As many of you already know, turning on your parking lights puts the ECU into the "electrical load" idle mode. Among other things, it raises your idle a bit and turns on your cooling fans at a lower temp. I personally dont always like driving around with my parking lights on....I mean, the less to draw the attention of Mr. Officer, the better ....ya know?
So I started thinking, what else puts a load on the engine? Well, so far the best idea i've come up with is the rear window defroster. It also puts the ecu into the same idle mode.
Like many of you I also have a switch to manually turn on my cooling fans whenever i want. The problem with the fan switch is that the ecu doesnt know that you turned on the fans, and therefore doesnt give you the elec. load idle mode which makes you idle at like 650-700, which sucks.
So now i have a better way of triggering the elec. idle mode. Futhermore, I disconected the conectors on the rear window so i dont burn out the heating units. They can be easily re-atached while sitting in the drivers seat.

 

Always thinking! - what a great idea. I was just getting ready to do that mod and not really looking forward to it. PLUS - it actually is illegal in many areas to drive with just your parking lights on (although I doubt if anyone has ever been ticketed for this, it does give the man an "excuse" to pull you over and check things out.....GRRR.)

 

WHAT?
Tickets for parking lights?
I thought in drivers ed I remember them saying that it is always safer to drive with your lights on. I know they were talking about headlights, but why in the world would you get in trouble for parking lights? That would just plain tick me off. Just let an officer try and ticket me for parking lights. That's one of the most stupid things I have ever heard!

hmmmm....sorry for the rant but that's just stupid!

 

It's illegal in CA to drive w/ only your parking lights on, which actually makes me wonder about Corvettes. Dont' they have theirs on by default?

 

So it's illegal in CA to drive with only your parking lights on... even in the daytime? What is the rationale behind this stupid law, kina irritates me when I hear about all these stupid laws...

 

Course it was dark at the time..... But it had only been about a half a mile before i was pulled over and "reminded" that I forgot. And to help me remember for next time i got the cop's autograph on a little sheet of paper.

 

another solution is to turn the fan onto 3 or 4. then select temp. to your liking. This works as an extra load to, plus keeps fresh air circulating

 

What the hell isn't illegal in CA?
No tinted windows, no messing with motor parts (smog)Must wear seat belt. the list seems to grow everyday!

 

Ditto!

 

My friend, BlueGTU got pulled over for running his parking lights while in full daylight. I instantly told him, WTF, vettes, Camaros, & Ponitacs all run with their parking lights on full time.
Laws are out of control here!

 

I think vettes and camaros use those yellow lights in front as a type of day time running lights. None of the tail or side lights are on durring the day, which might let them slide by the written law.

 

"Lighted Parking Lamps
24800. No vehicle shall be driven at any time with the parking lamps lighted except when the lamps are being used as turn signal lamps or when the headlamps are also lighted.

Amended Ch. 58, Stats. 1961. Effective September 15, 1961.

According to our great DMV

There's also a wonderful law that does not permit use of high beams on California High ways!

 

Well it's simple I guess.... We need the government to protect us from OURSELVES!

 

the cops may not get you for the parking lights- but it can attract their attention, then they can bust you for no front plate...dont know many FD owners with a front plate...kills the car..

 

Wow, funny how we got so off topic. So has anyone tried using the defroster switch instead?