found at the relay pins(check the picture). Resoldered them, no more buzzing and the right head light is back in DRL status. This saved me at least $150.
Crack solder points are common when the pins are over heated. I believe this issue is common on this batch of DRL boards. You will see it sooner or later.
maybe a bad ground? my friends prelude had a bad ground and his passenger side headlight was really dim and he just added another ground and now they are both bright as shit.
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i personally think theyre pretty useless except for maybe when its really rainy or foggy,
I thought so too until I drove around the USA with a rental and forgot that my headlights didn't come on automatically. I had people pulling U-turns right in front of me, pulling out and cutting me off, it was madness. I was afraid to drive with my headlights off after that.
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I have had the same problem with my 2003 Acura (Buzzing, no right head light DRL and no right high beam).
JerryLee and CraigW were right. helpful pics.
Last edited by EL Mike 03; 03-21-2010 at 08:14 PM.
Reason: No pics
I thought so too until I drove around the USA with a rental and forgot that my headlights didn't come on automatically. I had people pulling U-turns right in front of me, pulling out and cutting me off, it was madness. I was afraid to drive with my headlights off after that.
with the average US driver, DRL will not really help you... back mirror is for make-up there...
Some canadian drivers are the same, to... some did cross 3 lanes right in front of me without even looking at mirror, or even if they did, did not care anyways...
Thanks for those pictures, those are the classic poor solder joints for sure. They have the black ring present, easy fix once you know.
You should also do the other relay and the board connector stake pins as well while you have it apart.
As far as idiot drivers go... It has certainly gotten out of hand these days. You have to be on guard at all times. I can only hang my head in shame, driving used to be fun back in the day now it's a challenge, and Honda refuses to give us a horn to use... probably cost them $1.00 more in cost. Really sucks.
As far as idiot drivers go... It has certainly gotten out of hand these days. You have to be on guard at all times. I can only hang my head in shame, driving used to be fun back in the day now it's a challenge, and Honda refuses to give us a horn to use... probably cost them $1.00 more in cost. Really sucks.
Heys guys, I'm bringing this topic back to life since I have the same problem now for the past 6 months. Where is the DRL fuse located? Under the hood or the drivers die fuse box? I checked under the hood fuse box but non of them are labeled DRL fuse. Thanks
I had the same problem. When mine does that, there would be a buzzing sound coming from the passenger side under the dash somewhere. I was told it was a relay and it would cost a lot to fix. So I just turned on the headlights all the time to solve the problem...until one day I forgot to turn off the headlights and it drained my battery. After that, the next day I disabled the DRL instead. So far I havent had any trouble without them on.
How did you go about disabling the drl's? anyways?
Wanted to thank everyone for the help with this fix. I have a 2001 Acura EL (bascially a re-branded Civic - Canada only model for Acura), with a similar problem: DRL warning light and left highbeam wouldn't work, even though bulb was fine.
Simply re soldering the indicated areas on the DRL relay box did the trick.
Some quick notes for those who may be working on the issue now:
1. I recall a thread where someone had to unbolt the relay box to remove it. No need to do this - just push it up and it should slide off the support bracket. Took a lot of force, but it does eventually slide off - no need to undo the bolt.
2. The location, if you're having trouble finding it, is beneath the steering wheel, to the left - behind and above the trunk release. You only have to remove the 2 panels there to get at it - fairly easy. Only grey box in that area.
