Wiring Headlights to wiper switch?

[GSUhooligan]

I installed the auto rearview mirror and it works great. My only complaint is if it starts raining when its still light outside, I have to manually turn the lights on. Its not THAT big of a deal, but since I went through the trouble of wiring up the mirror, I kind of want my lights to come on automatically all the time.

So I figured, there must be a way to wire the headlights to the wiper switch, so when I turn my wipers on, my headlights come on as well.

Has anyone done this?

 

[RangerFabWorks]

why not just have daytime running lights? that would solve you problem. but to wire the headlights to the wiper switch. take the off the light switch that turns them on, splice this into the wipers hot and it should kick em on. just make shure it doesnt fry when you have the wipers on, and have the headlights on.

 

[dogboy]

Blackwidow, if I'm not mistaken, wring the lights into the "hot" wiper wire would make the lights turn on ONLY when the wipers are moving, when the wipers are in the "rest" position, they will be off.


My suggestion would be to just turn the lights on when you get in, and turn them off when you get out. That's what I do. I am the type of person that has their lights on at all times, whether it is blinding sun, or a slight mist, or a huge downpour. People seeing other people is always a good thing, no matter what the weather is, and what bad can come from having your lights on all the time (other than having to replace the bulb a little earlier)?


As for the question, I would grab a wiring diagram, and see if you can't find a wire that is hot only when the wipers are in an on position. That would be a wire that would go from the switch to something like a control box maybe?

 

[RobbieD]

Wiring them directly together would give you lights with wipers, but if you turn on the lights the wipers would also run. Besides, adding the extra load of the headlights would likely be more than the wiper switch can handle.

Sorry, I don't have schematics for a 2002. But one approach to do what you're wanting would be to use a relay, to switch power to the lights AND provide isolation between the the lights and wipers. If your wiper system does have a wire which stays hot (or, grounded for that matter) whenever the wipers are on, you could use that circuit to trigger the relay, which in turn sends power into the headlight circuit.

 

[Scrambler82]

You will need a separate circuit, one that will sense the wiper being on and turn on the headlights.

Get a relay, actuate it with the wiper motor power, pin 85
Pin 86 to ground.
Run a fused wire from the battery to pin 30
From pin 87 on the relay splice into the low beam wire.
You will need two diode, one for the wire from pin 87 on the relay so standard headlight power will not go back to the relay when the headlights and the wipers are on at the same time and one for the low bean wire just ahead of the relay attachment from pin 87 so when the wipers are on the power will not feed back to the headlight switch.
This should work to turn on the low beams when the wiper motor is turned on with minimal draw on the wiper circuit to actuate the relay.

Qualifier: (please don't kill me... let's think this through - no schematics) !
I have never done this and only now thought of it and think it will work.
Which wire is for the low beam lights, not sure.
Which wire is the wiper motor wire to actuate the relay not sure.
Will this overload the wiper circuit not sure.
Rating of the Diodes, don't know.
This is all up to you to check it out.