Fog lights without headlights?

kiesan · 12-20-2003, 11:50 AM

I suppose I could probably figure this out myself but I'm guessing it has been done before so I'm going for the quick solution. On my '84 ROW Carrera the fog lights will come on only when the headlights are switched on. They won't work with only the parking lights on... I'm guessing this is the way the circuit is designed. Anyway, I'd like it if the fogs could be switched on with either the parking lights or the headlights. Anyone done this before? TIA

jmohn · jmohn's Garage

It's wired that way for a reason. If you need foglights, you also need your lowbeam headlights to be on. To answer your question, yes it's possible to power up the fogs independent of the headlights, kids do it all the time.

Jerry M
'78 SC

kiesan · 12-20-2003, 12:43 PM

Ouch that hurts! I suppose what I was looking for was a bit of continuity with respect to the other mid-eighties european thing sharing the garage with my Carrera. It's Italian and it's fog/driving lights will work with just the parking lights on. I guess that means the designers in Italy are just kids at heart as opposed to the all-business, grown-up types in Stuttgart. Can you imagine the looks of horror on the faces of the boys in Deutschland as those immature Italians came ripping through their country on 'holiday in their Fiats, Alfas or whatever with only their fog lights on? Scandalous!

Drago · Drago's Garage

Kiesan,

Must be a ROW thing.

In my US '87 you can turn the fogs on with just the parking lights on....and I know SC's are the same way.

CarreraS2 · 01:00 PM

My US SC isn't that way. It's fogs only with headlights.

My US 914 was the same, as well as every BMW I've ever had (around 8).

The BMWs are also wired so the fogs only work with the low beams. When the high beams are switched on, the fogs turn off automatically. I guess b/c the Germans know that driving with high beams on in the fog makes no sense. But then again, I think they tend to view fog lights as lights to be used in the fog, as opposed to a fashion statement.

The SC may be the same way, I've never checked. I think I've turned the fogs on once in 13 years. We don't get much fog here.

kiesan · 12-20-2003, 01:03 PM

Thanks Drago. I guess its time to look at the fog light switch and wiring diagram if I want to change it. Maybe I'll just leave it. That way, when I'm feeling grown-up I'll drive this thing and if I'm feeling like a kid I'll drive around in something else with just the fog lights on.

cegerer · cegerer's Garage

So what do you feel like when you're riding the Ducati's?!

-- Curt

CarreraS2 · 12-20-2003, 01:44 PM

If he's anything like me, the answer is this:

Tim Polzin · 12-20-2003, 01:58 PM

In spite of Marc's good taste in beer and model of 911, I think Brian is right. The fogs should only (like from the factory) come on with the low beams. Here is a page from my owners manual.

Tim

cegerer · cegerer's Garage

Brian - that's what I thought. LOL. -- Curt

yellow911turbo · 12-20-2003, 02:36 PM

Quote:

My US 914 was the same, as well as every BMW I've ever had (around 8).

The BMWs are also wired so the fogs only work with the low beams. When the high beams are switched on, the fogs turn off automatically. I guess b/c the Germans know that driving with high beams on in the fog makes no sense. But then again, I think they tend to view fog lights as lights to be used in the fog, as opposed to a fashion statement.

i currently own 2 bmws with fog lights and both of them can be turned on w/out the headlights.

kiesan · 12-20-2003, 02:53 PM

I concur with Brian K. about how I feel when riding although the young man on the Monster might have me beat for maturity when I'm on a bike. Figured out the wiring... its very simple. On the back of the fog light switch there is a solid white wire that is hot only when the low beams are on. Unplug that wire and piggyback a new wire onto the nearest available power source of your choice. I selected the clock illumination light wire so now I can act like a kid stuck in the eighties. Voila! Fog lights available anytime the running lights are on. Remember to cover up that old low beam wire so there is nothing loose and hot flopping around.

uncwSoccer · 12-20-2003, 04:56 PM

Kiesan, Any pics of that Multi ? You are blessed with some sweet rides in your paddock.

Decolliber · 12-20-2003, 05:23 PM

At the bottom of one of the high beam fuses there will be two brown wires, in addition to the power wire to one of the high beam lights. One of these brown wires lights up the high beam light in the tach and one activates a relay that opens the ground from the fog relay, when there is power in the high beams. Remove the brown wire that cuts the fog relay ground, and the fogs will then work independent of whether the headlights are on high or low beam. Or just remove both brown wires if you don't mind losing the high beam indicator light.
This is now shown in the Bentley wiring diagram but it is shown in the Hayes schematic.

dean · 12-20-2003, 05:27 PM

To answer your question. Yes I can use my fogs with no headlites. It is a simple wiring change. On the SC (I bet the Carrera is the same) There is a small grey wire that feeds the relay for the fogs. If you connect the grey wire to a ign. switched fuse then you can run the fogs by themselves. I run mine as DRL's. The feed for the fogs is near the front of the fusepanel.

kiesan · 12-20-2003, 05:32 PM

Thanks Dan G. Here is a shot of my 'multi. Its covered in grime and filth as it is my year round every-dayer. It is without a doubt the most enjoyable all-around bike I have ever had.

kiesan · 12-20-2003, 05:34 PM

jmohn · jmohn's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by kiesan
Ouch that hurts! I suppose what I was looking for was a bit of continuity with respect to the other mid-eighties european thing sharing the garage with my Carrera. It's Italian and it's fog/driving lights will work with just the parking lights on. I guess that means the designers in Italy are just kids at heart as opposed to the all-business, grown-up types in Stuttgart. Can you imagine the looks of horror on the faces of the boys in Deutschland as those immature Italians came ripping through their country on 'holiday in their Fiats, Alfas or whatever with only their fog lights on? Scandalous!

Sorry Kie. It wasn't suppose to hurt that much. But it's still a truism that fogs are meant to be used with low beams. It's just that I see mostly "kids" wire up fogs on their cars (and trucks) and drive around with them on in the middle of a sunny day. In retrospect, they work fine as DRL's I suppose. The down-side is I see these same goofs driving in rain, snow and real fog with just the foglights on, they may as well turn on the interior lights for all the good that does for either of us.

Sorry If I sounded harsh. I have no insights into either the German or Italian thought processes.

Good luck on the project,

Jerry M
'78 SC

kiesan · 12-20-2003, 07:15 PM

No offense taken Jerry M., I was just pretending to have my poor little feelings hurt.

Seattle has no shortage of (this is a shocker) not very sunny yet not very dark days and when I'm bopping around the city I just don't feel appropriate blazing everyone with my ROW Hella's and just having the fogs on with the parking lights seems right to me. Once I hooked up power to the fog light switch from the running light circuit instead of the low beam circuit I now have my dream scenario.

SpeedracerIndy · 12-20-2003, 08:27 PM

On my father's 88, which is bone stock, the fog lights come on when the parking lights are turned on. On two other Carrera's I test drove, this was the same. It sounds like an RoW thing. Since my RoW 81 has no fogs, I cannot comment on it.