308 Parking Light/Headlight Modification Question

well, simple is always relative
chances are, you might think of something else here ?

afaik there is no simple relay modification since this would always contain a separate on/off switch for the parking lights - this can be had or built as a kit of course


a working modification without adding a switch is the "two-diode solution" that you wire in between the (master)head-lamp-lifting-motor-relay - where you have to change connections - and the head light fuses (high and low beam)

this modification has been described a couple of time on here in text form but - as far as I remember - has never been documented in a step-by-step picture tutorial

maybe I should do that ...

anyway, here is the way it finally looks:
.
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Any idea where I'd find the thread with the text?
Thanks.

 

Maybe your should

Me want...

 

Lots of threads about this. I opted for a (self designed) relay solution with a switch, as I had an unused aerial switch after changing to an automatic aerial. Paul308 has a design, if I recall. The diode solution involves cutting wires, which I'm loathe to do.

 

That's the diode solution then.

 

You could do what I did, which is to replace the headlights with a pair that incorporate small "city lights" which are then tied to the parking lights.

This way, when the parking lights are on, the headlights are up and they glow softly due to these extra lights.

This looks "right", as contrasted to having the light pods up but with nothing illuminated.

Thanks - DM

 

They must have changed it in the QV. If I put the stalk in the up position the parking lights stay on but the buckets close.

 

here you go:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/308-328/356592-diode-mod.html

 

As a minor caveat, if the headlight on the one side is out, from where the diode is installed, the lift motors will not be energized and you will drive home with no headlights. Secondly, easier to leave parking lights on as the referrance of the buckets being up is visually not there. Thirdly, not sure when I last used parking lights only....if I park and I need to be seen, I use hazard lights. So either heads are on or whole system is off. But all minor stuff.

 

Why can't it be as simple as disabling the wire or power going into the headlight motor and
connect it to the low beam light wire therefor, motor will only go up when headlights are turned on?

 

you can spice a switch before the headlight relay and install a separate switch, but then you have extra step to lift the housing to up position. With the reconfiguration, it works, just the small possibility that if the light is out on the side u rerouted, the housing will not go up. To properly do it, both sides need to b tied in. Just an extra 2 wires.

 

Thanks.

 

BTW in the steps for that modification it says you have to cut some wires. You actually don't have to cut any wires. I did this mod years ago and made it so the mod was completely reversible. I don't remember exactly what I did, but I do remember that it didn't require too much thought to figure it out.

 

You may need to clean the contacts in your column switch to keep from winking when you go between low and high beams. You can see in this video I took to show off my new Truck-Lite LED headlights how the lights go down (you loose all lights) if they lose contact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&x-yt-cl=85114404&x-yt-ts=1422579428&v=msyrs8SdTLw. Because of this I may further modify my 'parking' lights' to go on without the headlights up, but I'm keeping the diode mod as is for now.

 

A nice low power substitute is an LED array. uses just a few watts.
i dont use them for illumination, but only so other folks can see me coming during the day - and it sure works!!!!
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Good idea! Specially in the Winter months with long shadows. It's so much easier to see cars with daytime running lights than cars running dark. Nice car BTW!

 

The link (http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/308-328/356592-diode-mod.html) to the description of how to do this mod, is not working anymore. Any idea where to find a full description ?

Thanks in advance

 

I did this mod years ago and I knew I had the instructions somewhere. And voila!

I'm putting this in here without giving credit to the authors just because I don't know if they want their names published. One of the authors I know is on this site and is a great contributor of knowledge and insight. He may even pipe in with some more updates. I did this mod, but I didn't cut wires as done in this instruction. I was able to not cut wires and accomplish the whole thing, but it's also reversible should anyone want to revert. I can't totally remember how I did it, but I remember it was no big deal to figure it out. I liked to do non-destructive mods if I could. I hope this helps.

How do I turn on my 308 parking lights without having the headlights pop up?

Many 308 owners would like to be able to run their parking lights without having their headlight buckets in the up position. While Ferrari made this possible starting with the 328 series, many earlier 308 series owners would like to know how to update the headlight circuit so that the headlight buckets can be down when the parking lights are on. Follow these easy step-by-step instructions to make the modification. For those interested, included at the end of this FAQ is a brief explanation of how the circuit works and exactly what is being modified.
Materials You Will Need
1 2 each 200 volt/1 amp silicon diodes (available from Radio Shack)
2 2 feet of 14 gauge electrical wire
3 2 each crimp-on taps for the 14 gauge wire (it's best to use the taps that accept a female spade terminal)
4 2 each crimp-on male spade terminals (to attach to the taps)
5 An assortment of heat shrink tubing
6 Some electrical tape
7 3 each crimp-on butt splice
8 3 wire ties to keep the new wiring tidy under the dash
Making the Modification
1 Remove the fascia cover from the dash (the power portion of the passenger side dash). This will reveal an assortment of fuses and relays. Keep the fascia cover handy, as you will need to refer to the diagram on the back of the cover throughout the following steps.
2 Locate the head lamp lifting motor relay. There are three headlight relays: one for the left, one for the right, and a third which drives the other two. The one you want is labeled "Head Lights Motor Contact", and is located in the center of the panel. Check the diagram on the back of the fascia cover to make sure you've got the right relay. The connections on the relay are labeled as follows: 85 - Control Input
86 - Control Output (usually ground for the solenoid)
30 - Power Input
87 - Primary Power Output
87a- Secondary Power Output

Note: When 12 volts are applied to the Control Input, the solenoid is activated, and connections 30, 87, and 87a are shorted together.

3 Identify the fuses for left and right high and low beams. They are usually the first four fuses in the right panel.
4 Unhook the relay panel by lifting and rotating the top toward you.
5 On the back of the panel, the headlight relay should have a blue wire running to the connection at the 3 o'clock and the 6 o'clock positions (viewing the relay connections as a clock; looking down on the panel with the top of the panel pointing towards you). The blue wire runs to 3 o'clock (the control input) first, then down to the 6 o'clock (power input) position. It originates from the relay to the immediate right (the 12 o'clock position). The entire wire runs to four different places (it has four connectors on it).
6 Flip the panel back up to the vertical position. Remove the headlight relay. Each spade connection fits into the panel in a slot with a small hole or notch on one side. Stick an awl or a thin bladed screwdriver into the small hole as far as you can (about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch). This releases the locking tab for the wire connector on the back of the panel. From the back of the panel, pull the blue wire out of both the 3 o'clock and the 6 o'clock positions.
7 Using wire cutters, cut the blue wire so that there is just one connector. Cut it at the 3 o'clock connector so that the wire no longer continues to the 6 o'clock connector. Save the connector and short wire that used to run to the 6 o'clock position.
8 Insert the remaining connector on the blue wire into the 6 o'clock (power input) position. You should now have a wire running from the 6 o'clock (power input) position on the headlight relay directly over to the 12 o'clock position on the relay to the right. The 3 o'clock (control input) position should be empty.
9 Add a new control circuit. Use a pair of 200 volt/1 amp diodes in a Y configuration, where the branches of the Y connect to the bottom spade connections for the #10 and #12 fuses, and the trunk of the Y connects to the 3 o'clock (control input) position on the relay. The current must flow FROM the fuses TO the relay control input, otherwise you will blow the fuses. Use the connector and the short length of blue wire you cut off previously, inserting the connector in the 3 o'clock position in the relay panel. Be careful, of course, to make sure nothing will short to anything once it is all put back together. You can cover the diodes and their exposed leads with the heat shrink tubing. If the tubing shrinks too much lengthwise, use a little electrical tape to ensure that everything is adequately insulated. Wiring the relays in this manner will activate the headlight lifting motors whenever either the left headlight low or high beam is on. You could also connect to fuses #11 and #13. In either case, the motors will now only activate when the headlights are switched on.

10 Replace the relay, relay panel, and fascia cover.
11 Test your work.
How the Circuit Works
One relay controls whether the headlight lifting motors are activated. It has one power input, two power outputs (switched), a control input to the solenoid, and a ground for the solenoid. The stock wiring is for power to be applied to both the control and power input at the same time by the light switch on the steering column moving to either the park or headlight position. In addition, the light switch applies power to the headlight bulbs themselves whenever it is moved to the headlight position.
The above modification changes this so that the light switch only applies power to the power input when it is in either the parking lights or headlights position. The control input is driven by power being applied to either the high or low beam bulbs themselves. As a result, the solenoid making the headlights lift is only activated when the headlights are actually on.

 

also, sorry about the formatting. I'm not really an expert when it comes to internetting...