Disabling the dimming function?

[rich_e777]

I would like to disable the way the dash, HUD and gauge cluster bulbs dim when turning on the fog lights/headlights. However I would like to keep the incremental dimming feature of the interior courtesy lights after the car has been shut off. 

Is this possible to do? I`m studying the diagrams trying to answer my own question but coming up short.

[55trucker]

?   how short are you?.....

[rcLord510]

14 hours ago, rich_e777 said:

I would like to disable the way the dash, HUD and gauge cluster bulbs dim when turning on the fog lights/headlights. However I would like to keep the incremental dimming feature of the interior courtesy lights after the car has been shut off. 

Is this possible to do? I`m studying the diagrams trying to answer my own question but coming up short.

I’d be looking for a wire that goes from the headlight/foglight switch that goes into the bcm(you don’t clarify which vehicle, so if it’s the 94 or 95 it’ll have one) put a meter on it and see what changes on that specific wire when you flip the fog or headlight switch, I’d guess it tells the bcm to dim those components, so all together removing that wire should in theory stop that from happening, assuming that’s that wires only job. If it were me I’d put a switch in that wire and put it under the dash somewhere so I could have that dimming feature back if I liked but that’s just me…

also if it’s your tgp, it will probably be more simple since there’s no bcm, and removing that wire will almost certainly do what you’d like it to. In any case don’t just cut it in case it doesn’t do what you want it to, just depin it and remove it from the fog switch connector just for testing.

in any case, unless im missing something, this should be a very easy thing to do, just a bit of investigative work on your part. It also should not remove the incremental dimming. Those are usually on a timer and are on a complexity different part of the circuit than the dash light circuit.

Edited 9 hours ago by rcLord510

[55trucker]

Don't know if you want to do that...the dimmer is integral in the headlight assembly, if you *at the moment* are seeing the cluster lamps *dim* when you bring on the headlamps then push up the dimmer lever to all the way bright. In that position the cluster lights won't change their brightness. If you haven't altered the wiring for the fogs they only come on when the lows are in use.

Edited 9 hours ago by 55trucker

[rcLord510]

1 minute ago, 55trucker said:

Don't know if you want to do that...the dimmer is integral in the headlight assembly, if you *at the moment* are seeing the cluster lamps *dim* when you bring on the headlamps then push up the dimmer lever to all the way bright. In that position the cluster light won't change their brightness.

I wasn’t sure if there was a separate wire specifically for dimming under those circumstances of Turing the headlights on vs just the regular dimmer lever. If it’s one wire for all dimming on the gauge cluster and interior lights, yeah don’t.. At least in my dads 91, no matter where the dimmer is, turning on the headlights will dim all interior lights, and there’s no way to change their brightness except lower on the dimmer switch, could be different for how his 89, 94 or 95 Is but that’s how 91 cs’s are 

[Schurkey]

The point of dimming the various dash lights when the headlights are turned-on is to NOT DESTROY YOUR NIGHT VISION.

Your pupils dilate in low-light conditions.  They contract in bright light.  When you're looking out into darkness, somewhat lit by your headlights, you want your pupils dilated to bring as much light as possible onto your retinas--so you can still see where your headlights are not directly pointing--to the sides, and further down the roadway.

Bright dash lights cause your pupils to contract.  The opposite of what you want, and what is "safe".

 

 

 

Of course, you could CLEAN ALL THE DASH LIGHT LENSES, and REPLACE ALL THE BULBS WITH NEW INCANDESCENT LAMPS (direct replacement, not cheap-junk Chinese LEDs.)  I guarantee that any original incandescent light bulbs from the 1990s are worn-out even if they still "work".  You'll see that the glass "bulb" has become silvered, there's plenty of light being generated by the filament, but it doesn't get out of the darkened glass bulb.

For that matter, it's EXACTLY the same with incandescent headlights.  "New" headlights with clean, shiny, non-corroded reflectors and non-silvered glass will be brighter at the same voltage than "old" headlights.