Can someone tell me what this unit is?
It is on the front side of the rad support, drivers side, below the headlight opening.

 

That's the daytime running light module. Most US trucks will not have the module, but instead have a plug cover inplace with jumpers in it, which routes the power to the high beams. The DRL module sends a pulsed voltage to the high beams, to reduce the intensity of the high beams for the daytime running lights.
If that's on your parts truck, take it off and keep it. If you notice other Ford vehicles with dim daytime lights, that unit is the cause. Moisture gets inside and corrodes the circuitboard. I jumpered the bad ciruit and it's as good as new. Ticked off my dad because he went and bought a new one, then I fixed the old one.

 

Hey Shawn...Thanks!
I was under the impression though that the intensity of DRL on any vehicle was always less than when the headlights are actually in the ON position. At least, that has been my observation.
So...are you also saying that the brightness of the high beams will be greater if I bypass that circuit as you did?
I have been pondering installing a relay for the headlights to increase the overall brightness of the headlights.

 

When I say some vehicles have dim DRLs, that's because the circuitry is bad. The bypass wire I show is just to fix the module.
When you turn on your headlights, it turns off the DRL module and the lights operate as low and high.

 

I realize what you are saying, but I find that DRL on any vehicle seem to be somewhat dimmer that when the lights are actually on. Is that not the case? Should the DRL on our trucks be just as bright as when the lights are actually on?
...and last question, just to clarify...So when the lights are turned on, the module does not affect the lights(high or low) in any way? I am just a little confused about what you meant when you said that the module sends pulsed voltage to high beams..reducing brightness. Do you mean to say that the DRL are actually on the high beam filament?..just with reduced voltage

 

That's correct. I should have pointed that out. The pulsed voltage reduces the intensity but being that the highbeams are targeted for distance, you can notice the DRL from a farther distance than you would with the lowbeams. That's just my assumption of the reason they use the highbeam circuit.

 

Thanks Shawn,...that makes sense.
I will do what you did and see what difference it makes in my 94. My DRL are dimmer than normal lights, but again, I believed that this is how they are meant to be.
Will that send full power to the brights though?
I'm just wondering, because even during the day, it can be distracting if someone is tailgating you with their brights on.....more so if you're driving a smaller car.

 

The Aerostar seems to be the worst for very dim DRLs, but it happens to a lot of Fords that use this module.
At night, the DRL will put out close to the same amount of light as the lowbeams, but it's defused because it's on the highbeam circuit. If your DRLs cast an orange glow and are very dim, the module is going bad.
These show how to take the module apart.
Dig out the sealer. There is a small cover that will come off with the sealer.


Remove the 4 screws.


In the small opening, you have to pull out the V shaped spring. This holds the transistors tight against the case to act as a heatsink.


It should then slide out.


When I pulled it out, it was wet inside. I scrubbed it clean with soap and water, them warmed it up with a heatgun to dry it out. The one circuit was noticable rotted away, so I soldered the wire to jump the bad spot. After it was fixed, I sprayed a heavy coating of spray lacquer to seal the board. Put it back together and reseal the case with silicone.

 

Awesome pics!
Many thanks Shawn!
I tried to say thanks, but apparently I've recently given you points and the site says i have to spread the points around, so I'll have to owe you one.

 

Davey, I just recently installed the LMC heavy duty headlight harness on my 94 to see if I could get better results from the Silverstar Ultras I installed. It certainly made my lights brighter. One issue though is that my DRL's are now full strength high beams, so I always put my low beams on when driving.

Maybe there's a way to hook up that module so that the DRL's still work normally?

 

Todd...I remember when you ordered the harness. I was curious to find out if there would be any issues with high beams or the DRL. I like most would love to have brighter lights and the relay is certainly the solution, but there has to be a way to do this mod without creating any other issues
There are those who have made their own relay hookups and I wonder if anyone has addressed that issue.
If I do find a way, I will let you know

 

glad we in the u.s. do not have to deal with this foolishness on our ford trucks.

 

Foolishness?...
It is a safety feature...and works the way it was intended to. It may be an obstacle when we want to modify the headlight system, but that is usually the case when we want to modify anything on our trucks.
Now if you want to talk foolishness....I would have to vote for the rear ABS on these trucks. Meant to be a safety feature, but I'm sure folks here have cursed them on more than one occasion...I know I have.
As for the DRL....I'm sure there are statistics somewhere that show they may prevent accidents.

 

my rear ABS doesnt even work. lol. but it is tricky when im unloaded, and sometimes when i am loaded, to not squeal the tires under hard breaking. does make for fun off roading though...

 

There will always be pros and cons about DRLs. Personally, I feel the pros out weigh the cons. As I recall, several States make it law to turn on lights in construction zones and rainy weather. Might this have to do with the safety factor? For everyone that says they always use the lights when they should be used, there will be 10 people that don't. Having them on all the time takes the stupidity factor out of the equation.
As for modifying the lights with DRLs, it's easy enough on our generation of trucks, but the new trucks are difficult, because the main computer controls them. On my '08 FX2, I want to disable the DRL and auto headlamps while it's running on remote start. I haven't dug into it yet, but I don't think it will be easy.
DRLs would be better accepted if they only came on when the shifter is taken out of the PARK position.