How do you go about turning the headlights off. They come on automatically, and you can't shut 'em off. Would like to be able to shut the headlights off while I run into a store to grab something and leave the truck idling. Was told to set the parking brake to shut them off, but it doesn't work. Would like for the parking lights to stay on, though.

Stringer I think if you have the lights turned off and the e-brake on then you just need to push the dome light override button 3-4 times in a row and it will turn the lights off. It's in the owner's manual somewhere.


Josh

Guess 02s don't have the snazzy headlight override, I can turn mine off by rotating the swicth to off..lol

Guess 02s don't have the snazzy headlight override, I can turn mine off by rotating the swicth to off..lol

That's just great http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Wink.gif Turn off your lights at night.

I agree though, they did do the right thing by adding that position. i don't think i would ever use it.
The auto lights (all of our trucks have them) are great. It's like you never have to worry about headlights anymore.

hey wickedsprint, the headlights come on automatically with the switch in the off position, so it's not as easy as "rotating the swicth to off".

Stringer, can you not move the switch one more notch to the left past off ? It should be spring loaded and return to the off position, after turning the headlamps off.

to clear things up


on 01-02 you can cycle the dome override twice off-on-off-on. and your headlights are off. same to turn back on or turining the truck off and on again resets it to auto


on 03-up turn the switch to the left. it will spring back to off and your headlights will go off. Again the same, turns it back on, as well as cycleing the ignition.


FYI in 03 the headlamp switch was changed. Edited by: chevmeister

Being able to turn off the headlights is great in a couple of situations. First on a cold start up I turn off the lights to let every bit of juice go to warm up and crank that engine. And second with my last truck I could not turn off the headlights and I found myself on top of the Beartooth mountains in pea soup fog in the dark and with the headlights bouncing all that light around I could not see a thing. Makes it a bit scary knowing there is a thousand foot drop off somewhere near. I had to get out and put a blanket behind my brush gaurd to block out the light. The parking lights were just enough light to see the yellow line and the outer white line to safely get down the mountain. Now I can just "turn the switch".


Steve

Being able to turn off the headlights is great in a couple of situations. First on a cold start up I turn off the lights to let every bit of juice go to warm up and crank that engine. And second with my last truck I could not turn off the headlights and I found myself on top of the Beartooth mountains in pea soup fog in the dark and with the headlights bouncing all that light around I could not see a thing. Makes it a bit scary knowing there is a thousand foot drop off somewhere near. I had to get out and put a blanket behind my brush gaurd to block out the light. The parking lights were just enough light to see the yellow line and the outer white line to safely get down the mountain. Now I can just "turn the switch".


Steve

Oh but you could have turned your lights off. Like was said earlier... turn the dome light on and off an th eheadlights go out or push the e-brake to the first notch.

Being able to turn off the headlights is great in a couple of situations. First on a cold start up I turn off the lights to let every bit of juice go to warm up and crank that engine. Steve


I think having the lights on will warm up the engine sooner since there's more load on the alternator = more load on engine = quicker warmup. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

I think having the lights on will warm up the engine sooner since there's more load on the alternator = more load on engine = quicker warmup. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif


[/QUOTE]


Once it's running, yes, but you must first get it running.

Dual alts, more power, and more loadhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

My last truck was a S10 highrider and short of a hammer you couldn't turn them off and the parking brake only worked if you started it with the parking brake on. So I guess I could of restarted and left the brake on a bit but in light of the 1000ft drop and the pucker factor the hammer was sounding pretty good. But no problem any morehttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif


Love my truck!


Steve

The left position on the switch won't turn my lights off if it's dark out, even with the e-brake set and in neutral.Edited by: Camstyn

More info on the e-brake and lights off for the 01 and possibly other models. I ran into this problem when I first bought my truck because my truck faces my neighbors house when I start it up at night before I go to work. I like being kind to my neighbors and I hated to wake them up at midnight every night. I didn't know about the dome light part at that time but I found out that if you set the e-brake before you turn on the ignition the lights will not come on, until you release the e-brake.

My lights come on even with the e-brake sethttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif


I can't remember if my '02 did or not though.

I know this isn't for these trucks, it's for N-body GMs. I think someone out there could use this info to figure out how to overide the lights.

GrandAmGT.com How to overide DRL and ALC tread (http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17559)

Hope it helps,

OxEdited by: BlueOx03

Here's a bit of information that maybe only a few are aware of........ CAnadian GM built trucks can NOT turn head lights off! I went around the post with this one and US GM. It seems that the only Canadian vehicles that are allowed to have lights off after dark is their Mounties. I had a US made 02 1500 which had the dome override feature and traded it in on an 02 2500. Little did I know at the time that it had an oak leaf on the data plate on the door.


As a military man, I needed to dim my head lights when approaching the guard coming on post. The lights would NOT go off! No one could believe that there was no way to turn them off. Anything out of the ordinary causes suspicion and can quickly escalate to a vehicle search. GM Can. would not give GM US the code to by pass the computer. They said the vehicle MIGHT find it's way back in country. I was talking and writing way up the GM feeding chain as an unhappy customer. No avail. I finally installed a toggle switch that would turn the lights down to parking lights when coming into the guard shack.


I have since found many other Canadian vehicle with the same problem Kookie as it seems, Canada would not budge.





Have a great day

If you don't want the auto feature at all, I can give you the directions to permanently disable it. Then you will have to use the light selector switch like normal.


I disabled the auto headlights on my '99 and '02. They were a pain in the rear. At least the '03s give you the option. I know when they need to be turned on, thank you. Don't need some hyperactive light sensor that doesn't work in the real world to turn them on for me.Edited by: Minn-Kota

I must agree with a few others. My headlights will not go out after dark. I have an '03 with the off selection but it does not turn off the lights. I have tried setting the park brake and holding the off selection and starting the truck. Still the lights come on after dark. My neighbours I am sure do not appreciate my lights shining in their windows when I am warming up my truck. There has to be a way of turning them off. I am seriously considering putting in a toggle switch with the fuse.

It must be a Canadian thing with the '03s as I've heard of others that complained they could not override the auto headlights. I'm glad they added the auto switch for the American '03s. What a pain and rude too!

Just check the sticker on the driver's door. If it's a maple leaf, it's aggrivating!





Peace

I heard one time a while ago that you could also tell if a vehicle was US or Canadian by the first digit of the VIN. If it has a 1 it was made in US, and a 2 was canadian. Has anyone else heard that?

Actually it is quite easy, with the truck driving, IE when going into our gate in the morning, I rotate the knob to off, the headlights turn off..lol

acehi, that is true.


http://www.vehicleidentificationnumber.com/vehicle_identification_numbers_vin_detail.html

The left position on the switch won't turn my lights off if it's dark out, even with the e-brake set and in neutral.








Maybe on your truck, but I go to work when its dark outside, and I turn my headlights off for the guard...trust me, the lights turn off..LOL

Wickedsprint, what base do you go to?

Naval air station pensacola

Navy? My daughter is going to the NJROTC and she likes it. I am at Elmendorf Air Force base, Anchorage, Alaska. I have noticed a lot of people in here that are military or work on military installations. Nice to know that we all think alike when it comes to vehicles. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

minn-kota and coghlin- how are you disabling this feaure- I've got the same pita problem and have been trying to come up with the tidyest solution. Thanks

I am not sure how to fix it yet. I was hoping to be able to use the factory switch. It has the off position it just doesn't work on my '03. From what I understand it is just because I have a Canadian truck. I am considering putting a toggle switch under the dash that is wired in series with the fuse for the headlights. I was just hoping that someone would know why this is? Is it in the computer or the switch or is it something else that makes Canadian trucks different. THere is no mention of this in the manual. It just says to turn the switch to off and the headlights will go off. On my '97 I would just set the parking brake on one notch and that would take care of the lights. In the winter it is dark in the mornings and I don't think my neighbours are going to be happy when I am warming up my truck.

Did you know there are 4 headlight fuses under the hood- 1 for each of high and low beam lamps. Likely the relays that control these lamps are fused from another location, perhaps inside, but this fuse may also provide power to other things. Heres some insight I got when I asked this in another section. That's partly why I'm still looking for the tidyest mod. maybe programming on the BCM, haven't asked my local dealer yet but I highly doubt they'll have a clue about what I'm asking about.



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Here's the way I understand it, based on reading Helms 2002. I do not have a Canadian Truck, so my lightswitch may be different.


I don't think it's programming in the ECM, but programming in the Body Control Module, (BCM). This is programmed based on Regular Production Options, (RPO).


Per Helms, "The Automatic Lamp Control (ALC) and the Daytime Running Lamp (DRL) cannot be turned off on the Canadian Vehicles".


Some possible RPO's controlling this might be listed below:


Z49 Export Canadian Modification Manditory Base Equipment


T78 Headlamps Control - Delete


T62 Lamp System Daytime Running - Delete


Helms 2002 references :


Circuit description - page 8-479


Lighting schematics - page 8-330


The Headlamp Relay &amp; Daytime Running Lamp Relays are both controlled by the BCM, schematic pages 8-299 &amp; 8-300.


BCM reprogram - page 8-641





Can anyone else help with this? That's about all I know. Hope this helps.

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Well, I think that about sums it up. The BCM is not programmed for the DRL/Auto Headlight's to shut off if it's destined for Canada.


Maybe you could ask your local dealer to do a favor for you?

Yea I'm gonna try that first, although like I said earlier I doubt they'll know what I'm talking about. They were in shock I think when they found out how to change the intensity on the high beam indicator!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif

For what it is worth, the '02 manual shows that the headlight operate by a relay under the hood. It is switched by two sources - the headlight switch and the BCM. The wires are white. You might check your BCM (middle of dash, behind the console. Looks like a small computer, which it is.). If you have only one white wire in that loom, and can get a long enough run to allow a splice, you could clip it and see if the lights go off.

Below is a procedure I wrote up when I had a '02 truck that I wanted to have control over the headlights and disabled the auto feature.





FOR '99-'02 TRUCKS ONLY w/o AUTO CLIMATE CONTROLS


Basically you will need a pair of wire cutters and a 1.5K ohm 1/2 watt resistor that you can get at Radio Shack. Electrical tape and possibly some wire nuts will work to wire in the resistor. You can solder the wires if you wish.

You may want to remove the neg. battery cable to assure you don't do any unwanted damage to the electrical system. This is not necessary, but a good precaution to take.

First locate the Body Control Module (BCM) which is under the dash, below the steering column. Laying on the floor, this should be visible without removing any dash panels. You should find a purple connector (C3). Unplug it.

Locate the white and gray wires (A4 and A6). I don't remember if white is A4 and gray is A6 or vice versa. It doesn't matter anyway.

Clip these two wires that are coming off this plug (C3). Leave a few inches to work with. Tape up or place wire nuts over the other end of these wires that go up under the dash(they go to the light sensor). You have now removed the light sensor from the electrical system and is now just a dash ornament.

Connect the gray wire from the plug (C3) to one end of the resistor and the white wire to the other end. Make sure you tape up all wires to prevent a short. You should now have a gray wire coming from C3, going to one lead of the resistor and the white wire from C3 to the other resistor lead. Plug in C3 to the BCM and replace the neg. battery cable if you removed it. Start the truck and make sure the lights are off. Throw a dark towel or something over the light sensor on the dash and verify the lights stay off. Try your light switch that has probably never been used and that's it!

Minkota- thanks for the reply however wiring on the 03's appears to be different. For one thing no purple connector. I can't read on the connectors which is c3 but none of them have a4 and a6 with white and gray wires on them. I did however find that the left connector appears to go to the fuse/relay panel under the hood and various leads leaving this connector operate the low beam, high beam, drl, and park lamp relays. The pink wire in pos 4 on the bottom row is the low beam. Untill I find a better fix, such as the one you described that will kill all the lights by removing the light sensor, I have added a relay by cutting the pink lead and putting the ends on pins 30 and 87a (normally closed connection) of a bosch 12v relay. Pin 85 I wired to ignition battery and pin 86 to the wire going to the parking brake. I also have a groundout lead from my remote starter on the parking brake lead. Now if my truck is running and I put on my emergency brake my low beams go out- doesn't work of course if I've left my high beams on. The park lights remain on. Releasing the brake turns the lights back on and it's still in Auto mode. If I start my truck with the remote the park lights are on but the low beams are off, untill I put the key in and step on the brake as usual to drive away. I would still prefer to disable the light sensor - I would do it however with this relay and the resistor in such a way that it would function as I described above but having it kill all the lights. That way when the ebrake and remote are off I would retain the full automatic feature, which I kind of like- most of the time. I guess what I need is the wiring location for the sensor and resistance required for the 03 BCM, if anyone has it. Thankshttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gif

Further-just talked to the top tech at the dealer- as I suspected he didn't know about reprogramming the bCM but he's a good guy and is going to check it out for me. I'll letcha know if it works out!

If you read my post you'll notice the procedure is for '99-'02 trucks only. NOT 2003 models!!


Also, messing with the light sensor will affect the auto climate controls on your 2003 if yours has that option.