Headlights/Auto Off Question

[furiousfuria]

My 2014 ST did the same thing. My mustang does not. You may be able to change the As-Built information. But that will be a new adventure for you

So maybe it was a change they made between the 2013 and 2014 models if yours did it too. Well no big deal our Mustangs don't have it, just a feature I really liked

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[TexasRebel]

Maybe not in 2015, but in 2016, page 57 of the manual...

Battery Saver
If you leave on the courtesy lamps, dome
lamps or headlamps, the battery saver
turns them off 10 minutes after you switch
off the ignition.

 

[jstump2490]

So maybe it was a change they made between the 2013 and 2014 models if yours did it too. Well no big deal our Mustangs don't have it, just a feature I really liked

You are gonna love me, I found exactly what you want to do and think I may be the first one to figure it out haha. You need an ELM adapter and ForScan for your computer but you can change the DRL using this software(which is free). I just completely disabled my fog light DRLs but there were several different options in the configuration.

 

[furiousfuria]

You are gonna love me, I found exactly what you want to do and think I may be the first one to figure it out haha. You need an ELM adapter and ForScan for your computer but you can change the DRL using this software(which is free). I just completely disabled my fog light DRLs but there were several different options in the configuration.

Dude no way!! You actually confirmed this worked? Any crazy things like a voided warranty if I try this?

 

[jstump2490]

Dude no way!! You actually confirmed this worked? Any crazy things like a voided warranty if I try this?

Well the only testing I did was changed the setting from Front Fog Lights to none and released the handbrake which resulted in no lights coming on so I am assuming it will work on the all the rest of the settings. As for voided warranty, I don't think this can be detected because it would be like if Ford did this with an IDS tool.

 

[jstump2490]

DAMN, I should have tested before I spoke. Changing the setting to anything other than Fogs and none results in an "Incompatible configuration" error and fails to write. Sorry to get your hopes up :(

 

[JohnDoe]

Turn the knob all the way to the right to turn on auto lights. If you are talking about the light shutoff delay when you turn off the car, that is located in the driver menu under vehicle I believe under lighting. Set the lamp delay to 0 if you want them to shut off imminently.

SO THAT'S WHAT LAMP DELAY IS! I have always thought it meant delay for auto headlights to turn ON, lol.

What are the pro's and con's of having your headlights on after walking away from your vehicle? I'm afraid people might think it's still on or I left my car unattended, drawing unwanted attention.

 

[jstump2490]

SO THAT'S WHAT LAMP DELAY IS! I have always thought it meant delay for auto headlights to turn ON, lol.

What are the pro's and con's of having your headlights on after walking away from your vehicle? I'm afraid people might think it's still on or I left my car unattended, drawing unwanted attention.

I use it for security. I set mine to 120 seconds which is enough time to get to the house and unlock the door at night using the headlights to see.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I wouldn't rate unwanted attention as a very serious concern, but the continued use in short-hop evening driving will constitute additional drain on the battery and demand higher charging rates out of the alternator. Keep in mind that alternators are starting to come with clutch-style pulleys and do not charge the whole time that the engine is running. I can't tell you for sure that the S550 uses this tiny mpg-improver, but it wouldn't surprise me if they either do now or will later.

A motion-detector front light for the house would make more sense.


My daughter insists on using a similar headlights on with the engine off technology. A 2013, not a Ford product, but they've had to replace the alternator at least once already.


Norm

 

[jstump2490]

I wouldn't rate unwanted attention as a very serious concern, but the continued use in short-hop evening driving will constitute additional drain on the battery and demand higher charging rates out of the alternator. Keep in mind that alternators are starting to come with clutch-style pulleys and do not charge the whole time that the engine is running. I can't tell you for sure that the S550 uses this tiny mpg-improver, but it wouldn't surprise me if they either do now or will later.

A motion-detector front light for the house would make more sense.


My daughter insists on using a similar headlights on with the engine off technology. A 2013, not a Ford product, but they've had to replace the alternator at least once already.


Norm

HID's actually use far less energy than conventional halogen lights so I wouldn't be too concerned for the couple minutes they stay on. It is the initial start up that requires a huge draw of power to ignite the lights, but once they are on, they use less than half the energy a halogen bulb would.

 

[TexasRebel]

I wouldn't rate unwanted attention as a very serious concern, but the continued use in short-hop evening driving will constitute additional drain on the battery and demand higher charging rates out of the alternator. Keep in mind that alternators are starting to come with clutch-style pulleys and do not charge the whole time that the engine is running. I can't tell you for sure that the S550 uses this tiny mpg-improver, but it wouldn't surprise me if they either do now or will later.

A motion-detector front light for the house would make more sense.


My daughter insists on using a similar headlights on with the engine off technology. A 2013, not a Ford product, but they've had to replace the alternator at least once already.


Norm

Any pictures or part numbers for these alternators? Seems like the voltage regulator feeding the field coil already takes care of this...:shrug:

no field voltage, no load.

 

[furiousfuria]

DAMN, I should have tested before I spoke. Changing the setting to anything other than Fogs and none results in an "Incomparable configuration" error and fails to write. Sorry to get your hopes up :(

Haha damnit glad I didn't order the dongle yet, thanks for testing it out though! At least it seemed like we got a little closer to an answer

 

[FIVE_LITER]

Not sure about these cars but on the 09-14 f150s people would put the auto headlights switch in trucks that didn't come equipped with them but didn't put the sensor in andwith the switch in the auto position the lights turned on and off when turning the trucks on or off. So you could try and unplug the sensor on your dash and see if that will give you the results you want.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Any pictures or part numbers for these alternators? Seems like the voltage regulator feeding the field coil already takes care of this...:shrug:

All I know is that this approach to cutting out the alternator is in use by at least some of the OEM's. In addition to the direct effects on the charging system, there are downstream consequences on the drive belt, and the momentary effect on crankshaft rotation can even be mis-identified as a misfire.

Whether the S550 uses this or not, it just sounds like a bad habit to get into, to run any more electrical load than necessary when the engine is off.


Norm

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