Driving Light Modification

by John Stapleton

This modification serves two purposes. Firstly, it enables convenient headlight flashing using the flashing lever on the steering column to flash the grille mounted driving lights. The original arrangement whereby the recessed headlights are raised and then flashed is virtually non workable due to the time taken for the retract motor to operate. In Toyota's defence, not all MR2's are fitted with these driving lights. Secondly, the modification rewires the driving lights with thicker wire so as to enable 100 watt bulbs to be fitted with minimal voltage drop.

This modification involves the following steps:

1. Remove the spare wheel and the plastic shield from the front compartment.

2. Locate the red wire on pin 14 of the headlight combination switch plug/socket assembly at the steering column. This wire is shown on electrical wiring diagram 7-4 in the Toyota manual Publication No. RM 1 82E. In the original configuration, this wire provides an earth to both the headlight retract control unit and the headlight relay. Cut this wire and join a new length of wire to the switch side. Then run this new wire through the firewall (speedo cable grommet) into the front compartment and bring it to the relay block identified as No. 5 on page BE-8 of the above mentioned manual. This is the passenger's side of the car.

3. Locate relay 1 at the top left hand side of the relay block and remove it. Remove the cover from the relay and then totally remove the insides leaving just the connections as shown. These are the coil connections.
 
Solder an orange wire to terminal 1 and a red wire to terminal 2. Drill a hole in the side of the relay case and bring these wires out through the hole. Refit the relay cover and plug it back into its socket.

4. Remove the relay block from its mounts, locate the 50 amp fusible link labeled AM 1 and solder a reasonably heavy gauge wire to the fused side. Replace the relay block.

5. This step requires either a dual coil relay or simply two relays with the contacts wired in parallel. 1 used a dual headlight relay with integral fuses and modified it for dual coil operation. Mount the relay, or relays, near the relay block above. Wire one of the relay coils to the orange wire from step 3 (which has +12v. applied when high beam is on) and the red wire from step 3 (which is earthed when the dash mounted driving light switch is turned ON). This ensures that the driving lights come on with high beam, if selected. Wire the other relay coil to the wire run from the flasher switch in step 1 and the +12v. from AM1 above. This ensures that the driving lights come on when the flasher switch is activated.

6. Run the thick wire from AM] to one side of the driving light relay contacts. Then run thick wires from the other sides of the contacts to the driving lights. Remove the original (thin) Toyota wiring from the driving light plug and socket assemblies, connect the new thick supply wires and also a thick ground wire. Install 100 watt bulbs to the driving lights. Enjoy easy convenient headlight flashing coupled with brilliant night time illumination.