93 Previa DRL not working

First off I live in Manitoba Canada.

I was recently given a 93 Previa, before taking it to get safety inspection I thought I would check a few things that would cause it to fail.

Lights:

• Rear – I had a couple of bulbs and wiring issues in the back that have been fixed
• Front – head lights (high and low)/side marker/blinkers all work
• My remaining issue with the lights is the DRL (daytime running lights), which are mandatory in Manitoba. This is where I have some questions.

The history of the vehicle seems to be in question, the person who gave me the van said it can from BC. When I call the Dealer and give the VIN they say it came from the US, but the speedometer had KM’s as the bigger number which usually means it is from Canada. While trying to find a relay I was directed to remove the instrument cluster which has ’92 Previa’ written on it in black marker. After talking to a Toyota service manager I found out that the units are cluster dependant, ie. if the instrument cluster was switched from a US cluster to a Cdn cluster the units would change from miles to KM’s.

This would seem to match the fuse/circuit breaker panel in the vehicle as it relates to DRL’s according to the manual:
Page 45 of the manual under headlight says:
“Daytime running lights system (Canada only) – The headlights (half illumination) and parking, tail, license plate and side marker lights turn on under daytime timing light system. To turn them on, release the parking brake with the engine started. They will not go off until the ignition is switched off.
- First click stop – only the parking side marker, tail, license plate and instrument panel lights turn on
- Second click stop – the headlights also turn on”

If I compare the fuse/circuit breaker panel diagram to what is in the manual for headlights it matches the US version.
While checking all of the lights I noticed that with the van running and the lights off the headlights were on but very dim, then when I turned on the headlights they when brighter and brighter again when I turned on the bright’s… good the head lights work DRL, low beam, and high beam.
Problem - the manual says that the DRL’s are only in Canada.

• Does anyone know of any other way the headlights would have been on at half illumination?
• Does anyone know of any way to get DRL’s working on the van. In Canada we only need the headlights for DRL. I would prefer to the tail lights as well but I don’t need them.

Here is a link to a thread I have in another forum
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/85...t-working.html

Since we don't have DRL requirements here in the US, this is something I am unfamiliar with. Hopefully someone with a Previa from Canada will chime in. Good luck. Tim

my Canadian 93 has DRLs... ALL lights are on at all times, the headlights are at reduced intensity in DRL mode 94+ it changed, headlights on only there's 2 DRL modules, both located under the dashboard, behind the driver's side knee panel

I'm afraid the only way you're going to easily fix your problem is to install an aftermarket module to get DRLs

look on your VIN sticker in the driver side door jamb, it will have a model code next to the VIN and color code... that will determine for sure if you have a US or Canadian version mine says TCR10L-RFSGKK, a Canadian RWD LE automatic with 7 seats... it should either be that or TCR10L-RFSDKK which is a base model auto RWD... or TCL10L-REMDKK which is RWD manual there's 4WD ones also, and those start with TCR20L

I never did figure out my problem with the DRL's. We don't drive the vehicle often, we just manually turn the lights on and off (hopefully). Then the other day I noticed that when I turned the vehicle off the light were still on then when I opened the door they turned off. I had not turned the light switch off. This has been working for the last 2 days. I know this does not always work as I have had to boost it on a number of occasions from leaving the lights on. I have to make a note of checking the lights when ever I leave the vehicle.

I put a new battery in shortly after getting the vehicle.

Would this be a bad relay? fuse? or a wiring problem?

If it's the opening of the door that is turning the lights off now. Could this be a door switch that is not working properly? I remember seeing plunger switches on old cars that controlled the interior light, but I can't seem to find anything like that on the Previa.

Thanks,
Jerry

all Previas had this feature... you can leave the lights on and shut off the engine.. then once you open the door, it's supposed to turn the lights off... this has been a feature for many 90s Toyotas... US versions had this and so did Canadian.... so yes, it's totally dependent on the courtesy switch... those things do wear out and go bad after many years.. I replaced all of mine a few years ago... the hardest one to do is the driver's side and the sliding door one