Auto-on headlights for v2 and v3

RE: from mudmanrv: not headlights... so I could run just fog and marker lights ...

I believe it is illegal to turn on just the fog light and the marker light without the headlight on and that's why on my V5, to turn on the fog light you must turn on the headlight first.
In my state, they are not that strict but the next door state, you will get the ticket for sure.
Before I click the post reply button, I did a search about this issue and found varying information so you may want to check your local state law.

 

Gotcha! Thanks for the reply.

 

I can't believe it took me this long to find this forum but thanks MUDMANRV for this tip. I have found an OEM fog light switch that will "look right" for this task and fit into one of my blank knockouts but I wasn't able to determine which "pin 19" to ground through the switch. I found these instructions for installing a fog light kit for the prius C from toyotaofmcdonoughparts, you can look it up easily with a google search, but the connector diagrammed there (its obviously related to the headlights) doesn't have a green wire in pin 19, it actually doesn't have a wire at that pin at all.

There are a few connectors which plug into some kind of module and several green wires but I'm not about to go shorting wires to ground looking for the one that turns my headlights on in the dark. Anyone know which connector the Original Post is referring to and how the pin numbers are assigned so that I can safely find this "pin 19"? I'd appreciate it.

 

Yeah, I have a Prius V, I was just using the Prius C hoping that the wiring would be the same or similar enough. For everyone else, mudmanrv clarified that you need to remove the the lower shroud of the steering column. I was looking behind the lower kick panel that is below the steering column and got confused. Sure enough, his directions are spot on. I now have permanent auto-on headlights and they will become selectable auto-on headlights just as soon as I wire up my switch.

 

Can someone please post a picture where the harness is located? Also I just got the OEM fog light kit and the wiring harness is different than the instructions posted. There is only 1 wire going through the firewall, not two. Does anyone know the "Hot when headlights are" wire is? Thank you in advance.

 

I did the mod today. Off is Auto now. Is that correct? I was expecting Headlights On to be Auto. My ground is to bare metal if that makes a difference.

 

It's on the 20 pin connector on the immediate left of the steering wheel adjustment lock lever under the bottom plastic steering column cover. Pins 1 & 10 are Identified on the connector. Unfortunately both pins 19 & 12 are green. 19 is the green wire next to the pink wire.

Just did this mod today on my sister's V3. Off is now auto. Question - Does a new menu for auto headlights suddenly become available after this mod? If so, where is it?

 

tk1971: there is no new menu which appears for the auto headlights. The auto-off (I think that's what it's called) menu still works to determine how long your headlights stay on after you turn the car off (assuming it's dark enough for the auto headlights to be on when it was last running).

I have noticed one side effect of this permanent wiring. The options for headlights on (selected by rotating the stick) and the automatic headlight (whether your permanently wired "pin 19" to ground or through a switch as I did) are no longer mutually exclusive. What I mean is, it's possible to tell the car to force the headlights on (stick) and turn the headlights on if it's dark (shorting pin 19). This would never happen if the *proper* headlight stick were used because you would have to rotate it off of one to get to the other.

The downsides are these:

1. If the auto headlights are set (whether it's hard wired or the auto switch (in my case) is closed) and it's still light out but you want your headlights on anyway (say it's raining and there are heavy clouds but it not enough to turn on the auto headlights), then the headlight icon in the instrument panel doesn't come on. It seems as though the auto-headlight feature overrides that dash light and because the lights are in "auto mode" but they aren't on "automatically" then the light doesn't come on. The lights work, mind you, but the dash isn't reminding you that they're on.
2. Similarly, once you park the car and turn it off, there isn't a warning beep letting you know that you've left the lights on. In my case, with the auto-on wire run through it's own switch, I can have the light on using the headlight stick, switch off my auto-on feature, and open the door to the reminder beep. However, if I have my auto-on switch turned on and open up the door, there's no beep. Mind you, the automatic headlight's off feature found in the setup screen will still turn off the headlights after the set time (0, 30, 60 or 90 sec I think).

My advice is to not be as anal-retentive as I am and get over it but I wanted to make people aware of the little things that I can't help but notice.

 

That's an easy fix. Using a DPDT switch w/ 6 separate connections, the wiring from the regular "On" from the stock headlight stalk can by cut and hi-jacked to one of the switch positions with the other end of the cut wiring connecting to the middle position of the switch, which would comprise the "Off" position of the auto headlight switch located on the dash.

Then wire up the auto headlight wire to the other set of poles in the opposite position on the DPDT switch, with a ground in that center pole position. This would be the "On" position for the Auto headlights (which disconnects the regular manual headlight switch wiring).

That way, both can't be on at the same time. The difficult part is to find an appropriate switch that would look OEM and fits one of the dash blanks.

 

Yeah, that's the thing. I had found an OEM Fog Light Switch that fits my dash knockout perfectly and actually contained a DPDT. However, it also had two LEDs. One illuminated an orange box above the icon and the other illuminates the icon itself. I modified the switch (scratched out a few traces) to make one pole operate the automatic headlight function and the second pole to power the "icon LED" to let me know that automatic headlights were on. In hindsight I think I may have instead rewired it up to make the two headlight selections mutually exclusive like you have described and left both LEDs unwired.

 

This mod does not work with the 2014 Prius v ( lowercase v for the Prius v wagon ). I just tried it.

Since the car comes with built in DRL's, the green wire on L47 has been changed by Toyota.
The body ECU understands grounding this terminal to be "DRL On" Command.
Your DRL's will come on, but no automatically controlled headlights.
My only option is the DEI 545t

 

Just got a turn signal switch from a Lexus CT200h (84140-33202) at a salvage shop for about $50 and I can confirm the Auto feature works! Wanted to possibly make use of the onboard fog switch and DRL off function in the future. Plus I like the order of Auto being before Parking & On.

 

Just want to be sure if I have the correct green wire before I blow up the ECU. I measure 9.5 volt on the green wire , is that normal?
I think its the green wire next to the pink on the right bottom ,is this correct?

 

Just changing the Stalk for one with auto Headlight did the job, no ecu programming or whatever , easy mod . Hope this helps anyone. I have a prius+ 2013 from Europe ( the Netherlands )

 

Old thread just revived. In reading it I see I posted a while ago about wanting DRLs more than auto headlights. I bought and installed a Toyota part number kit which is switchable from the below dash with a OEM look on/off switch (which I leave on 100% of the time), goes on when I start the car and off when I turn the headlights on. Is LED and looks very stock. I posted elsewhere the part #.

 

Yes but European cars have DRL as standard, so now it auto switches between DRL and Headlights in the auto position depending on the outdoor light condition

 

I have a 2015 Prius v Trim 2 (base model) and want the auto headlight feature. It sounds like if I order the same part number 8414033202 and install it, everything will function without other modifications? I know this is a big thread revival and I'm sorry but I wanted the clarity and couldn't find more relevant info via search (but I am still new and learning the tools)