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Facelifting My 99

2K views 18 replies 5 participants last post by  G_gazoo 
#1 ·
I have been acquiring parts to do the facelift on my 99 corolla, and am now only lacking the turn signal lights. While prepping the bumper cover for paint, I got to wondering if there is anyway to replace the '02 grille bars with a mesh style grille (like this). It appears that If I want to go that route that there will be some cutting involved. Has anyone ever done this?
 
#2 ·
There's an MPG build of a Matrix where he makes amazing parts to put onto his bumper. His goal was to reduce unnecessary flow into the engine, which reduces air flow, but maybe some fabrication techniques would help you, as that's not car specific.
 
#4 ·
Sorry to hijack but I'm planning to do this. How did you wire up the lights? The 99 has a single bulb design whereas the 2001+ has a dual bulb design.
 
#5 · (Edited)
No problem about the hijacking!

I actually haven't done the facelift yet, I'm waiting for a warm day so I can finish painting the bumper cover I have. I also need to clean up the headlights (salvage yard find, minimal "fogging" but I'd still like to clean them up). As for the wiring, that's the part I am most worried about. I have no problems with mechanical things, but when it comes to electrical, my knowledge is limited, and my experience is small.

There are two threads on here to which I was referring for help with the facelift: Buurin's(http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...2/294665-its-time-8th-gen-corollas-faq-2.html) and welcom2MYjungle's(http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/131-8th-generation-1998-2002/1210578-98-01-bumper-conversion.html). I do have the plugs and bulbs for the 01-02 headlights, they came out of the salvage yard in the headlight housings. If it weren't for the wiring (and lack of time, lack of money) I would be done by now. Oh well. Im guessing you already know about the links I posted, but figured I throw them up there anyway.

Hope this helps.
 
#6 ·
So I should be able to figure out the wiring. I just need to know what DRL on the 01-02 is (high beams at half power?)

The 99 has single bulbs where highs turn off the lows. On the 01, highs keep the lows powered.

Both would share a common ground. Turning on headlights should power on lows on the 01. Turning on highs would kill the lows so you would probably need the +12v going to the highs and lows. Ground can be shared. You'd need to test with a multimeter.

As far as DRLs, they'd route to the lows and pulse them (like factory). When they kick in, they would turn the lows on. I don't think this is what's stock on the 01 but it would work.

My theoretical thinking, let me know if it doesn't make sense and I can attempt a wiring diagram.
 
#7 ·
All sounds good to me.

Although... Wouldn't DRL on the 01-02 be the same as the lows on the 01-02? I thought that was what they were on the 98-00, but I could be wrong. (DRLs come on when a 98-00 is started. Rotating the switch to the first click turns on the dash lights, second click, the side markers and tail lights. Flipping the switch back and forth alternates between high beam only or low beam only, as core2kid said).

I was unaware that switching to the high beams kept the lows lit on an 01-02. Is that why Buurin mentions that the optics or something like that are so much better? Anyway, that is interesting. I have never heard of/seen a car with dual bulbs keep its low beams on when the highs are activated.

So, my guess would be that
1. Lows function as DRLs
2. Turning on the outside lights (side and tail in addition to dash lights) allows switching between the high and low
3. Switching between high and low activates one bulb or the other
4. And, because I have no clue about this, the lights would share a common ground, and +12v going to both bulbs.

I don't totally understand what you said about DRLs routing to lows and being "pulsed" "(like factory)". Maybe a wiring diagram would help.
 
#8 ·
Usually when bulbs are separate, highs at half are DRLs. Also usually when there are 2 bulbs, highs keep lows lit.

Anybody with an 01-02 Corolla confirm this?

As for the pulsing, it's basically that the DRLs send a pulsing voltage instead of a constant voltage to light up the DRLs. This is why HIDs have issues in the 98-00 without a relay or disabling DRLs. It's not much a wiring diagram as much as it's how the car sends voltage to the bulbs.

Also 98-02 Corolla's have automatic lights. There's no way to disable DRL without disabling automatic lights. I personally love my automatic lights and would never disable them. Disabling these lights would make things easier.

I won't really be able to test anything out until it gets warmer (which may be in 4-5 months) however if I get a warm day and I get my hands on a 01-02 headlight, I'll see if I can work out the wiring.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for correcting me/clarifying the pulsing of the headlights. (Guess I should have done some research on that particular topic.) I've heard of the pulsing causing an issue with HIDs, but didn't think of that when I posted before.

I'm with you on the automatic lights. I wish my dad's cars had them, having them in my car has spoiled me:lol:

I intended to check my hypothesis about the high/low beams. In my previous post, I was going off what I remember from my dad's 99 Suburban and 99 Safari for the high/low and DRL bit, as well as his 2000 and my 99 corolla for the DRL stuff. But, given that I didn't verify what I thought I remembered, I'll take your word on the topic of lighting. Also, I understand that Toyota may have done things differently than GM, as far as the dual-bulb lighting setup goes.

Thanks for digging into the wiring and trying to nail down a definitive answer/procedure. I hope an answer is not long in coming, as I would love to do the facelift now. Problem is, the weather has now decided to become seasonal (freezing +/- 10 degrees).
 
#10 ·
In Buurin's post, he mentions using male H4 plugs instead of cutting the factory harness. I found a set of pigtails on Amazon, would that eliminate/help with the wiring issue?

Link: http://www.amazon.com/PartsSquare-H...=1451962596&sr=8-1&keywords=male+h4+connector

Alright, now the fun starts. Let's begin by looking at the picture. As you can see, the 01-02 headlights have two bulbs. I tied the two black grounds together. That's how they connect to the ground on the H4 socket. Assuming you already cut the wires on your current socket, clean the wires. Here's which wire is which, and how they connect:

Red/Black (Ground) to 9005 and 9006 grounds tied together

Red/Green (Low Beam) to 9006 (Low beam) positive

Red/Yellow (High Beam) to 9005 (High beam) positive.

If you are lucky as to score a pair of male H4 plugs, do this soldering off the car and just plug everything in when done. This has the additional benefit of making this mod reversible.
In my line of thinking, I would solder the wires together according to Buurin's directions (onto the pigtail connector), then plug the assembly into the plug on the harness, thus eliminating cutting on MY harness. (If all this holds true, no cutting would be a boon for me, less room for me to make a mistake:)
 
#11 ·
So...
I finally got brave (or something like that) and went ahead with wiring up the lights. (Note: I have only done the passenger side so far). I ordered the H4 plugs from Amazon (mentioned a few posts ago) and soldered the 01 sockets and wires to the plug. To my surprise, everything works (or seems to, anyway). In my case, the DRLs are the low beams at partial power. Switching between Low (bulb: 9006) and High (bulb: 9005) works flawlessly.

As far as the actual wiring, I followed Buurin's notes on which wire is which:

Alright, now the fun starts. Let's begin by looking at the picture. As you can see, the 01-02 headlights have two bulbs. I tied the two black grounds together. That's how they connect to the ground on the H4 socket. Assuming you already cut the wires on your current socket, clean the wires. Here's which wire is which, and how they connect:

Red/Black (Ground) to 9005 and 9006 grounds tied together

Red/Green (Low Beam) to 9006 (Low beam) positive

Red/Yellow (High Beam) to 9005 (High beam) positive.

If you are lucky as to score a pair of male H4 plugs, do this soldering off the car and just plug everything in when done. This has the additional benefit of making this mod reversible.
In my case, I twisted the white (or yellow, kinda hard to tell) and black wire with the red/blue (IIRC, will check when I get home tonight) wire as these are the ground wires. (Actually, process of elimination: if red/green is for the low and red/yellow is for high, the other two wires must be ground. I did check the current h4 socket in the car to be safe.) The 9005 and 9006 sockets and bulbs I had have the same color scheme (surprise!), so the high and low beam line up exactly with what Buurin mentions in his post. I'll probably get to the driver's side tonight, and will post some pics when I'm done (of the wiring, still need to paint and mod the bumper cover :frown:).
 
#12 ·
So...
I finally got brave (or something like that) and went ahead with wiring up the lights. (Note: I have only done the passenger side so far). I ordered the H4 plugs from Amazon (mentioned a few posts ago) and soldered the 01 sockets and wires to the plug. To my surprise, everything works (or seems to, anyway). In my case, the DRLs are the low beams at partial power. Switching between Low (bulb: 9006) and High (bulb: 9005) works flawlessly.

As far as the actual wiring, I followed Buurin's notes on which wire is which:



In my case, I twisted the white (or yellow, kinda hard to tell) and black wire with the red/blue (IIRC, will check when I get home tonight) wire as these are the ground wires. (Actually, process of elimination: if red/green is for the low and red/yellow is for high, the other two wires must be ground. I did check the current h4 socket in the car to be safe.) The 9005 and 9006 sockets and bulbs I had have the same color scheme (surprise!), so the high and low beam line up exactly with what Buurin mentions in his post. I'll probably get to the driver's side tonight, and will post some pics when I'm done (of the wiring, still need to paint and mod the bumper cover :frown:).
This helps a lot. I'll definitely doing the mod a lot sooner than anticipated, I just got hit on the front end and my car was considered totaled.

I'm assuming the parts list is bumper, headlights, side markers, and wiring. Anything else that is needed?
 
#13 ·
Sorry to hear about your car.

Parts list according to Buurin:
Here is the parts list:

01-02 Headlights
01-02 Corner Lights (I bought Depo OEM replacements)
01-02 Bumper (or body kit)
01-02 Bumper Mounting Arms (bought mine from dealer, $16 each)
01-02 bumper Mounting Bracket (goes behind metal bumper bar, see below)
Two 9005 bulbs (high, came with headlight)
Two 9006 bulbs (low, came with headlight)
Two 9005 sockets (pulled from a gen7 at a junkyard)
Two 9006 sockets (Canadian Tire, $8, or pull from a junkyard)

I DID install the fog lamps . If you score a pair of factory fogs ($100/pair on fleabay), PM me and I'll help out with a wiring diagram. No matter how you get your sockets, the wiring is going to be the same.
Parts list according to welcome2MYjungle seems to be what you mentioned:
01-02 headlights
01-02 side marker lights
01-02 bumper cover
I don't see anything else in his writeup: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/131-8th-generation-1998-2002/1210578-98-01-bumper-conversion.html

Personally, I would love to install the fogs, but don't have the resources yet. Anyway, hope this helps. Until I have to get creative, I'm going with welcome2MYjungle's parts list, I think its all I'm going to need, for now anyway. Believe me, I was surprised when the wiring I did worked without my having a blown fuse, bulb, or other such damage.
 
#14 ·
Sorry to hear about your car.

Parts list according to Buurin:


Parts list according to welcome2MYjungle seems to be what you mentioned:
01-02 headlights
01-02 side marker lights
01-02 bumper cover
I don't see anything else in his writeup: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/131-8th-generation-1998-2002/1210578-98-01-bumper-conversion.html

Personally, I would love to install the fogs, but don't have the resources yet. Anyway, hope this helps. Until I have to get creative, I'm going with welcome2MYjungle's parts list, I think its all I'm going to need, for now anyway. Believe me, I was surprised when the wiring I did worked without my having a blown fuse, bulb, or other such damage.
Where do you recommend getting parts? Headlights I'll buy new aftermarkets so they aren't faded however I haven't come across a bumper other than Ebay. Also those Ebay bumpers are missing the fog covers which will end up being expensive.

As of now after the accident, I absolutely need the headlight and side marker and splash shield. The hood has a slight bend that I can force straight with my hand. The fender can be straightened if removed. Now, use insurance money and get new car, buy car back and turbo, buy car back and fix to stock and pocket money, or do this conversion. CHOICES!!!

FYI: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...-totaled-1999-because-people-can-t-drive.html
 
#16 ·
@core2kid I saw your post yesterday, and from the pictures and descriptions, I couldn't believe insurance would total it. Looks like we're going to have similar problems. My car was involved in at least two collisions, one in the front, the other at the rear. Apparently, mine didn't make out so well as I have an aftermarket hood, fender, bumper cover, headlight and sidemarker on the driver's side. Maybe just minor damage and the body shop went all out, but still. That said, the driver's side headlight butts into the sidemarker, will have to get creative when I install the 01-02 headlight.

As far as parts, I got the bumper cover and headlights from a salvage yard. IMO, that's the best place for parts for a car, as long as their condition is good. I almost bought a bumper cover from RockAuto:http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=703400&cc=1432913&jnid=525&jpid=1. Probably would have had I not found one at my local salvage yard. I would recommend RockAuto or a salvage yard, if possible.
 
#17 ·
Honestly at this point I think I'm selling my Corolla. Fix it for as cheap as possible, make it look nice and pocket the money. I still have a 2005 Celica that is in the process of being rebuilt. Selling this car will force me to finish the rebuild... from last January.
 
#18 ·
So I pulled a multi-function switch from a Celica at my local salvage yard the other day. It looked identical to the one for 01-02 corollas, so I figured since I'm doing the facelift and plan to install fogs at some point, it would be a good buy (besides, my current switch is funny for the left signals, yes I know about the DIY to fix). After doing some research, I'm not so sure the MFS will fit. The plugs have the same number and shape of pins. The levers look identical, but the plastic encasing the electrical components looks slightly different (according to rock auto, the part numbers are also different). Can I use the Celica MFS or can I only use the Corolla one?

FWIW, there is an 01 corolla in the yard with the switch for the fogs, but it still had the steering wheel on (and locked) and I didn't have time or tools with me to remove it.
 
#19 ·
If i recall when i did my fog upgrade i also thought other switches would work. I think the mazda rx-8 and the celica are similar to the corolla switch but in the end i found a scraped 02 s model and took lots of parts to upgrade my ce like the power mirrors and switch, rear deck lid with factory speaker grilles, armrest, dash clock. Just saying this so if you dont have these parts it would be worthwile to go back to the yard for the corolla switch and maybe a few other parts while your there.
 
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