Relocating Chevy Automatic Headlight Sensor

[aggmeister2010]

Hey everyone,

I can't be the only one with this problem.  Vehicle in question is a 2014 Tahoe, but it should apply to all Chevy models 2007+

I have a Whelen Dual Avenger low and center on my dash.  Trouble is, the flashback guard casts a permanent shadow on the Auto Headlight Sensor in the front middle of the dash, which dims my interior lighting so I can't see the readout on the radio or the dash during the day.  If I remove the flashback guard the sensor will get light, but I'll be blinded by the strobes.  

What have y'all done about this?  Can you just pop the sensor out and stick it to the top of the dash light?

 

[JazzDad]

... which dims my interior lighting so I can't see the readout on the radio or the dash during the day. ...

And if it's like the Jazzmobile, all the lights are on all the time, not just the DRLs.

 

[chief1562]

Put a notch in the shield.

Problem solved.

 

[aggmeister2010]

Put a notch in the shield.

Problem solved.

Ehhhhh....The light is mounted 3 inches above the surface of the dash, so that the wiper blades aren't in the way.  Depending on the angle of the sun and driving direction, it would have to be a pretty big notch.......

 

[chief1562]

Ok. As the old saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words.

About a few pictures of said situation?

 

[aggmeister2010]

Ok. As the old saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words.

About a few pictures of said situation?

Fair enough.  I took the thing down this morning until I find a solution because I got tired of not being able to see any read-out on the interior, but I threw up a Dash King real quick to give you an idea of what I'm doing.



You can see how the shadow casts over the sensor dome...even at noon it's covered.  I drive away from the sun in the morning and evening, so it's totally cast in shadow then as well.

My thought is that perhaps when I hardwire that thing into my smart siren, I can just run the sensor wire up with the whelen power Cable and stick the sensor on top of the light. Unless y'all have any better ideas.

 

[Jarred J.]

put a small mirror around it so it throws m ore light at the sensor

 

[Bfat567]

My friend has a 2014 Silverado with a dual talon on the dash with bail brackets. Honestly notch the shield, we have a notch no bigger than the sensor and his functions fine. Then just simply put a piece of rain edge around the cut.

 

[TritonBoulder47]

 If I remove the flashback guard the sensor will get light, but I'll be blinded by the strobes.  

Theres your problem...  You removed the LED heads and replaced them with strobes...  lol

Back on topic...

You could re-locate the sensor, but thats a whole lot of work just to accommodate having a dash light...  Either notch the shield as others suggested, or get 2 single sync avengers and space them around the sensor...  You could also just move the Avenger up more...  I had great success with my Tahoe and my Avalanche with my Dual Talon directly under the RVM...

 

[aggmeister2010]

Theres your problem...  You removed the LED heads and replaced them with strobes...  lol

Back on topic...

You could re-locate the sensor, but thats a whole lot of work just to accommodate having a dash light...  Either notch the shield as others suggested, or get 2 single sync avengers and space them around the sensor...  You could also just move the Avenger up more...  I had great success with my Tahoe and my Avalanche with my Dual Talon directly under the RVM...

I'm going to try notching the shield tomorrow and see how it goes.  I already have an interior bar above the RVM, and I don't want to clutter it up too much. 

 

[ERM]

Can't you just go off center with the light or maybe just a little higher?

 

[TritonBoulder47]

Can't you just go off center with the light or maybe just a little higher?

OFF CENTER?!?!?!  Personally, that would drive my OCD INSANE!!!  LoL

Higher might work, but then you get to the point where you're blocking your view...  

 

[Bfat567]

or get 2 single sync avengers and space them around the sensor

That's an awesome idea.

 

[chief1562]

You could always take some of the aluminum tape used on duck work and surround the sensor with it and it will reflect the light around it.

 

[Carlos SpicyWeiner]

Drill into the bottom of the dashlight so the leds shine light on the sensor

 

[JazzDad]

put a small mirror around it so it throws m ore light at the sensor

Take a hint from the photography or film industry: paint the bottom of the light white.  You'd be surprised how much light will be reflected back to the sensor.  (Yes, the light hitting it doesn't have to be direct.)

 

[Big D]

If you don't mind the idea of disabling the auto headlights......

You could unplug the sensor and install a circuit board type resistor (paperclip style) to fool the system into thinking it's daylight all the time. I just can't remember what the proper ohm reading is for daylight. 

I did this on a 2010 Silverado for my friend and it works perfect.

 

[chief1562]

Big D if you can unplug it from the sensor than you should be able to take the ohm meter to the sensor and see what the ohm reading is at the sensor.

 

[Big D]

Big D if you can unplug it from the sensor than you should be able to take the ohm meter to the sensor and see what the ohm reading is at the sensor.

That's what I did. I just can't remember what the reading was. I seem to remember it being somewhere around 480 ohms, but I could be wrong.