300CE/E320 Coupe owners Roll Call! - Page 22 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Texholdem · #**316** 05-28-2007, 02:34 PM

I got a set of 6-pin connector and wired as follows:

pin 2 from old connector (brown wire) into socket 2
pin 1 (green wire) into socket 6
pin 3 (yellow wire) into socket 5
pin 4 (white wire) into socket 4

so it is exacly as in your pix with the difference: the pin 3 in the new connector; it is supposed to be city light (was is it?). As I said it's still not connected, open-ended. What do you connect it to?

BTW how did you take so good photos. I also make pix of the connection before and after, but in mine one can see no color of the wires at all; either it is too drak in the engine bay or all brightened out by the flash. You must have a good camera I suppose; I got the Canon A510.

here are the pix:
my car color is almandine red or garnet red; in the last picture the color is closer to real life than the other two, which come out with a tint of purple, which would be also beautiful. What is your color? fire vehicle red, and does it come out true in the pix?

Texholdem · #**317** 05-28-2007, 02:42 PM

I noticed also that your old headlight was so clean as in the pic below. Have you cleaned it after removal ? If not how could it stay like out of the shelf!

BENZ-LGB · #**318** 05-28-2007, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texholdem

I noticed also that your old headlight was so clean as in the pic below. Have you cleaned it after removal ? If not how could it stay like out of the shelf!

I am anal about cleanliness.

BENZ-LGB · #**319** 05-28-2007, 05:51 PM

Tex:

Here is the wiring diagram for the Euro lights. Please note that this diagram is numbered as you are looking at the plug from the bottom (looking at the female ends). In my picture you are looking at the plug from the top

The new (blue) wire in my earlier picture (position #3 in the diagram) goes to the plug that is connected to the turn indicator assembly. You splice it to the grey/red wire there (there are only three wires going to the turn indicator assembly). That is step #2 in the diagram (what they refer to as the jumper wire). If you follow these steps all the lights should work and you shoul dnot get a "light out" warning.

I have the Canon Rebel Digital SLR camera (1st generation). It came with a nice little Canon lens that I use for most pictures. I try to take the pics with the car outside, using normal lighting, because the flash tends to wash out things. I prefer overcast days because the lighting is more evenly diffused.

Your new lights look fine. Performance Parts sells a similar set of light. It is a newer look. Some people have actually managed to install HIDs using the same type of light housing for pinpoint, bright lighting.

The red in my car is signal red. The color in the pics is pretty close to the actual color of the car. Again, it was an overcat day and the hue may be a bit off. What is the color code number for your car. Suginami and JimB seem to think it is almandine, but I am not sure that Benz offered the almandine color for the 1989 300CE (your car's year, right?).

BTW, very nice neighborhood my friend. Those are beautiful homes!

A few years ago (about 15 - 17 years ago) I was in-house counsel for Shell Oil in their L.A. offices. I had a chance to move to Houston where I could have bought a very nice house for the equity in my California home. Houston was going through one of those boom-bust cycles.

I passed up the opportunity though, and here I am!

Texholdem · #**320** 05-28-2007, 07:34 PM

My color number is 512. I need some hardware to splice, will make a trip to Wal-Mart or Radio Shack and proceed like you said.

About the location, looks like the grass is greener somewhere else. I am in Texas (Dallas) and sometimes I think it could be nicer in California. But should I move to California I would only be able to afford a 1 bedroom house

and no garage for my 300CE

.

Later on: I just went to Wal-Mart to buy the splicer connector and to have my lights adjusted. They at Wal-Mart Tires & Lube don't do it, but the mechanic looking at my turned-on lights said that I messed-up the wires for low-beam and high-beam because when I have low-beam the two inner lights turn on and for high-beam (Blue indicator on dash board) the two outer are on.

I check the connection and see no error

.

BENZ-LGB · #**321** 05-28-2007, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texholdem

My color number is 512. I need some hardware to splice, will make a trip to Wal-Mart or Radio Shack and proceed like you said.

About the location, looks like the grass is greener somewhere else. I am in Texas (Dallas) and sometimes I think it could be nicer in California. But should I move to California I would only be able to afford a 1 bedroom house

and no garage for my 300CE

.

Your color is officially listed as Garnet Red. Mine is 568--Signal Red.

California is nice. I like it here. This morning my daughter and I went surfing, well, she surfed I rode my bike.

But I couldn't afford my own home now.

The mechanic may be wrong as far as Benz is concerned. Normally, the light bulb for the left lamp is a 9003. That is a dual filament lamp and so the low and high beams are in one lamp. The lamp to the right of it is the fog lamp and it should use an H-3 bulb (fog lamp).

the above applies to the Euro Bosch or DEPO lights (like the ones used for the 1994 and on W124 cars). Those are the bulbs that I have in mine.

Your original lamps had 9004 bulbs on the left and H3 on the right. The 9004 is also a dual filament bulb.

So with both the US-spec and the Euro spec headlight assemblies your low-high beams are in one side (the left lamp).

I don't know how the headlights that you bought are wired. What kind of bulbs are you using?

Texholdem · #**322** 05-28-2007, 10:46 PM

With "left" do you mean the outer light close to the fender and "right" the inner light close to grill?

According to the seller it is a AMG headlight set. So the wiring could be different. As in the pic below:

1- The outer bulb is a H4 double filament, is it the one for low-beam and high-beam combined?

2- The inner bulb is smaller and has a flat rectangular sockle, is this one the fog light?

In the back of the light the wiring is a mess, the wires and connectors are not enclosed in a case but open. I have to duct-tape it all.

BTW the splicing was successful, I got city-light from the small bulb in the outer light.
Thank a lots for your input. You have been very patient and throrough to an amateur

.

BENZ-LGB · #**323** 05-28-2007, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texholdem

With "left" do you mean the outer light close to the fender and "right" the inner light close to grill?

Yep!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texholdem

1- The outer bulb is a H4 double filament, is it the one for low-beam and high-beam combined?

2- The inner bulb is smaller and has a flat rectangular sockle, is this one the fog light?

Yep, that's right too. If you go to the Sylvania website (see link below)...

Sylvania-Osram

...you will see that HA and 9003 are interchangeable. According to the pic, you have the correct configuration and the right bulbs. Outer light is the low-high beam. Inner light is the fog lamp (H3 bulb). And underneath the low-high is the city light.

So when you turn on the headlights, only the outer light should light up. When you toggle to high beam, the outer light should get brighter, but the inner light should not light up. When you pull back on the light switch, the inner (fog lamp) should light up (together with the headlights).

The wiring diagram that I posted above has the correct position for the different wires; it identifies the color of the wire to the function it is connected to.

In the case of your lights, the wires may not match the same color scheme used by Benz. But if you trace back the wire to the lamp then you can figure out what the wire does and then you can put it in the right location in the plug.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texholdem

In the back of the light the wiring is a mess, the wires and connectors are not enclosed in a case but open. I have to duct-tape it all.

Tex, I would not use duct tape. May I suggest that you use Benz electrical tape (it kinda looks like cloth tape). If you cannot buy it at a Benz dealer, go to an electrical supply store. Duct tape will get dry and maybe even brittle in that location. If you use the right kind of electrical tape, it will remain nice and supple and flexible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texholdem

BTW the splicing was successful, I got city-light from the small bulb in the outer light. Thank a lots for your input. You have been very patient and throrough to an amateur

.

Tex, others have been patient with me as I learn my way around these cars. That is the beauty and joy of this community. People teach us and then we pass that knowledge to others. As long as we are willing to help each other out, the well will never run dry.

The day will become when you will pass knowledge on to others. For example, those pictures that you posted naming hte parts has beenn very helpful!

Texholdem · #**324** 05-28-2007, 11:44 PM

Now I got the culprit. The pins of the male connector leading to the light are not conform to the wiring diagram, the pin 5 & 6 are switched; that means fog-light goes from the bulb to pin 5 and low-beam goes from the bulb to pin 6. So I had to reverse the pin 5 & 6 on the female connector too.

Now everything works fine. My 1st DIY project can be considered successful -with 10 black finger nails and a broken wind schield water pump gasket- yeepee!

Next project (still modest): Oil change DIY!

Thanks BENZ!

BENZ-LGB · #**325** 05-29-2007, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texholdem

Thanks BENZ!

May the Force be with you!

(Yesterday I attended the Star Wars Convention in Los Angeles (I am a confirmed nerd; and now I am watching the SW special in the History Channel).

BTW, if you can, take a pic of your car with the lighs on: low bean, high beam and fog. I am interested in seeing how those assemblies look like when lit up!

Texholdem · #**326** 05-29-2007, 12:40 AM

Here you are!

BENZ-LGB · #**327** 05-29-2007, 01:00 AM

Most excellent!

Good job, they look good all lit up!

Bring on the night!!!

Texholdem · #**328** 05-29-2007, 11:29 PM

Hi Benz,

I thought the Euro headlight issue is concluded but there are two setbacks.

- First I could not get the lights adjusted, have been to 3 service stations with state inspection (two Kwick Car and some other), they said they did not have the equipment to do it and told me to go to MB dealership. At dealership they would not do anything on aftermarket parts. Even my request only to check whether an adjustment is needed has not been accepted.

- Secondly, the MB service advisor brought up the question whether those Euro lights are allowed by Texas law.

Did you check Californian law regarding your light replacement? Lots of people here did do the replacement, didn't they?

Now I am driving with lots of uncertainty, uncertain about the correct beam height and uncertain about the legal aspect.

BENZ-LGB · #**329** 05-30-2007, 12:17 AM

Tex, I don't think that these are major problems.

Regarding the light alignment, are there nuts, bolts, screws or other "thing" to adjust the lights? The US-spec and Euro lights have 3 adjustment screws (see owner's manual) on the back. One for horizontal adjustment one for vertical adjustment and one for fog adjustment.

Do these lights have adjustment screws? If they do, then go to this website and check his instructions on how to aim lights. Not that hard to do, especially if you have a flat area (and isn't all of Texas flat???

)

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/home.html

There is a whole section on light adjustment. You can do it.

As far as Texas law is concerned, I have no clue. The Euro lights that I used in my car came as std. equipment from 1994 on, so I would imagine they are legal in California. Yours are a little different, but I would imagine that they would also be legal in Texas. Besides, lighting regulations, as far as I know, is a Federal matter regulated by DOT (Department of Transportation).

I wouldn't sweat it too much. Just get htem adjusted yourself and be a happy camper.

Texholdem · #**330** 05-30-2007, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BENZ-LGB

The Euro lights that I used in my car came as std. equipment from 1994 on, so I would imagine they are legal in California.

I will remember it as reference in case of citation. Thanks!

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