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Are Riviera headlight switchpods useable on a Reatta?


89RedDarkGrey

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I saw this on eBay...  s-l400.jpg.09d4b5f380fd6913f4921d445809614b.jpg  and wondered if it could be used on my '89? In the Diagnostic Handbook, page #14, it has a calibration for Twilight Sentinel, but Reatta doesn't use that feature (maybe because of popup headlights?) What if that switch was installed, and the BCM was programmed (BS06 & BS07) for Option Content #130

 

diagnostics_book-13.jpg.4e5fad6913b16c57ffb8c5da5d83972f.jpg    Has anyone tried this? Thanks to everyone:)

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The Riviera headlight switch will work on the Reatta. The '88/89 Reatta does not use the twilighy sentinel. The 1990 Reatta switch is a 1990 Reatta only switch. There have been some that did a "work around" to use a Riv switch [1990-1993] with a separate fog light switch. The 1991 Reatta switch is the same as the 1990-1993 Riviera switch. However there is a 1990-93 Riv switch that does not have a twilight sentinel switch so I don't know how well that works. 

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The short answer is NO!   The software IS in the BCM for twilight sentinel but it is not quite that simple.  The mentioned headlight switch with the TW slide is the first needed item and then the wiring from that slide pot into the BCM.  Then a bit of custom hardware to enable the popup doors and headlights to operate needs to be added (a few relays) under the BCM control.  I did investigate doing this exact mod a number of years ago, but it was one of those things that never made it out of mind, into the Reatta.  The Reatta is the ONLY car I have owned since the late 70s that did NOT have Twilight Sentinel so I do miss that little bit of automation.  Understand that this is NOT a plug and play mod!

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6 hours ago, padgett said:

Could hook the TS to the fog lights. Can upgrade the bulbs a bit (cold bulbs are best) and taillights come on with fogs.

Yes, that would be simpler than the headlights.  I run my fog lights full time as running lights and have since the car was new.  I did upgrade the fogs to LEDs once a suitable LED came to market as I had replaced fog light bulbs so many times of the years that I long ago lost count. 

 

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Well if you have the Factory Service Manual, the wiring is in section 8A-100 (headlights) and 101 (TS). You are going to have to mix and match the output (looks like you need to add relays F and G) but the input should be plug and pray once you change the option mix.

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21 hours ago, drtidmore said:

Yes, that would be simpler than the headlights.  I run my fog lights full time as running lights and have since the car was new.  I did upgrade the fogs to LEDs once a suitable LED came to market as I had replaced fog light bulbs so many times of the years that I long ago lost count. 

 

Do you turn the fog lights on every time you get in the car? (to use them as daytime running lights). It seems to me that there was once a thread regarding setting the car so that it would automatically put on the fogs as running lights. If I remember right it was an option you could set using the touchscreen. Reason for the option was because at the time of manufacture of Reattae the law in Canada was to have daytime running lights and it was not yet a law in the U.S.

I also remember reading among those threads that the fog lights would be on but dimmer when in the DRL mode but would get brighter when the fog light switch was activated.

 

 

In 2015 Padgett wrote; Original discussion was much closer to the start of the century however the Mc-Reatta post in 2012 appear to be right. It just involves using the built in diagnostics to change a code in the BCM (BCM Override option #1/ BD 90. Believe Canada (DRL) is code 48 and USA (no DRL) is 144. Most detailed is page 8D14 in the 88 FSM but does not mention 48/Canada. Is easy to retrieve if you get it wrong.

Edited by fordrodsteven (see edit history)
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My 88 is the same, if the fog light button is left on the fog lights and running lights come on with the ignition. Actually since my 90 already has a "headlights suggested" warning (quite annoying, first thought is something failed), you could add a relay to use that and the fog lights as a TS.

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