I have decided to my DRLs as the high side of the turn signals, GM style. The units are LEDs so heat is of no real issue. The only way I can figure to wire them up is using relays and I would need a few of them to do it the way I would like.

On with ignition, off with lowbeams. Constant power would have to come into the circuit (if a relay is to be used, because with the headlamps on, that would eliminate the power to the circuit. However, that second power source would have to be killed when the lowbeams are off but the ignition is on. The car has dedicated park lamps, that is why I am keeping them out of the equation. Also, its because of the park lamps that I do not want the signals to be full bright all the time. Using it with relays power would be coming in on (IIRC) terminal 85 and them when power was applied to 86 it would turn the relay off, causing the signal to turn off. The opposite would happen at night.

This is the circuit I am trying for. Pardon my quickie picture.



My host is apparently having problems, the pic might not appear.

Any other way to do it?

-Jon

Not sure I FULLY understand your desired config, but from what I gather you want the turn sigs to be on as DRL, right? So have you thought about how to get them to flash when you turn on your actual signal? Because if you have a constant DRL voltage to them, then you wont see your intermittent voltage from the turnsignal side of the circuit trying to flash the bulb. Unless it might be possible to wire another relay one each side from the respective side's blinking turn signal circuit somehow to turn off and on your primary DRL relay for that side which would make the light blink? I don't really have time to sit down and draw a workable diagram now but something could probably be worked up that would function for you. Ignition pwr would supply secondary terminal of relay to the lights (and lights would hook to pin 85a of 5 prong relay which is normally closed), while headlight-on power would engage relay and open contacts through secondary side, but you'd still have to deal with turn signal function for when headlights are on vs off (DRL off vs on). Contours don't have a constant-on clearance turn signal light, so it would be hard to control DRL relay using an intermittent blinking source. I don't know, I'd have to sit down and draw up a diagram so I could get a better visual in my mind. I don't know if it's possible yet?

Oop, just thought of how. I'll have to draw the pic, scan it and post it.
I'll get back to you later and let you know if I think it'll work

The way I was trying to get the circuit, going off of the picture that I posted would have an ignition source power up one side of a relay (perhaps the power to go through the relay could come from the same source?). The relay would ground through the lowbeam circuit. When the headlamps were off, but the ignition was on, the relay would use the lowbeams as its ground and turn on, allowing the power to get through to the DRLs.

Once the power has reached the DRLs, simply connecting the signal's hot lead up to the ground should kill the circuit whenever the signals flash. The would be opposite of the rear lamps and dash indicators but that wouldnt matter.

The only problem I see is when the headlamps are on, it is removing one side of the second set of relays and possibly will not be able to use that lead as a ground (relay is off, but it could bleed back through to the other signal). Power would have to be brought in elsewhere also to feed that second relay, allowing the lamps to flash as normal when the headlamps are on.

I hope that makes sense, its 2:30am and Im a little out of it. :p

-Jon