RE: light trick

["Buchholz, Steven" <Steven.Buchholz@kla-tencor.com>]

> I think if you take the ground wire off the corner socket, and connect it 
> to the positive wire from the turn signal socket, the result will be that 
> the corner light will come on with the parking lights, come on with the 
> turn signals, and turn off when both are lit.
> 
> This is how boy-racer Honda drivers hook(ed) up their side marker lights.
> 
> I guess it works because the bulb grounds through the filaments of the 
> other bulbs, except with both leads are energized positive.  So, it may 
> not work in this application, because the turn signals are left out.
> 
While I would be the last person to consider my self a boy-racer Honda
driver (perhaps boy-racer Audi driver ... :) this is precisely what I have
done for the side marker lights on all my cars.  It will work even if there
are no high power (i.e. low resistance) forward signal bulbs because there
still are high power bulbs in the back.  That said, if you tried to run a
high power marker bulb it probably wouldn't be that bright; and I wouldn't
want to have only the marker bulb's wattage for a front signal.  So the
suggested solution would provide some sort of turn signal, but I wouldn't
choose to have that dim of one myself.  It seems to me that the corner
marker lights on the stock 4kQ headlamp units are large enough to fit a high
wattage, dual filament bulb in there somehow ...

BTW, has anyone seen a yellow tinted single filament high wattage bulb?  I
tried the easy swap on the 5kCSQW of the "city" lights for the turn signals
in the bumper.  I ended up switching them back because I couldn't find a
yellow tinted bulb to provide yellow turn signals ... that and the fact that
putting higher wattage bulbs in the city light sockets does provide a
smidgen better lighting for the road ahead ...

Steve Buchholz
San Jose, CA (USA)