tekstyle

currently not available: Now selling DIY Kits for this mod. $12 shipped for plug and play relay, connectors, and wires. All you need to do is splice the connectors into your grey (lo beam) wire, ignition wire, and then ground a third wire. The kit will come with a DPST relay instead of a SPST relay.



This is a tutorial to disable lo beam when the ignition is off, thus preventing it from flashing when Scion Security or the panic button is triggered. This is absolutely a feature some Scion TC owners wants to have especially if one is running HIDs instead of the standard halogen.

FAQ:
Will this disable both hi and lo beam from flashing? yes
Will this disable my parking lights from flashing? no
Why would I want to do this? if you have HID headlights, you would not want them to flash on and off because this can burn out your HID ballast (more correctly, your HID ignitor).
Is this mod reversible? yes. you have to remove the relay and wires you have added, then reconnect the grey wire you cut.
Will I be able to turn on my headlights with the ignition off? no. Your headlights will not be able to turn on regardless of setting off the alarm if you have your ignition off.
I don't have Scion Security, will this mod be of any benefit? yes. Your panic button does the same thing as your alarm so it will prevent your headlights from flashing when you press the panic button.
so this disables the auto off feature? This mod bypasses the auto off feature. Basically it does the same thing as the auto off feature, in additional to preventing your headlights from flashing with the alarm.
Will the dealership void my warranty for having this mod? If you tell them about it, your electrical warranty would most likely be voided. However, it is not something easily visible and for the most part, they will never find out unless they look hard at the nity grity details. Just my 2 cent, but don't hold me against it.

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR INJURIES WITH THIS MOD. DO AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Lo Beam disable:
Minimum Parts required:
1 wire crimper
1 wire stripper
1 SPST relay (DPST highly recommended if you plan to flash your hi beam with the Security system in the future). The SPST relay has 4 contacts:85, 86, 87, and 30. a 5 contact DPST relay is more versatile, but not necessary for this mod.
6 female spade connectors
3 male spade connectors
1 yellow quick disconnectors ( or in electrical installer termology, "T taps, or quick splices")
1 ring or Y terminal
~3 feet of wires

1) locate the ignition harness. remove the 2 philip screws that hold the steer column cover. You will see them when you turn the steering wheel. Press on the left and right side and pull down to remove the cover. The ignition harness will look like the photo below (mine has a bunch of T taps on it already so it's a little messy):

For 06-08 models, Look for the Blue wire at the ignition harness.
(The member xIxAMxHOLLYWOODx has brought to my attention that on the 05 model, this wire is a different color. I will try to get that information and provide it on here later)

if you don't believe me refer to this diagram:


2) locate the #25 grey wire at the harness and relay box behind the panel that is right below the electric switch for the mirror adjustment:
(#16 and #34 are the (-) wires that supplies power to both LEFT and RIGHT hi beams. To verify, probe this wire with the positive lead of a multimeter and ground the negative lead. Set the multimeter to check for load resistance. turn on your high beam and see if the multimeter reads 0ohm. If so, then the information provided is correct).


Here's a picture of the schematic of what you are actually doing:

3) Cut #25 and strip the ends.
4) crimp a female spade connector to the connector side.
5) crimp a male spade connector to the harness side.
6) cut 2 6" pieces of wire and strip all 4 ends.
7) crimp 2 female spade connector on one wire. crimp 1 male and 1 female spade connector on the other wire.
connect 1 wire to #30 on the relay. connect the other wire to #87 on the relay. Now you will have a male and a female end left. Connect those to the #25 wire.
9) cut 1.5 feet of wire and strip the ends. crimp 1 male and 1 female spade to the ends.
10) Connect the female end to #85 on the relay.
11) T tap the Blue ignition wire that you have located (remember, if you have an 05, it will be a different wire).
12) Connect the male end to the T tap.
13) cut 1 6" piece of wire. Strip the ends. Crimp 1 female spade and a ring or Y terminal on the ends.
14) connect this wire to #86 on the relay. Then ground the other end with your self-tapping screw to a solid metal surface with a drill (Or you can find a ground bolt/screw some where nearby. I personally had no luck in finding a grounding point so i just made my own.)
15)Test to see if everything works. Your headlights both hi and lo should be cut when your ignition is off and connected when it's on. If everything works, Zip-tie your wires in a secure and clean fashion so it's not in the way. I always like things looking nice before i put things back together to save myself from fustration of going in there again at a later date and time.

Caution:
IF by any chance you shorted the Blue ignition wire, the symptoms are no power to gauge cluster, no engine cranking, and Scion security is not powered. Look for the 30A AM2 fuse in the underhood fusebox to the left of the car. Check to see if this fuse is blown and replace it if it is. Do not replace with a higher amperage fuse.

sequel

Great write up.

Can the Scion Security mess up HIDs from flashing it?

Or is this more along the lines of not wanting bright lights flashing all the time?

tC9o9

HID's are not meant to be lit and delit in a matter of seconds, it will kill the ballast real quick, hence why most owners would prefer them not to blink

LovinCali

so this disables the auto off feature?

tChui

just to be clear... this only affects the hi and low beam correct? so when the alarm goes off, will the parking lights still flash?

tekstyle

Parking lights will still flash

tekstyle

This one I don't know because I do not have the car in front of me. But judging from the wiring diagram, I think this mod bypasses the auto off feature. Basically it does the same thing as the auto off feature, in additional to preventing your headlights from flashing with the alarm.

tChui

cool thanks alot. works perfectly. i got the 5 pin relay just in case i wanted to wire the hi beams to the alarm.

Rabid_Lemming

Thanks tek. One question. I've recently had issues using t-taps. Have you ever had issues like this, and would you recommend that I just hardwire them in place (with the exceptions of the relay connections of course.)

tekstyle

nope. sorry man.. i was with a patient earlier and didnt have time to explain. just make sure the clip locks in when u close it. i use a plier and it works great. use the correct size T taps tho because if you use one that is too large, it won't splice into the wire.

TheQuietThings

adding to tech...

tekstyle

thank you!

JaN_MiChAeL_07

man this is kinda confusing hah

dos_techie

Does this apply to the 2008 tC with projector headlights? That's what I have.

tekstyle

yes, I have an 08 too.

dos_techie

I have scion secuirty on my '08 and the low beams do not flash. What does flash is my parking/accent lights. If you feel that I should still do this please explain why. The only mod I have done so far is LED tag lights and dome lights.

BigMURR

now all we need is a way to make only the highbeams engage when you "flick" the high beams, that way I can warn people again for oncoming speed traps.

tekstyle

when you trigger your alarm or hit the panic button, it will.

dos_techie

Hey you were right my low beams do flash. Just got ta few more questions. What gauge size wires are needed and where can I purchase all the need items?

tekstyle

14 or 16 ga wires will do. you can get everything at radioshack tho I go there as a last resort. you can get wires almost anywhere. crimp connectors you can find at OSH, ACE, or even radioshack. it's the relay that you have to look around, but radioshack will carry them tho they are quite expensive there. if you want to shop online, go to partsexpress.com