So my well used Mini came with "dealer installed" fog lights [correction; "aux. driving lights"] . I think they assigned this job to the same guy that washes the cars.

Pelican Parts has a very detailed post on the installation of the factory fog light kit and my installation looks nothing like that. As this installation involves taking a bunch of stuff apart, [including the radio!] my gut feeling is the dealer, [or at least this particular mechanic] found a quicker way to do the installation. After all, time is money. But still, wires cut too short and twisted and taped together, etc.. Really?

My original fog lights were completely rusted out, [the chrome buckets] and I took them and the brackets off and threw them in a box. As I actually remember when an original Mini won the 1968 Monte Carlo Rally, I was looking at some old vids and photos and they were not shy about aux. fog lights so what the heck? I got a set of amber Hella 500 which were a little bigger than the OEM.

Anyway, after hooking them up I realized they only came on with the high beams which is really stupid.[Correction; fine for "Aux. driving lights-not so much for actual Fog Lights] When really driving in the fog the last thing you want is all the white high beam reflecting as much white light back at you as possible.

I have a really thin green and yellow wire quickie crimped to one of the wires going into the drivers side headlight bucket. {the pelican instructions have that wire going to a completely different place]
My gut feeling is this goes to the relay to say there's current which allows the fog lights to come on when that portion [light] of the headlights is getting current.

What I would really like to do is to be able to have the fog lights come on with the low beams, [or no beams] Like the first switch setting.
I have the felling that moving the yellow/grn wire to one of the other headlight wires would accomplish this. The question is which one?
I have the Bentley shop manual and looked at the wiring diagrams and couldn't makes heads or tails out of it. It doesn't even look like a wiring diagram to me.

Anyway, am I on the right track with the little grn./yel wire and the relay?
And it so, which headlight wire is low beam, [or no beam]? I had actually though about running the wire to a constant positive so they would come on "whenever". Think that would work?

robj

See below;



Well this was "supposed" to be a photo of the tiny Green and Yellow wire crimped to the the other green and yellow wire,[I think] at the headlight connector Could that wire go to a constant 12v. so it would tell the relay the lights can come on whenever? Better photo tomorrow...


Would really light the fogs to come on here. [I'm still trying to get a grip on what lights come on when...



I thought they were a little big as well. Go big or go home I guess. Look at early rally cars. They were def. not shy with lights... But coming on with high beams pretty much defeats the purpose of fog lights. I ordered some black covers just to "tone it down" a little.



Hard to get a good "on" photo. The phone was not liking it.

 

Those are the aux driving lights, not fog lights. They are designed to only come on with the high beams, and the factory install should include a switch that is usually mounted on the panel below the steering wheel. You really don’t want the driving lights on in the fog. They’re too bright. The front fogs are mounted low in the bumper, and they should only come on with the low beams. The fog light switch is in the bank of toggles on the center console.

 

Thanks,
I get that but I replaced the "aux. driving llights" with actual yellow "fog lights" which I would need to come on with the low beams, not high beams. It does have the factory switch mounted in the panel to the lower left of the steering wheel and it is the same switch that comes with the Aux. Driving Light kit.

Any thoughts about moving the thin yellow and green wire to a different headlight wire to change when the lights are "allowed" to come on?

rob

 

IIRC, the green/yellow is the high beam signal, which is probably powering the relay.
So yes, moving it to the low beam wire (or any wire that is hot when ignition is on) would get them working the way you want.
Best way to check is to use a multimeter probe and see which is hot when the low beams are on.

 

Well, you seemed pretty confused to me from the way you wrote it, especially since you deleted some useful lights and added a redundant set. Sorry I seem to have misunderstood. I can check the Bentley later when I have access to it. I don’t have a great memory for wire colors.

 

I've installed a few GEN1 factory kits ... and some aftermarket (simple) sets ..... some observations and opinion/recommendations

1. The factory wiring for the driving/aux lights is quite complicated to be 50 state legal. Not only are they wired to only come on with high beam but the system 'disables' when the ignition is turned off and must be reset/re-enabled the next time the car is started. Start by reviewing the wiring diagrams of the factory setup .... https://www.minimania.com/pdfile/NMA3030_INSTR.zip

{note: the 'aux driving light relay' is not a simple relay but one with 7 connections, and the 'on/off switch' not a simple two pole, but has FOUR connections. They are busy lil beasts and I'm NOT a fan!}

2. You are correct that the wire into the BCM is the high beam trigger which ties into a relay to allow function only with high beams. Moving this to an always hot (switched) will allow you to run the lights 'any time' but you still have the reset nonsense.

3. Sounds like you'd like 'simple control' so I'd just rewire with a relay and a simple on/off switch - remove all the factory kit wiring and use a simple kit from AutoZone (around $20 ... or less in parts)
This is all you REALLY need: a simple aux light relay for around $5 and a two pole switch ... a lil wire and an inline fuse holder .. couple of crimp on connectors and we're good to go .... I have most of this in the garage already


4. BUT ... what state???? Some states with 'inspections' may poo-poo such wiring as illegal ..... check your local rules.

 

Considering this was an electrical question [with a Mini] the solution was quite simple. I moved the small yel./grn wire to a constant 12v at the fuse box and now the lights can be activated when any lights are on.

Thanks so much to everyone for their help!
robj



Headlight plug. Looking at the instructions for the Aux.Driving Lights this looks like a shortcut the dealer, [or maybe the flat rate mechanic] figured out.



Constant 12v. at the fuse box.

 

Somebody beat me to it, but if I’ve read the wiring diagram correctly, that wire at the headlight is the same one the factory install instructions say to tie into at the body control module. It would save having to pull the glovebox and the passenger side trim.

Glad you got it figured out.

 

Robj
I have essentially the same set-up.
What you've got there are long-range driving lights with a yellow tint. They are too high & the wrong beam pattern to be any use in fog.
If you want to use them independently, move the 12V hot connection from the fuse box to a parking light wire (which I think is what you intended judging by your photo of the stalk) or to an ignition-switched wire otherwise, you may accidentally leave them on when everything else is switched off.

 

These are a somewhat new product from Hella. The yellow lens does act as a "fog light" but with a longer beam, sort of a combination Fog/Driving. [it's all about how the rods and cones in your eyes react to different colored light.]
These are similar to cars in Europe that have yellow headlights. which is what I was looking for. I live in the country and leave my shop late at night on many occasions. What we have around here is a thin misty sort of fog, not the thick white stuff.
If I were in pea soup, can't see your hand in front of your face type fog, I would be going really slow and I would probably just use the OEM Mini fog lights.

And to be honest, with what these look like on, if I acceidently leave them on I probably should not have been driving in the first place and deserve a dead battery for punishment!

rob

 

Robj
Hyperflashing - I think you've got a loose bulb. I'm guessing it flashes a few times, heats up & the contacts loosen. Just clean the bulbs & sockets - maybe pry the contacts up a bit for a tighter fit. There are many cases of rear light units 'melting' because of this.
Rear red fog light - that's a very safe & desirable option to have to reduce the chances of being rear-ended in fog or falling snow. I'd leave it alone. Your reversing lights should be in the rear light clusters.