I want to convert my 84 300d to a four head light system, good idea? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

gsxr · #16 02-03-2003, 06:38 PM

Bob,

You have four E-code Cibie's with stock bulbs and it's not enough? Or did I misinterpret your earlier posts? Measure the voltage at the bulb with the engine running, then measure at the battery. I bet you measure about 13.6-13.8 at the battery, not sure what you'll see at the bulbs with relays (depends on the wire size you used).

IMO, you need to do two things. One, get an adjustable voltage regulator for your alternator and set the voltage to 14.2-14.4 with the alternator hot. Read Dan Stern's web site, the extra 0.5 volts can make a BIF difference. Two, assuming your wire size is decent, install high-wattage bulbs. I have 130/90 H4's in my Euro lights plus 100 H3's in the (high-beam) driving lights. I have one 8-gauge cable from the battery going to a fuse holder, then 10ga to EACH side where it drops to 12ga to feed 2 relays per side, then 14ga to the lights. They are so bright it is scary on high beam! Practically daylight. I get 14.2v at the battery under load with high beams on. Although I have a 124 the idea is similar - photos of my install are here:

http://www.meimann.com/images/mercedes/W124_stuff/
(scroll down to "relays...")

Jamie K did a similar W123 4-light upgrade, details are here:
http://www.jaimekop.com/240D/lights/

For good prices on Hella E-code lamps, 7.0 and 5.75 inch, try here:
http://www.susquehanna.com/susq/hella/headlamp.htm

The bulbs you use CAN make a difference, and name brands are not always the best. Either buy from Dan Stern (he only sells the good stuff) or buy online here:
http://www.powerbulbs.com/

190D, the early 201's used sealed beams I think. The later 201's used propriatary headlight assemblies like the 124's which took 9004 bulbs, which are awful. Your lights may look OK to you but I suspect that's because you haven't driven with real Euro lights yet!

edited to correct wire sizes used... oops!

Regards,

190D22 · #17 02-03-2003, 09:19 PM

Yeah I knew the 190s got new headlights in like '89 or something like that. But didn't know that the change was actually for the worse in terms of visability. They added the headlight wipers with the update... Which I am glad I don't have now!

#18 02-04-2003, 12:51 PM

gsxr

Man your set up sounds good. I will check my voltage today. I must confess that I screwed something up yesterday. One of the cibie (bought off of ebay) had some what I thought was rust on it so I tried cleaning it off with acid and light sand paper. I took of all of the remaining chrome. Oh well,

A word of advice or just an educated opinion. If you are going to buy these lenses get new ones. Sure they are expensive but as I found out, again, you get what you pay for

thanks for all your imput

bob

#19 02-04-2003, 04:35 PM

I personally would not jack up the voltage.

I believe the solution is getting the aim right. You need level ground about 20 feet away from a garage door and do some measuring, sketching and experimenting. You have plenty of light, you just need to get it in the right position.

My $0.02,

gsxr · #20 02-04-2003, 05:13 PM

There is NOTHING wrong with increasing the ridiculously low voltage setpoint on the old alternators, as long as it's kept below about 14.8-15.0 with a stone cold alternator (will drop as it heats up). Some light reading on the subject:

http://www.landiss.com/battery.htm

http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/relays/relays.html

Excerpt: In many cases, the thin factory wires are inadequate even for the stock headlamp equipment. Headlamp bulb light output is severely compromised with decreased voltage. For example, normal engine-running voltage in a "12-volt" automotive electrical system is around 13.5 volts. At this voltage, halogen headlamp bulbs achieve 100 percent of their design luminous output. When operating voltage drops to 95 percent (12.825v), headlamp bulbs produce only 83 percent of their rated light output. When voltage drops to 90 percent (12.15v), bulb output is only 67 percent of what it should be. And when voltage drops to 85 percent (11.475v), bulb output is a paltry 53 percent of normal! [Source: Hella KG Hueck AG, Germany]. It is much more common than you might think for factory headlamp wiring/switch setups to produce this kind of voltage drop, especially once they're no longer brand new and the connections have accumulated some corrosion and dirt.

Go start your car, turn on high beams, and measure the voltage AT THE BULBS with a digital VOM. You'll be surprised what you see...