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The MR2 Wiring Diagram refers to them as "Parking Lights".
They shine upward, supposedly to illuminate road signs.
I don't know what they are really for...

What he said.

 

If you've got a '00-'02, they're probably the daytime running lights, assuming I know what you're talking about. Turn the headlights off with the car running and the parking brake off and then back on and see if they're still lit. If only one is lit, then those are the DRL's.

 

To replace those, you need to remove the front bumper cover and take the headlight housings off of the car. I would recommend using LED replacement bulbs so you never have to go through the trouble again (Or at least not for like 20 years or something).

There are articles on here as well as spydermagazine (if they're still up).

Good luck.

 

To replace those, you need to remove the front bumper cover and take the headlight housings off of the car.

Good lord, really? I must be thinking of a different bulb; I replaced one once without taking anything off.

 

I got them from either ebay or amazon. they are standard 197 wedge bulbs IIRC. So if you search for those on amazon.com, you should see LED alternatives. Removing the front bumper cover isn't that difficult. It's just time-consuming. You'll need a 10mm socket and philips screw driver. You shouldn't need anything else (well, maybe a jack and jack stands if you can't get under neath the front, but that's the only hand tools you'll need).

 

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http://spyderchat.com/forums/showthread.php?42265-LEDs-and-the-Spyder
The Parking Light section is near the end of the article.


BTW
I've had LEDs in the parking light sockets for a little over two years, and they are still working.
I work at night, so much of my driving is with the headlights fully on (DRLs don't generate much heat).
I'm using OEM type headlight bulbs. If you are running hotter headlights, your LEDs may suffer.

Old Man:
In your write up (very nice, by the way) you say "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT" for using LED's as the DRL's.
Isn't that what the two small bulbs are under the main headlight bulbs? I am confused. I thought you were
saying that it would be OK to use LED's in this location.

 

So much easier to yank the socket from the working bulb.....

 

when i bought my car, these bulbs were both blown... i never even realized they were supposed to be there until i looked at the headlights with the lights on and noticed they were on... i didn't realize that the correct way to do it is to actually remove the headlights... i guess that is why the previous owner never replace the bulbs... i did manage to change the bulbs out without having to take off the headlights, but it was a pain and i have skinny hands...

 

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The little bulbs are "Parking Lights"; not the DRLs.
The DRL function is achieved by running the main headlights bulbs at reduced power.

It is perfectly fine to replace the parking lights with an LED array, but there is no LED replacement for the main headlight bulbs.

If those are parking lights, why do they come on and stay on while I'm driving during the day when I have my headlights off? And why are they not yellow?

 

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How do you know the little bulbs are lit when you're driving with the headlights off?
They are not yellow because ..... well ..... because they're white.


Try this:

1) With the ignition OFF, turn the headlight switch ONE click to its first position.
Look at the headlights to see what's ON and what's OFF.

2) Make sure the headlight switch is in the OFF position. Start the car. Put it in neutral.
Release the handbrake and then re-apply it. This should activate the DRLs.
Look at the headlights to see what's ON and what's OFF.

Please report your findings in this thread.

I have friends. Sometimes they see my headlights when I drive.

I'll try that sequence and let you know what happens after I get my Spyder put back together... Its rear end is all kinds of disassembled for maintenance. I might need a new trannie too; I found a crack at the engine mount bolt hole. But that's a story for another thread.

Either way, perhaps you and I call our yellow flashers different things. (And no, I'm not referring to the side marker lights.) I've always interchangeably called them parking or hazard lights depending on whether or not they're flashing, but in my (and anyone else's with whom I've spoken about it) lexicon, they're always yellow.

 

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The front "Hazard Lights" are amber, because they are simply re-purposed Turn Signals.

Those side marker lamps are only a feature on US spec cars. Euro spec models have proper turn signal lamps on the front fender and don't have those side markers.

 

DRL's re-located to Bumper LED's?

Has anyone tried to use LED bumper lights (foglights) as their DRL's instead of the factory headlight DRL setup? Simply curious. My barber has a new Benz and the DRL's are bumper LED's.. it looks classy IMO.

 

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