"Fog" lights working...kind of!

[silverseven]

in Canada DRL are federally required on all car from 1991 up ....older models are not required to have the feature.
When you import a vehicle from outside of the country, you have to retrofit a module to activate the lights....the module itself is not expensive and takes about 1/2 to install.

Ron.

[rgsSpider]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by wedgewa</i>

I think maybe I can add some additional info. If you have the Triumph optional Bosch lamps - they are indeed fog lamps due to their low mounting and lens/beam configuration. (There are other Bosch lamps that may appear identical but have different glass designs.)
If you have the 3-position fog lamp switch with the amber pilot light as used in later cars (79 to end I think), it really is a 3-function switch. Up is off. Center is supposed to be the front fog lights only but WITHOUT the amber dash light. (There are some variations as to whether the fog lights will work without the low beam headlights - apparently to meet varying state requirements in the US). The lower switch position is for BOTH front and rear fog lights AND the amber dash light. But USA cars did not come with rear fog lights so that's pretty confusing as it isn't in the US owners manuals. And the front fog lamps are supposed to go out when the high beam headlights are on.
So if your wiring is "stock", you should see the amber dash light when the fog switch is down in position 3 and not when it's in the center position 2. And of course not when it's up in the off position. That's what my 1980 has always done with no mods to the wiring since I bought it new. On mine there is a small challenge with keeping the amber lamps seated in the switch properly.
It is possible to rearrange the switch wiring and if that's been done, it becomes more difficult to figure out what's going on.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thanks, that clarifies it! I did have the amber light working once I got the switch all cleaned up but it's kinda sporadic now. I'll get the dash top off and get a good look in there eventually. It's possible that's one of the wires that has been chewed on that I haven't fixed yet. I'm just glad it was only the switch! The wires are a bit tangled and and spliced up under the bumper, but that's an easy fix. Is it also a good idea to add some dielectric grease to the contacts between the switch and the harness?

1980 TR7 <font color="red">Spider!</font id="red">
http://web.me.com/rg_spb/TR7_Spider/Home.html

[Beans]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Odd</i>

... it <u>is</u> compulsory for "any car or light pickup/van taken into use inside the European Union from February 2011
to have two DRL's type approved according to ECE-87 and fitted according to section 6.19 of ECE-48" ... <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That's correct, they have to be fitted, but you don't have to use them in daytime in our area [;)]

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1980 TR7 DHC (my first car, now restored and back on the road)
1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)</font id="blue">
<b>[url="http://www.tr7beans.blogspot.com/"]<u><b><font size="2"><font color="red">My Weblog</font id="red"></font id="size2"></b></u>[/url]</b></i></center>

[prlee]

Just a thought but...

The switch is labelled fog and operates the front lamps first and rear second as do modern cars - so the front lamps should be the appropriate lamps for the region.

If you require DRL then, fit the correct drl lamps for the region probably under the bumper, wire them so they come on with the ignition, use an igintion controlled source to activate the lamps through a relay - simples [:)]


Pete
1981 Carmelian Red 2 litre DHC - out for the summer.
Polybush, KYB shocks, electric fan, electric windows and electronic ignition roller bearing struts and anti-dive kit - otherwise standard
1979 Pageant Blue Spitfire 1500 - In hibernation - Engine overhaul needed.

[rgsSpider]

Just wanted to update my post here. I left the fogs wired as they were, but I did re-wire the switch so that the light comes on when the front fogs are on. At least this gives me an indicator so that I don't accidentally leave them on!

1980 TR7 <font color="red">Spider!</font id="red">
http://web.me.com/rg_spb/TR7_Spider/Home.html

[wedgewa]

Revisiting after quite a while. I just came across some info on the 3 position fog light switch in an edition of a TR7 owners manual. Surprised the heck out of me. According to that manual, "up" is off (well at least that's familiar). "center" is rear fogs on - but not the front fogs. "down" is both rear and front fogs on plus the amber pilot on but wired so that the front fogs and the amber pilot - but not the rear fogs - shut off when the high beam headlights are on.
That is not how either of the the 2 cars I bought new from dealers actually worked. My original description from last October is how both the cars I bought new functioned. But I live in the USA where nobody (or nearly nobody) has apparently ever seen a wedge with factory rear fog lights.

[ColoradoTR8]

I don't have the rear lights, but I do have all the wiring and a three position switch.

<b><i>Shawn</i></b>

[HowardB]

I have fitted LED type Ring DRL's under the front bumper connected to the parking (side) light circuit. The additional load is minimal so there is no need for a separate circuit.

The overall result is that the car is much more visible & I don't have to drive with dipped headlights when driving around Europe