328 fog lights question

I can only turn on my fog lights if the head lights are on. Is this normal?

 

no. I can't remember how I do it but maybe you need park lights on then the headlights stay down and fogs come on. I use them like that for daytime running lights

 

So, really you can't have the fog lights on without having the parking lights on... I thought I tried that... Won't be able to check it out for another week as the car is still in storage...

 

That's correct. I know on my car, years ago, I did some re-wiring so I could turn on the fog lights without raising the headlamps. Mine is a Euro (Swiss market actually).

Keep in mind that there were variations as to how they were wired depending on the market. In some locations they were wired as "overtaking lights" (they were normally off and then you could flash them as a warning). In other places they were wired as fog lights or driving lights.

I think it's a "rule" in the EU that fog lights must turn off when the high beams are turned on so it would make sense their operation would be tied into the headlamps.

 

Yes, but if you perform this simple modification, you can run your parking lights with the fog lights. I performed this mod on at least 6 or 7 308/328's over the years.

http://www.nwrfca.org/faq/308parkinglights.htm

Bob Bowser wrote the procedure with a little input from me...

 

Cool, thanks. I really don't like working car electrics though, I feel if I screw up all car will go dead!!!

 

Those mods are for 308s. The US edition 328 will run the fogs with only the running lights on, and the buckets down, as built stock.

But, also on the US edition, because the fogs run off the running light circuit, the fog plus running lights pump 15A through one tiny pin (J3) on the fuse panel. There are two fat wires on that pin, so, depending on how the panel was stuffed back into the mounting position, the wires can pull the pin out of line, and it might not be making solid contact. When that happens, running the fogs (with or without the headlights) will heat the pin and cause the plastic shell to overheat. That's happened to my 328 twice in the last ten years.
This is specific to the US edition wiring, though.