DRL Canadian Control Unit I need Help !!!

[Kozuchowski]

Can anyone confirm that Canadian Spec NSX Day Time running Light control Unit 38260-SL0-A01 is Mitsuba RZ-0138? I would be grateful. It is located on the back of the Glove Box. In addition to other ABS, Security, cruise control and Door Lock modules

 

[Old Guy]

Maybe yes; but, I would not put a lot of money on it at this point. This is the plug configuration for the Mitsuba module.



It has the same 7 cavity and 4 cavity plug configuration as the NSX DRL module (page 23-176 of 1991 service manual). However, the cavities that are populated with terminals in the NSX plugs are fewer than the number of pins in the Mitsu module. So the modules may be plug compatible; but, may not be pin compatible. That could be because the NSX does not use all of the functions in the module which means that the Mitsu module might work. Short of buying and trying, the next step would be to find a wiring diagram for one of the Civics that the Mitsu module was used in and compare the pin assignments / functions to the wiring diagram for the NSX.

Page 7 of the wiring schematics in the 1991 NSX service manual shows the schematic for the DRL module. It doesn't give pin / plug numbers; but, it has wire colors and by referring to page 23-176 you can match wire colors (and function) to the positions in the plug. Do a similar analysis based upon the Civic wiring diagram and you should be able to figure out whether the Civic module will work.

 

[Kozuchowski]

Thank you for the quick reply.
Do you have such a module in your NSX?
It would be great if someone with an NSX Canadian Spec took a picture of the module (markings)
I bought Electical troubleshooting for Acura 97-04. I think that my professional knowledge would allow me to make a new wiring harness. It's easy for Pop-Up Light NSX. I wanted to make the task easier by confirming with the owners of Canadian Spec NSX. I was contacting Southview Acura in Edmonton but couldn't answer. They only knew Part number 38260-SL0-A01

 

[Old Guy]

This particular Canadian owns a US market car so no module to check. Plus, if I did have a Canadian market car with the module, the location of the module is moderately difficult to get at so its unlikely you are going to get anybody to volunteer to pull things apart to get the module out of the car for a photo. I think your best bet is to get the schematics for the correct model Civic, figure out the pin functions from the schematic and see if they match up with the NSX schematics.

 

[drew]

What is the symptom?

The unit can be repaired. Often just hit it with a soldering iron (see main relay repair).

 

[Kozuchowski]

Hi OldGuy Maybe at the beginning I should say that my car is Acura USDM. I imported it to Europe Poland. We have had a DRL obligation for several years. I know that there are hundreds of options for aftermarket solutions, and I have them today. But my goal is to make my NSX 100% OEM. I think there are people on the forum who understand this ... Pictures of the module's location are attached - I am not asking you to disassemble the car into the first parts. Just unscrew the Glow Box. Literally a few screws. I have followed this forum (Electronic 1st Gen) and thought I was in the right place to ask this question. Post Scriptum: We have a micro NSX community in Poland (15 cars currently), most of them from the US market. Unfortunately no Canadian Spec. Economic reasons. We borrow parts to diagnose faults, such as Ignition Coil. It's great that we have a passion for one Acura / Honda NSX model.

 

[Bram]

If this NSX is of US Specification, there are no connections from the wiring harness for the Canadian DRL Module.....Save your monies and time looking for this to work, unless you want to hack something with the wiring harness

I went through this when I purchased and imported my NSX from the US.

Bram

 

[Kozuchowski]

I admit, Bram, I expected some other help from a Canadian.

If I wasn't stubborn - I wouldn't be driving the NSX today, just an Italian brand.
It's a simple job, I even bought an ETM (Electical Troubleshooting Manual). Especially since all the necessary cables (coding addresses) are nearby.
It's fun and relaxing for me.
For example, I know how to easily convert an antenna so that it goes halfway. Just like in Japan Spec. Cost $ 0, work only.
Unfortunately, I don't speak English - I use the translator.
In the future, I will ask someone around me who knows English well and will post it on Prime.
I am afraid to do it so that there are no mistakes - I am a responsible person.

 

[Bram]

I'm not sure what you are expecting from the Canadian's members...there are only a few of us that post on Prime these days.

Good luck.

Bram

 

[Old Guy]

I am aware of where the DRL module would be - if my car had one. I am also aware of the interior parts that have to be removed to access that location. If this were a matter of opening the hood, popping off a cover and taking a picture I (and probably others) would be happy to oblige. Taking the glove box out is slightly more risky (I have done it) because you always risk breaking the little plastic mounting tabs - particularly now that temperatures have dropped and the plastic will be hard and brittle. Removal of the interior panels allows you to see where the module is located. Getting your hands in there to unplug and unscrew the module involves a lot more work.

I understand that it would be nice to have an original Honda designed installation. I would have thought that Honda would have designed one wiring harness for all markets and just left some plugs unused; but, as Bram notes they didn't. The US market car does not have any of the connectors for a DRL system. If you install the Honda DRL module in the location next to the ABS you are going to have to run wires from the front compartment into the interior and that is not easy to do in a way that is reliable and looks good. A DRL installation that keeps all the wiring in the front compartment will be much easier to do and if you use Honda style plugs (cycleterminal.com can supply these), non split high temperature wire loom covers and Honda cable retainers you can make the installation look like it cam from Honda.

In this particular case, a less than perfect solution is probably the better solution.

 

[Kozuchowski]

Hi Old Guy,

Your first answer was very to the point. The second answer too.
I can see you want to help me.
It is also possible to: You could contact Southview Acura and inquire about the availability of 38260-SL0-A01.
Unfortunately they don't ship to Europe.
I am happy to pay all the cost if you could buy on my behalf. Of course, I will pay the prepayment


Post Scriptum.I don't have to go going to have to run wires from the front compartment into the interior. And cut the covers of wires. As Bram mentioned, I can do hack it.

 

[Old Guy]

Southview is about 800 km from where I live; but, I do have a local Acura dealer I can check with. What is the model year of your car. I will pay a visit to the parts department to see if the part is still available and what the price is. If it is available, I expect that it will probably be on critical back order. I tried to order a part that was on critical back order last summer and the expected delivery was 6 months later.

Amayama does not list the part so it appears that JDM vehicles did not use DRLs. Do none of the European market cars come equipped with DRLs? I thought the Scandinavian countries required DRLs. If so, it might be cheaper to try and get the part from A. S. Motorsport in Netherlands.

 

[Honcho]

Southview is about 800 km from where I live; but, I do have a local Acura dealer I can check with. What is the model year of your car. I will pay a visit to the parts department to see if the part is still available and what the price is. If it is available, I expect that it will probably be on critical back order. I tried to order a part that was on critical back order last summer and the expected delivery was 6 months later.

Amayama does not list the part so it appears that JDM vehicles did not use DRLs. Do none of the European market cars come equipped with DRLs? I thought the Scandinavian countries required DRLs. If so, it might be cheaper to try and get the part from A. S. Motorsport in Netherlands.

I'm starting to look into this myself. I can confirm that the US cars have the DRL plugs on the front bumper wire harness, but I do not know how far back they go into the passenger compartment or where those wires terminate.

For safety and visibility reasons, I'd like to mount two thin LED strips in the A/C scoops that function as DRL. Since the car already has the plugs, I was hoping to use the factory DRL wiring. But, it's a bummer the DRL module is not present. I have to consult the ETM, but it has to be possible to power the lights through switched ignition power and using the factory plugs...

 

[Old Guy]

This is the harness wiring diagram for the connection to the actual lights - according to the 1992 Electrical Trouble Shooting Manual.



According to the ETM the harness terminates at C246 which is located under the right side kick panel



If you find your car is populated with a connector in position 12 (yel/blk) in C246 then the car does have the wiring for the DRLs. The wiring to the lights also pops out at C251 pin 3 at relay box B. However, depending on how far your car is along in the assembly phase, it's probably easier to check under the kick panel than fiddle with the relay box B if it is already mounted.

I suspect what may be missing from cars which were not equipped with DRLs is the wiring from C246 to C456 (which plugs into the DRL control unit. If C246 pin 12 does not match up with anything then there is not much point in chasing 38260-SL0-A01 since there is nothing to plug it into. If C246 pin 12 is populated on both sides of the connector, then you may indeed have the C456 and C457 connectors that go to the control module.

The DRL module is a relatively simple control device. It requires 3 inputs
- ignition on
- parking brake status
- headlight status

If you can't source an original 38260-SL0-A01, it would be cheap and easy to replicate the control logic for the module. The other option is that later Honda / Acura models are equipped with DRLs and have 38260-xxx-xxx DRL control modules. You could check; but, they probably have the same control logic; however, they likely are not plug compatible.

When my US spec NSX was imported into Canada by its previous owner, it was equipped with a rudimentary DRL system. It was separately fused and relay switched so it was electrically well done. The design was always on (no parking brake or headlight input). However, they cheaped out and used the parking lights as the DRLs through a diode Or circuit which resulted in rather dim DRLs. I installed some LEDs in the condenser openings and when I wired this stuff up I added plugs to facilitate maintenance. While I was poking around in there I did not notice any connectors for the factory DRLs (granted I did not have the bumper cover off). Are the connectors wrapped up tight in the wiring harness or easily visible?

If the interior does not have the C246 - C456 harness connection for the DRL module, I would not bother with trying to utilize the C246 connection - at least in an assembled car. I would be more inclined to de pin terminal #3 in C251 and use it as a supply to the connectors in the front. You could then confine your wiring modifications to the front hood area.

 

[Honcho]

Here's the plug on my USDM 92. You can see that Honda tapes it to the main harness on the US cars to keep it from dangling down into the turn signal cavity. Just cut the tape and you can run the plugs down to the A/C ducts. Unfortunately, the bumper has to come off, so this will probably be a Summer 2023 project.

The parking brake switch also terminates at the TCS computer plug, so I might be able to use that with a relay to wire up the lights at C246 and have the same functionality as OEM...

 

[warrenw]

I have done over a dozen of DRL conversions of US cars for Canada. The module will not be in the car if it is a US car. You just need to feed a wire from fuse #3 in the cabin to each DRL. Don't bother with the factory harness or DRL module

 

[Old Guy]

Here's the plug on my USDM 92. You can see that Honda tapes it to the main harness on the US cars to keep it from dangling down into the turn signal cavity. Just cut the tape and you can run the plugs down to the A/C ducts. Unfortunately, the bumper has to come off, so this will probably be a Summer 2023 project.

Looks like I am sticking with my 'aftermarket' DRL wire harness because bumper removal isn't in the workplan.

As an observation, I would not get particularly excited about the parking brake input to the DRL system. If aesthetics are more important I would go for the headlight input. The color temperature of my LED DRLs is somewhere above 5000 K. My headlights are more or less conventional halogen. With the headlights on, the color mismatch between the headlights and the DRLs looks a little odd. You can either switch the DRLs off with a headlight input or find headlight bulbs with a better color match.

 

[warrenw]

Here is what you need. I did this years ago, as the DRL module is not available and if found very expensive. Pull the bulbs out of your park lamps and wire as per this diagram. The bulb sockets can be found at Canadian Tire and Napa Auto Parts.

 

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

Not sure this is the same for the DRL blue connector but for the OEM Fog light, you can access the connector without removing the front bumper.

Just remove the head light unit.

Kaz

 

[Honcho]

Not sure this is the same for the DRL blue connector but for the OEM Fog light, you can access the connector without removing the front bumper.

Just remove the head light unit.

Kaz

Kaz may have inadvertently explained why the blue plugs are there on all NSXs (although maybe not the NSX-R?)- they are dual use: for fog lights or DRL.

Also, Kaz, I am trying to duplicate the DRLs you have on your NSX. They look like LED tape light. Very understated and I think they look perfect- where did you get them and how did you wire them up?

 

[Old Guy]

This is what I did for my car.



The DRLs mimic (but are definitely not the same as) the Audi A6 design from the early 2000s.

Audi A6 Q7 Style 9-LED LED Daytime Running Lights, Universal Fit For Any Car | eBay

Directly compatible with 2005-2008 A6 or S6 before FACELIFT, also universal fit for most car/SUV/trcuk on the lower bumper area. We are located in Los Angeles, California, and carry the most complete LED lights and accessories for all the cars and trucks.

www.ebay.com

You have to get creative with fabricating mounting brackets and you need to trim the clear plastic a bit to fit properly. Not the highest quality. I had to seal the housing to improve their water resistance and if a rock ever hit them they would be toast. However, they have survived since 2011. Their primary advantage is that they have a light curve to them which is very close to the curve of the bumper so they sort of look like they belong. All the straight ones that I looked at definitely looked like a retrofit.

These might be an option. Higher price so perhaps higher quality? The only problem may be that they may be too long to fit in the condenser inlet opening. Need to find an Audi 2007 Q7 to measure the grill opening

Xenon White LED Daytime Running Lights For 2007-2009 Audi Q7 w/ Amber LED Turn Signals, OEM Fit LED DRL Assembly Kit

iJDMTOY Xenon White LED Daytime Running Lights For 2007-2009 Audi Q7 w/ Amber LED Turn Signals, OEM Fit LED DRL Assy Powered by (11) White LED as DRL & (11) Amber LED as Turn Signals

store.ijdmtoy.com

 

[Honcho]

Here are Kaz's. I love the solid bar look.

 

[The King]

I got a set of leds from Euro Boutique years ago. They stick on also, and seem to me to be of good quality. Check out their website.

 

[jonmonkey20]

So I recently purchased a set of Magna Instruments LED DRLs to replace my OEM turn lights. I followed the included instructions which should have resulted in DRLs with headlights off. The instructions said to pin a wire from the LED unit and connect it to the unused Pink wire in the connector for the headlight unit. This I believe ilwas to power the DRL functionality. I stopped at step 6 which would have required wires and connectors that were not included. These later steps were, per the instructions to provide sequential features for the turn signals.

When finished I have no DRL functionality but do get a sequential effect when the turn signal or the hazards are in.

Not sure what went wrong or what I am missing on this installation. Not sure if what Warrenw mentioned would resolve this or not.

 

[Kozuchowski]

Ultimately, I decided to buy a Mitsuba RZ-0138 relay. I determined that the blue plug (YEL/BLK cable) goes through the firewall to the interior. At least, that's something.