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How To: Turn your bumper lights into running lights

30K views 75 replies 28 participants last post by  Baker 
#1 ·
I've posted this a few times when it comes up, I guess it's time to make it more permanent.



If you wanted to turn the bumper light into only a running light, you would tap into the hot wire of the front bulb on the corner lights and run them down to the bumper lights, replacing the factory wiring there. However, I don't recommend this, since people facing you head on won't see your signals, and it's probably not legal.

The way that I did it, the bumper lights will be on when the parking lights are on, and will still function as turn signals.

Basically, you're gonna swap out the factory 1156 bumper light bulbs for 1157 dual-filament bulbs. Get the corner light bulb sockets from a 92-95 Civic, either from the junkyard or from a Honda dealer. These are designed for 1157 bulbs and will hook right up to the CRX bumper light housings, at least for 90/91 cars.

So once you've got the new sockets and a fresh pair of 1157 bulbs from the parts store, you can put them in. There are 3 wires on the 1157 sockets, and you only have two wires on the stock bumper lights. Ground goes to ground, and you're going to tap into the front bulb of the corner socket for the third wire.

An 1157 bulb, for those uninformed, has a "bright" and a "dim" side. The factory bumper light hot wire goes to the bright side of the 1157. You just have to twist the wires together temporary like to see which is which, before finalizing the connections. The wire you pulled down from the corner lights will go to the dim side of the 1157.

In this way the turn signal circuit is unchanged, and will still be visible over the less bright running light circuit you've added.
 
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#16 ·
Okay, Question.... I don't have any 92' civics laying around to pull parts off of so I called my trusty local honda dealer, now he has the socket for the 92'civic but it has no wire leads coming from it so I assume the cars harness has a plug that plugs into the socket... if this be tha case do the plugs from the crx the same as the plugs from the 92'?????
 
#18 ·
rexy said:
if this be the case do the plugs from the crx fit the same as the plugs from the 92'?
No, you're talking about 2-pin and 3-pin plugs, they don't interchange. Just go to your local junkyard, I'm having a hard time believing that you have no EG Civics in your local yards. Honda literally sold Millions of Civics in the 90s.

MltsAccord said:
j/w if u just splice into the turn signal and run it to the bumper lights, keeping the same bulbs wont it stay on, and then blink when need be?
No, in that case they would only stay on, as there would be constant power. You're also dealing with a "cross the streams" situation with something like that, sending electricity back down the wires in the wrong direction, potentially damaging relays or switches.
 
#19 ·
jfrolang said:
rexy said:
if this be the case do the plugs from the crx fit the same as the plugs from the 92'?
No, you're talking about 2-pin and 3-pin plugs, they don't interchange. Just go to your local junkyard, I'm having a hard time believing that you have no EG Civics in your local yards. Honda literally sold Millions of Civics in the 90s.

MltsAccord said:
j/w if u just splice into the turn signal and run it to the bumper lights, keeping the same bulbs wont it stay on, and then blink when need be?
No, in that case they would only stay on, as there would be constant power. You're also dealing with a "cross the streams" situation with something like that, sending electricity back down the wires in the wrong direction, potentially damaging relays or switches.
believe or not not I don't ,, the only yard I have in this area is crush and go,,, nothing gets sold out of it,, but thanks
wiring is not strong suit, I'll look over it again and will get -r - done...
 
#20 ·
jfrolang said:
rexy said:
if this be the case do the plugs from the crx fit the same as the plugs from the 92'?
No, you're talking about 2-pin and 3-pin plugs, they don't interchange. Just go to your local junkyard, I'm having a hard time believing that you have no EG Civics in your local yards. Honda literally sold Millions of Civics in the 90s.

MltsAccord said:
j/w if u just splice into the turn signal and run it to the bumper lights, keeping the same bulbs wont it stay on, and then blink when need be?
No, in that case they would only stay on, as there would be constant power. You're also dealing with a "cross the streams" situation with something like that, sending electricity back down the wires in the wrong direction, potentially damaging relays or switches.
ahh yea makes sense
 
#21 ·
Ok I have been messing with this for hours, and Ive somehow got it all screwed up. I dont know if its because I spliced my bulb sockets wires and just soldered the wires into the sockets or what. I did this because I had no wire connector to connect the bulbs so I just cut the end of the orginal 2 wire socket, soldered those 2 wires into the new 3 wired socket, then I tapped into the hot wire from the running corner lights. Now here is my problem:

WHEN LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON:

All front lights work including, left and right corners, and left and right bumpers
Right rear signal light is on
Left rear signal is NOT on
On in dash cluster, the Right signal is LIGHTLY lit?

LIGHTS ON, SIGNALS ON:

Left and right, signals all flash fast like bulbs are out or going out
Right corner signal is NOT working
Left corner signal is NOT working

LIGHTS OFF, SIGNALS ON:

Right side all works FINE!
Left side all works BUT BLINKS FAST?

Since I have replaced all corner small bulbs. I do not know what is going on, I especially dont know why my right turn signal on the cluster lights up very dim when I turn the lights on? I have had some problems with my left rear brake light before, sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt. Its like sometimes I just have to finaggle with it to get it to work. Seems like theres a short somewhere but I dont know where? Any help or advice would be GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks!
 
#22 ·
mwile2k5 said:
Ok I have been messing with this for hours, and Ive somehow got it all screwed up. I dont know if its because I spliced my bulb sockets wires and just soldered the wires into the sockets or what. I did this because I had no wire connector to connect the bulbs so I just cut the end of the orginal 2 wire socket, soldered those 2 wires into the new 3 wired socket, then I tapped into the hot wire from the running corner lights. Now here is my problem:

WHEN LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON:

All front lights work including, left and right corners, and left and right bumpers
Right rear signal light is on
Left rear signal is NOT on
On in dash cluster, the Right signal is LIGHTLY lit?

LIGHTS ON, SIGNALS ON:

Left and right, signals all flash fast like bulbs are out or going out
Right corner signal is NOT working
Left corner signal is NOT working

LIGHTS OFF, SIGNALS ON:

Right side all works FINE!
Left side all works BUT BLINKS FAST?

Since I have replaced all corner small bulbs. I do not know what is going on, I especially dont know why my right turn signal on the cluster lights up very dim when I turn the lights on? I have had some problems with my left rear brake light before, sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt. Its like sometimes I just have to finaggle with it to get it to work. Seems like theres a short somewhere but I dont know where? Any help or advice would be GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks!
^
WOW... you need to start over or maybe just quit,, you really need to get the 92-95 sockets and the plug that goes with it ,, I finally found a donar car and now that I have the parts in hand and see what it is this will be a cake job but nice ,,, thanks for a cool write up,, I'll post pics this weekend when I get mine done,,,
 
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