In-line toggles?
 

While driving yesterday I was thinking about the effects of the assecories on the car and how they could be controlled. I now know that things like lights,heater,AC,defrosters, stereo, etc. can effect mpg and would like to address 2 of these factors. I have a 95 1.0L 5speed, cosmetically damaged, but engine still runs strong. Haven't done much to it yet. So, on this car, the headlights are always on. You can turn them up to low beams or high beams, but you have no choice on the driving lights. Also, the heater seems to always be slightly on. I can turn it on max and high(low and medium is broke) but even in the off position you can just lightly feel air coming out. Enough that on summer days I have to have it on cold air becuase its enough to heat it up if its on warm.

So, would it sound like a cool idea to trace the power lines and put a simple toggle switch on it so I could completly cut power to these, but turn them on easily enough if I drive at night or am cold?

Thanks, Nic

The air is prolly just coming through because of the force of the air pushing up in the air ducts on their own, most cars I've driven have had this.

You could trace the power to the lights and cut them if you desired, good luck!

The heater has 2 settings, one which uses the air inside the car to reheat faster and another which sucks air in from outside. With the air off but still in the outside position, the vents stay open to force air in like you said but it is like having it on high. With it in the currulation position, no air should be felt at all since the vents are closed.

Right?

Hmm, that makes sense. Perhaps your switch is broken?

the headlights staying on you speak of are DRL (daytime running lights) thier just a lower voltage version of your highbeams. usually theres a seperate fuse in the fuse box you can pull out or a diode of some sort or theres a relay you can bend one of the pins to turn off the drl's but have the headlights work normally.

there is always goign to be a ltitle air commign thrui the vents when your driving air is being forced thru them and the only way to stop this would beto take your dash apart and duct tape them shut...

not sure if it's leagle to turn off day time running lights if the car was made with them, as I think they are required now, I'm pretty sure that on the geo they simply run the low beems in searise, insted of in paralel, so it's 55 watts total, insted of 110 watts like the low beems normaly are, the running lights turn off if you pull your hand brake up the first notch alot of the time, and this normaly isn't enough that the cable has all the slack taken out of it so your brakes aren't draigning, but check anyway, if it is you can adjust it, or you can tap in to the brake switch so the car things the hand brake is on, it does this so when you are parked, with parking lights on, the running lights are off.

we got a cheap clamp on amp meter that reads both AC and DC, it's really handy for figuring out what loads are important, and what are not.

I don't think that it's a legal issue. For some reason, every manual transmission car that I've driven from about the mid 90's on has DRL's, but automatics don't have them. My mom has a 2000 Hyundai Elantra that doesn't have DRL's.

Thanks for the opinions everyone, Ill put them into consideration. Legality isn't really a concern, cops dont bother you around here unless your acting stupid already. No front tag and no mirror is illegal too, but oh well :P

You will always feel some air flow as most cars are built with flow through ventalation to keep out stale air, and carbon monoxide if a car might have a bad exhaust. If you have ever removed inner panels at the back of your veh. you can see them. Usually they have a very thin rubber membrane that pushes open with positive preassure.

Ok, cool. I need to pull the inner panels off soon so I can beat out the dents in my quarter panels, but I know exactly what your talking about becuase I've seen them in my 98 Mustang's trunk.

Don't think I'll be putting the effort into the heater now, probably just the lights...