Time to Complete Mod: 10 minutes Cost to Complete Mod: $0.49 Start by gently prying the dashboard up with a large flathead screwdriver. The plastic dash panel merely snaps into place and should pull up relatively easy. It is not necessary to fully remove the panel, but just pull it up enough to remove the photoresistor from it's socket
Here you can see the photoresistor situated next to the security system LED indicator. The photoresistor will turn about 1/2 turn, and then drop out of the dashboard. At this point, you can unclip the wiring harness connector and remove the photoresistor from the car. I reinserted the photoresistor back into the dash so that the hole would not be empty. The next point is constantly debated, but I chose to err on the safety side. The photoresistor is essentially a variable resistor whose resistance value changes based upon the amount of light hitting it. The headlamp control module (located behind the radio) reads the resistance to determine when it should automatically activate the headlamps. As more light hits the resistor, its' value decreases, and as it gets darker out, its' value increases. Upon checking my photoresistor with an ohmmeter in the bright sunlight, I found it to read approximately 900 Ohms, or 0.9K Ohms. Many have completed this mod simply by inserting a small piece of wire in the connector to short the two wires, thereby creating a 0 Ohm load. Being cautious, and not wanting to risk blowing the headlamp module, I purchased a pack of 1K Ohm resistors at Radio Shack, trimmed the leads off the resistor, and inserted it into the connector.
This way, the headlamp module will always "see" a value of 1K Ohms, which is an acceptable "daylight" value, and thereby will never activate the headlamps automatically.
Finally, using some electrical tape, I wrapped the resistor and connector in order to hold the resistor in place, and to prevent it from shorting. You can then push this wiring back down inside the dash, and re-secure the dash by pushing down over the clips until they lock back into place. This can be converted back to the stock setup in about 10 minutes...and simply involves removing the resistor and plugging the wiring back into the photoresistor.
Time to Complete Mod: 10 minutes Cost to Complete Mod: $0.49 Start by gently prying the dashboard up with a large flathead screwdriver. The plastic dash panel merely snaps into place and should pull up relatively easy. It is not necessary to fully remove the panel, but just pull it up enough to remove the photoresistor from it's socket
Here you can see the photoresistor situated next to the security system LED indicator. The photoresistor will turn about 1/2 turn, and then drop out of the dashboard. At this point, you can unclip the wiring harness connector and remove the photoresistor from the car. I reinserted the photoresistor back into the dash so that the hole would not be empty. The next point is constantly debated, but I chose to err on the safety side. The photoresistor is essentially a variable resistor whose resistance value changes based upon the amount of light hitting it. The headlamp control module (located behind the radio) reads the resistance to determine when it should automatically activate the headlamps. As more light hits the resistor, its' value decreases, and as it gets darker out, its' value increases. Upon checking my photoresistor with an ohmmeter in the bright sunlight, I found it to read approximately 900 Ohms, or 0.9K Ohms. Many have completed this mod simply by inserting a small piece of wire in the connector to short the two wires, thereby creating a 0 Ohm load. Being cautious, and not wanting to risk blowing the headlamp module, I purchased a pack of 1K Ohm resistors at Radio Shack, trimmed the leads off the resistor, and inserted it into the connector.
This way, the headlamp module will always "see" a value of 1K Ohms, which is an acceptable "daylight" value, and thereby will never activate the headlamps automatically.
Finally, using some electrical tape, I wrapped the resistor and connector in order to hold the resistor in place, and to prevent it from shorting. You can then push this wiring back down inside the dash, and re-secure the dash by pushing down over the clips until they lock back into place. This can be converted back to the stock setup in about 10 minutes...and simply involves removing the resistor and plugging the wiring back into the photoresistor.
posted
You don't need a resister, Firebirds are wired with a jumper at the factory, ck the shop manual. I'm going to put a switch on mine so I can turn the auto on or off! Brian
-------------------- brian Posts: 4 | From: Kansas City | Registered: Feb 2003
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