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AMBERS 101 - ATTENTION NEWBIES - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AMBERS

In a stock setup your DRLs aren't going to be on with the headlights, low or high beam, so that is why yours aren't turning on.  Try turning your headlights off manually to see if the DRLs come on.  If they do then the DRL circuitry is working.  Whether or not they do it sounds like you've got an issue with the light sensor that triggers the headlights to come on.  Does it appear to be in good shape?  Is anything covering it?  Do you by chance have a heavily tinted windshield?
 
As it turns out, I was wrong, the low-beams are not on with DRLs. It must have been to dark so the low-beams kicked on.
I was just trouble shooting everything. Pulled the fuse and it was good. Started the truck, applied PB and put it in neutral. Pulled drivers side DRL, put in old bulb, it worked. Pulled it back out and put in the LED and it worked. I think I didn't have it plugged in far enough. Did the same for passenger side. Regular bulb worked, but LED didn't. Looks like something is broken with LED circuit. Just so it didn't look weird with one amber LED and one white bulb, I put both white bulbs back in for now.
Maybe I will just go get some regular amber bulbs. I was wanting to switch everything over to LED as bulbs needed to be replaced.
Thanks for everyone's help.
I'm also thinking about following the instructions above and doing the FTDRL and All-on-High. I like lots of light. I also turn on my fog lights 95% of the time at night.
 
bowtie4life said:
As it turns out, I was wrong, the low-beams are not on with DRLs. It must have been to dark so the low-beams kicked on.
I was just trouble shooting everything. Pulled the fuse and it was good. Started the truck, applied PB and put it in neutral. Pulled drivers side DRL, put in old bulb, it worked. Pulled it back out and put in the LED and it worked. I think I didn't have it plugged in far enough. Did the same for passenger side. Regular bulb worked, but LED didn't. Looks like something is broken with LED circuit. Just so it didn't look weird with one amber LED and one white bulb, I put both white bulbs back in for now.
Maybe I will just go get some regular amber bulbs. I was wanting to switch everything over to LED as bulbs needed to be replaced.
Thanks for everyone's help.
I'm also thinking about following the instructions above and doing the FTDRL and All-on-High. I like lots of light. I also turn on my fog lights 95% of the time at night.
My Amber led's barley lasted 3 months and they were losing bulbs and just stopped working all together
 
Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully I have better results.
All my emergency lights for the fire dept are LED and have lasted several years. As I install more emergency lights and other mods, I want to reduce the amount of draw on the battery by using LEDs as much as possible.
 
Try turning the LED 180 degree most of them have to be put in a certain way.

PS mine did not last very long either.
 
I received the replacement LED, but haven't felt like changing them out in the arctic freeze we have been having in NE Pennsylvania.  Hopefully it warms up a bit soon, but doesn't look like it.
 
I got my first mod done on the Avy. I was able to remove the 10mm bolts across and the grill and on the lights and reach my arm behind the grill in order to reach them. I kind of felt like Stretch Armstrong. It took long than I thought but less than an hour to do both sides. The hardest part was re-installation because I didn't remember which way the bulb went in. Which is a problem when you are doing it by touch.
 
Well I finally got around to putting the new LEDs in and was willing to lay on the very cold ground. Both LEDs work but now I have another problem. Looks like the socket on the drivers side has a loose wire, so now it looks like I will be buying a replacement socket and splicing it in. If not one thing it's another.  :E:
 
bowtie4life said:
Well I finally got around to putting the new LEDs in and was willing to lay on the very cold ground. Both LEDs work but now I have another problem. Looks like the socket on the drivers side has a loose wire, so now it looks like I will be buying a replacement socket and splicing it in. If not one thing it's another.  :E:
hey careful! I was cussing that and then my tranny went out so its not that bad  (y) still a pain though good luck!
 
I put Sylvania 3157/4157NALL in the day I bought my new cladded AV in June 2004, did the full time DRL mod in 2007. 

I replaced the left DRL today, I used the other bulb last winter for the right parking lamp. I guess I better get a new pack for  the opposite two corners then I'll be good to go for another ten years.  :B: 
 
I still had the 4157a st silver stars but they are hard to find since they have been discontinued, next set Chrome/amber bulbs


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Mother effer! What an insanely painful process to change/replace the DRLs. I swapped out mine for amber LEDs because one of mine went out. What a PIA!
 
montoya32 said:
Mother effer! What an insanely painful process to change/replace the DRLs. I swapped out mine for amber LEDs because one of mine went out. What a PIA!

:laugh: At least you got them in.  (y)
 
Got mine in today... Wasn't as bad as I expected on the 2nd Gen... just took out the top grill bolts and got my arm down and in there... was interesting working blind but got em in pretty quick.

 
ChevyGuyNC said:
Got mine in today... Wasn't as bad as I expected on the 2nd Gen... just took out the top grill bolts and got my arm down and in there... was interesting working blind but got em in pretty quick.


MOD #1  >:D
 
Tried this mod tonight and couldn't get the headlights out of my wbh, darn grill guard lol. When I gave more time I'm going to move it out of the way and spruce up those lower lights, get those rock chips removed. At least now I don't have to wonder why those bulbs weren't working...
 
Pontgtodad said:
Ambers installed.  Bit of a pain but first Mod down many more to come.

If you get the chance, check and see if the inner mesh part of your lower grill is removable. On my 2013, I can firmly pull the grill mesh out of the lower part, loosen up the bolts on the top of the light and stick your hand in behind and replace the bulb!

So much easier, but i don't know how far back in years the grill is removable.
 
Put in my ambers yesterday!  Easy-peasy on a 2005!  I can't do the full-time DRLs in VA if I want to use my fog lights with my headlights.  "Legally", you can only have 4 lights on facing forward.  I had the wife start the truck and put it in drive...I also told her to put her foot on the brake  :D.  They look great!
 
jmcclung11 said:
Put in my ambers yesterday!  Easy-peasy on a 2005!  I can't do the full-time DRLs in VA if I want to use my fog lights with my headlights.  "Legally", you can only have 4 lights on facing forward.  I had the wife start the truck and put it in drive...I also told her to put her foot on the brake  :D.  They look great!

But you can do the all 4 on HIGH mod. I did that years ago, pass Virginia inspection every time. No different than when back in the 80s/90s, most cars would have both low and high beams running when on HIGH.

Check out this thread for the all 4 on HIGH mod:
http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,60928.0.html
 
I just replaced my headlight assemblies on my 08 and noticed that the "new" assemblies, all four headlights are illuminated on HIGH...moved over Amber DRLs as well, to keep this thread related.  :D
 
Dalefan said:
But you can do the all 4 on HIGH mod. I did that years ago, pass Virginia inspection every time. No different than when back in the 80s/90s, most cars would have both low and high beams running when on HIGH.

Check out this thread for the all 4 on HIGH mod:
http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,60928.0.html

Why yes!  I didn't think of that one.  Thanks for the thread!  Edit:  After thinking about this one some more....isn't in illegal in VA to have fog lights on and high beams?  I don't want to fail inspection.  I could always put the DRLs on with the high beams, I think that would be ok.
 
Like with many inspections it depends on the "by the book" or relaxed inspection of the inspector..
In Virginia here is the code section they are supposed to use during proper inspections:

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+reg+19VAC30-70-160


Here is a link for Va. State Police and inspection manual info:

http://www.vsp.state.va.us/Safety.shtm
 
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