Guinness

What Did You Do To Your Smart Today?

5,057 posts in this topic

Tolsen, What's the cost and shipping for one of those? Or can someone in Canada make me one? I am assuming someone has a peice of scrap stainless around to build one of...Also...yesterday I built a block heater extension cord. I used a cord from a stand-up A/C unit that has a breaker built in to the male end...I've had issues with extension cords before (cut,slice,burn etc)

Get me the dimensions and I can make one up for you. I would need four sizes....approximate thickness....screw hole diameter....center to center of the two screw holes....dimension across the two parallel flat sides.

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Size is same at both ends of EGR supply pipe. I suggest you buy one metal seal from a dealer and get dimension from seal. Can't cost much. Bolt size is standard M6.

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Michalak fogs are... fogs. They are NOT DRLs.

I know. But making the car run all exterior lights as DRLs are not proper DRL's either.Six of one....Half dozen of the other.Not to mention the fact that the fogs will actually be able to function as such when I have actual control of my headlight switch.

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The fog lamp position on the headlamp stalk is for the rear fog lamp fitted on European cars; it will not control the front fog lamps. However, the fog switch harness is already in the car, and it sits right behind the "dashboard dimmer" switch below the radio. You can remove the dimmer switch, swap the connectors, and use it as your fog lamp switch. The real (lit) fog lamp switch is available at the dealer for around $40.It's silly that North America is the only place where it's legal to drive with fog lamps on while it's not foggy. Fog lamps have a completely different dispersion pattern than head lights, which causes glare to oncoming drivers if it's not foggy out. The Hella/Michalak fogs are NOT driving lights. Plus, running the Hella 50-watt H3 fogs full-time will burn them out much quicker than headlamps, because they are very compact and have no cooling at all. IMNSHO using the Hella/Michalak fogs as DRLs is a bad idea all around.

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What would be your suggestion as an alternative? The current DRLs are going. (I've already changed 4 bulbs in the car cause of the bad design.) What I do to remain legal is still up for debate.

Edited by Z1K

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As long as fogs come on automatically and remain on whenever the car is in motion and not using the low or high beam lamps, they could technically be used as DRLs, albeit expensive ones that will eat bulbs; I don't have a way to know if the output of the Hella Micros is legal as a Canadian DRL, though. Wiring them to be on all the time except with the low and high beams, however, doesn't make them too good as fog lights. Most of the alternatives, while visually effective as DRLs, aren't compliant with CMVSS 108 -- mine included. Some members here have installed sockets and 1156 filament or LED bulbs in the old TS spot and wired them to relays that cut off the low-beams while in DRL mode and cut off the DRLs while in low or high beam mode. With actual fogs in place, this isn't an option for you.

Others have wired the "city bulb" socket in the same way and replaced the little wedge bulb with something more intense like a 1- or 3-Watt Cree or Luxeon LED. This complies from a wiring standpoint, but the lamps themselves do not comply. I wired mine that way, too, but mounted LED angel eyes around the Euro turn signals. Again, wiring is compliant in every respect -- they turn on automatically, off when the low or high beams are on (even when I flash my high beams), and I also wired them to turn off individually when a turn signal is flashing. They are very bright, but probably not bright enough to be 108 compliant.

The only real alternative is to wire in a relay system that runs through a voltage regulator that in turn feeds the low or high beam bulbs with 75% normal voltage. This is too damn complicated, so it's easier to use a non-compliant bulb (or LED) with compliant wiring. FWIW, my angel eye DRLs passed an inspection following a recent collision and rebuild by a body shop.

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Fog lights have a very flat beam to not illuminate the water particles of the fog. The idea is to be mounted low on the car and project its light between the road surface and the fog and thus improving visibility of things that matter, instead of illuminating the fog. The light is also spread in a much broader beam pattern. This helps illuminate the shoulders of the road and the painted "fog line" between the road and the shoulder to give you some bearing of where you are driving. Fog lamps do not project a great distance because after all you are looking through the fog and can't see very far anyways. If fog lights are properly aimed to not illuminate the fog for the driver of the car, then they would as well be aimed to not cause glare for oncoming drivers, as well as the broader beam disperses the intensity of the light output in any given area more than narrowly focused low beam headlamps do.

We don't drive around with one headlamp and only one taillight. That is the minimum required by law. Many of us have added extra lighting on the rear to be better seen. That is within the rules. Many people drive with four lamps on in the front to see better. That is within the rules. It would be odd if some one insisted that I drive with only one front lamp on (or anything less than what I am allowed to use).

The full time use of fog lamps shouldn't bother us as much as people that raise their vehicles more than an inch and then drive with the low beams on.

In the early '80s I had a 320i with Cibie halogen lights before most people knew that there was anything different than sealed beams. They were so much better than sealed beams that I didn't get the two high beams but instead went with four H4 hi low units. I meticulously had them optically aimed with the car properly weighted. This was again at a time when most people had never heard of an optical aimer. There was the rare driver that would flash his high beams at me not because of the brightness, but because he saw four lit lamps. Then I would let him see what the high beams really looked like. B)

Section 10 of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act Regulation 587 is what applies in Ontario and this only refers to the "sale of" DRLs.

CMVSS Standard 108

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/acts-regulations/r...-sch-iv-108.htm

47.1) A daytime running lamp that is not optically combined with another lamp may conform to SAE Standard J583, Front Fog Lamps (June 1993), or to paragraphs 3, 4.2, 4.3, 5 and 6 of ECE Regulation No. 19, Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Motor Vehicle Front Fog Lamps, Revision 3 (March 2, 1993).

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Edited by gordo.bernard

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I did the same thing with my old (1979) Honda Accord. It originally had 4 headlights with 2 operating on low beams and all 4 on high beams. I removed the original high beam lights and installed another set of high/low lights. The low beams had the typical cut-off pattern so glare shining back at me in the fog or snow wasn't a problem. As with Gordo, I properly aimed them but still had several people 'flashing' me to dim the lights even when on low beams, but after a quick flash of my own on high beams, they got the hint. Eventually, I swapped out the inside high/low beam lights and replaced them with a pair of 3 million CP, clear lens driving lights which came on when high beams were truned on. Can you say INSTANT DAYLIGHT? :lol:

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As long as fogs come on automatically and remain on whenever the car is in motion and not using the low or high beam lamps, they could technically be used as DRLs, albeit expensive ones that will eat bulbs; I don't have a way to know if the output of the Hella Micros is legal as a Canadian DRL, though.

To use fog lights legally as DRL's in Canada they must have "DRL" on the lens. I had to have this inspected on my Suburban when I imported it from the States. It was OK to use the turn signal lenses as DRL's because GM stamped "DRL" on the lenses. It was clearly stated on the RIV inspection form that this MUST be on the lens to be used and legal. On the newer Acura MDX's that have the fogs as DRL's, they also have "DRL" on the lens.

Although, I do use a set of OEM fog lights as DRL's on my smart, though, technically it is not legal.

Edited by MightyMouseTech

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To use fog lights legally as DRL's in Canada they must have "DRL" on the lens. I had to have this inspected on my Suburban when I imported it from the States. It was OK to use the turn signal lenses as DRL's because GM stamped "DRL" on the lenses. It was clearly stated on the RIV inspection form that this MUST be on the lens to be used and legal. On the newer Acura MDX's that have the fogs as DRL's, they also have "DRL" on the lens.

While CMVSS 108 is based on (US) FMVSS 108, the Canadian version differs as it doesn't seem to specify the embossing, yet FMVSS also says pretty much any lamp can be used as a DRL so long as it complies with certain placement and brightness standards.

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Get me the dimensions and I can make one up for you. I would need four sizes....approximate thickness....screw hole diameter....center to center of the two screw holes....dimension across the two parallel flat sides.

PM sent. Thanks for the offer!Bil :sun:

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Get me the dimensions and I can make one up for you. I would need four sizes....approximate thickness....screw hole diameter....center to center of the two screw holes....dimension across the two parallel flat sides.

Sounds to me like there may be a need for a few of these made as I think most of us have made our plates out of aluminum, though it seems that only Bill has had a problem to date, I'll be checking mine today when I am doing other things to the car, mine is fairly think metal but now I have concerns. Will post what I find.

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Did you use the OE gasket (old or new) with your plate? I did that with mine (my plate is 3/32" stainless).

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Yes I used the OE gasket, My plate is about 1/4" thick anodized aluminum, as I said no problems that I know of but I'll be checking it now that I saw Bill's problem. I'll be looking this afternoon when I check my transmission issue. Hopefully everything is still fine, the boost pressure and power are still good, just need to check to see if any signs of heat damage I guess. Hopefully everything will be fine.

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Did you use the OE gasket (old or new) with your plate? I did that with mine (my plate is 3/32" stainless).

There won't be sufficient heat to melt aluminium unless there is a leak. Therefore important to place metal gasket on right side of blanking plate.

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My blanking plate is fine, checked it out and no problems. I did use the gasket properly so I guess all is good with that. Just need to get the stubs of the bolts that are supposed to hold the clutch actuator on out of the (transmission?) housing, as the heads just turned off when I was tying to remove the actuator for service. Nothing is ever easy is it?

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Good to hear you have no problems with plate leakage. Also thanks for the heads up regarding sticky bolts on the actuator. Filed under "places to use creep penetrating oil before loosening".B :sun:

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I had to resort to oxy acetylene a few weeks ago. One of these tiny M6 Torx bolts snapped off like it was made from chalk. Have changed all bolts to 316L stainless steel with hex head and have applied grease liberally to threads.

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I think that the original bolts were not made to withstans central Canadian weather, it would have been nice if they had used stainless instead of whatever soft metal they did use that seems to have hastened corrosion between them anbd the aluminum housing of the transmision and actualtor. I think I would go Tolsen's route and replace with stainless before it is too late. In my case I don't think penetrating oil would have helped, the heads just turned off, I wasn't even applying much torque (I have snapped heads off before on other projects, but never this easy).Hopefully I will be able to get the other two stubs out without too much difficulty tomorrow, and get things back together for the Monday commute.

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I think that the original bolts were not made to withstand central Canadian weather...

There is much about the smart that is not sufficiently robust for Canada. Those of us fortunate enough to live in milder regions like the Okanagan or Vancouver Island have a distinct advantage in this regard. Elsewhere in the country, the car is better kept in a garage. I expect that was the main reason the 2006 came with a block heater. The Canadian experience with the 2005 build taught MB/smart a lesson. Indeed, quite a number of things discovered by introducing the fortwo to Canada (and myriad critiques in this forum!) were adapted into the 451's final production.B :senile:

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Winter wheels and tires went on the green car at exactly 210400 km. Ready for winter, more or less.

Had my smart serviced by Troy at Akcent motors in Winchester, ON. Very pleased with his work and his pricing. I recommend him for anyone in this area. I also installed my winter wheels/tires when I got back home. Edited by Norm Roy

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Anybody care to list what thread those bolts are? M6-1x20?

Yes that would be good to know, I do have good thread on the stub I got out so if worst comes to worst will be able to match it that way at least.

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