FAQ: How to disable headlamps & daytime running lights?

This may be a lame question and posted in the wrong place so bear with me.
I've never ran into this situation until the other night when I drove through this xmas lights display we have in one of the parks here.
You are supposed to turn off your headlights and drive through. Well....I tried but could not figure out how to drive without my headlights on. So I had a bunch of irate parents yelling at me to turn off my headlights...it became quite amusing.
Im so used to them coming on and off automatically that I have never had to do this.
Anyone know how to drive the car without the headlights on?
Mine are always in the off position but come on auto. There's got to be a way to do this.
Surely someone has had to for a drive by at some time?

I just figured this out recently on my '99. The switch is spring loaded, you just push it all the way to min. and release it and it turns off the lights. As far as I can tell you cannot cancel the auto feature completely, it just turns them off that one time and the next time you restart or turn the key they will be on automatically again.

My internet cut out on me, but I was gonna say that I know the light sensor tells the lights to come on even while the car is parked. My lights came on while it was on for us to install a neon stick under the dash, and I wasn't able to turn them off. Thanks, 99, for telling us how to do this!

I am pretty sure the '95 is different from the '97-'99, on my '95 I can completely turn off the auto feature, the switch is not spring loaded so you just push it all the way to dim and then you have to use the headlight switch to turn on the lights.
If you are talking about the interior lights, there is no way to turn them off if the door is open but they will go off after approx. 15 minutes of the door being open. A battery saving feature.

In my 95 I just set the switch to min and they stay off, I manually turn on my lights every night because the automatic lights wouldnt always turn on for me, so I'm used to doing it manually now. I figured it out pretty quick, I just assumed it was common sense to put the switch to MIN....

Ok, so I just turn the knob all the way clockwise? Wow, I learned something new and helpful already!! I noticed that after 5 or so minutes, it also cuts power to the 12v DC outlet, very helpful!

SC95Riv wrote:

In my 95 I just set the switch to min and they stay off, I manually turn on my lights every night because the automatic lights wouldnt always turn on for me, so I'm used to doing it manually now. I figured it out pretty quick, I just assumed it was common sense to put the switch to MIN....

That is true for the '95 but I think they changed it in '97 and it doesn't work the same way?

I have a 97. I don't know how to turn off the lights while in a gear other than park. This really makes me mad sometimes. I have that spring loaded sensitivity switch but it does nothing while in drive or even neutral.

I read somewhere that on the '96 and later RIv you push the parking brake pedal down one and only one click to make the headlights stay off while running. Sounded fishy to me & I have not tried it and do not plan to try it, but the directions stuck with me since I read it so I thought I'd share it in case you were curious.

A lot of things have to be in adjustment for that little trick to work - the brake cable has to have enough slack, the switch has to engage, etc.

I also read that on other GM cars (the Venture for instance) you can pull the DRL fuse and then the headlight switch will run the headlights. Why this would work to keep the headlights off at night I do not know.

To read more on this see http://www.automotivehelper.com/topic111295.htm for the discussion.


Albertj

Albert, that parking brake method is quite amusing. I would absolutely NEVER do that! One time my front brakes got really bad (pads wore to the metal), so I had to use the parking brake regularly during the 30 mile drive home. I remember that if you are moving and engage the brake at all, you will hear a pretty loud and annoying "Ding-ding-ding-ding" until you release the pedal. Not worth putting yourself through this to make the lights go out, imo. Very annoying sound!

SC95Riv wrote:

In my 95 I just set the switch to min and they stay off, I manually turn on my lights every night because the automatic lights wouldnt always turn on for me, so I'm used to doing it manually now. I figured it out pretty quick, I just assumed it was common sense to put the switch to MIN....

They must have changed this in '97. I cannot get this to work, and believe me I tried it the night I had all these grumpy old men yelling at me "TURN YOUR LIGHTS OFF". lol

yeah I have never been able to turn off the auto lights in my '98 and I tried lots of things (but not the E-brake thing)

Well on my car if you set it all the way to max you can kinda feel it click and the lights go off.

Time to check out that DRL fuse.

Albertj

new owner of a 97 riviera and LOVE IT..............
But how do i disable the daytime runnings lights.... HATE THEM
could not find anything in owners manual about it...



Thanks Shrek
Detroit,MI

should be able to turn the headlights completely off by moving the slider below the light knob to the far left. you would then need to turn on the lights manually.
(the slider will only work when the car is in park)

Welcome to the forum too! is your screen name shrek b/c shrek the third is on tv right now??

Moving that slider all the way to the left only changes the timer for when you turn the car off.....the lights stay on for a period adjusted by that timer. You can turn them off by "clicking" that slider while the car is in park, but they will come on automatically when shifted out of park. If you want to disable the DRL's, unplug the ambient light sensor (the dark "bulb" up on the dash), and the DRL's will never come on.

hmm, must be a year to year change. with my 96, if the slider is clicked over when in park the lights will never come on unless i manually turn them on.
i dont have DRL's though, just the twilight sensor.

Mr.Riviera wrote:

hmm, must be a year to year change. with my 96,

prolly, I know I can't turn em off on my '98, except in park

Mr.Riviera wrote:

hmm, must be a year to year change. with my 96, if the slider is clicked over when in park the lights will never come on unless i manually turn them on.
i dont have DRL's though, just the twilight sensor.

It is a year to year difference, the '95 & '96 have what you say and can be turned off, but the '97 - '99 are on all the time except if you want to turn them off in "Park", as said before.

to disable auto headlights:
1. find the twilight sentinel sensor on the dash.
2. cut the 2 wires coming to the sensor from the dash.
3. tape the wires you cut on the sensor side out of the way.
4. connect the 2 wires coming from the dash that were originally going to the sensor.
5. put everything back together and enjoy full control of your headlights at night.

when the sensor senses light in the daytime it completes the circuit between the 2 wires telling the car that it is daytime and to turn the lights off. what you are doing when you connect the 2 wires is tricking the car into thinking it is always daytime. i have had my car like this for almost 3 years now with no issues.

also, if the rivs dont have a DRL fuse to pull i can help with disabling those too.

Write it up!!

I hate Day Time running lights. I was just going to ask about how to get rid of them.

The only problems being:

- Getting to the sensor is a PITA
- You're also disabling your Twilight Sentinel
- The manual headlight knob is a POS that loves to come off...

My manual headlight knob has never come off. Maybe yours is broken? Anyone else have a problem with their knob?

AA wrote:

My manual headlight knob has never come off. Maybe yours is broken? Anyone else have a problem with their knob?

In another thread, others have recently mentioned the same problem... These knobs aren't like traditional
headlight-switch knobs & shafts, they're more like a glorified radio knob.

And really, how often do you actually pull on yours in a '98? .(hmmm, perhaps I could
have phrased that better... )