108 American light puzzler! - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

250 Coupe · #16 03-03-2009, 08:52 PM

I've been running Cibie's and Hella's since the late 70's and these are on my wish list for the 450SEL

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/csr.html

My birthday is tomorrow but it's OK if they arrive a little late.

Michael

choptop250se · #17 03-04-2009, 02:20 AM

The question that I have guys, is this parking/street light option suppose to work on US and Euro cars? Are they wired differently? As far as I know, headlight swithches are the same for US and Euro cars. My w109 2.8L, almost same as w108 2.8L, does not do that. The switch turns countr clockwise in 2 positions but no lights come on. Is there a problem with my switch? Wiring? or.....? My euro w111 250se has the same exact switch, but the street/parking lights work fine....

enlighten me

250 Coupe · #18 03-04-2009, 03:07 AM

I've had 3 W114's, a 1971 250/8, a 1971 250C and a 1976 280C. All three had the five rotary and two pull out positions on the headlight switch. The 1976 450SEL also has the same switch.

All of these had functioning front and rear lamps in the two CCW positions as long as the ignition is off.

The 250C and maybe the 250/8 (it had the lamps, don't remember how they worked) had body side markers that would come on with headlights but not in the first CW parking light position.

Couldn't tell you which have flash to pass but kind of remember it only working with ignition on.

Only the 280C had factory fogs and they only came on with the headlights and are the first stop on the pull, the second would be for rear fogs which I've not seen on my older cars.

A late 90's wagon we test drove had nearly the same headlight switch and it also worked the same.

Michael

Arthur Dalton · #19 03-04-2009, 09:04 AM

P/F should work regardless of Ign sw position.

berfinroy · #20 03-04-2009, 09:32 AM

Only one thread mentioned in passing the pull out detent position(s). I'm pretty sure that's for the fog lights that are built into the main light cluster on the euro cars, and the driving lights that replace our big amber turn signals (when ordered as an extra). Euro turn signals are located at the top of the main cluster. Also, the little light in the center of the light switch will glow when in the pulled out position.

JonL · #21 03-04-2009, 09:38 AM

My 1969 TR-6 had flash to pass. If it was illegal at the time, mine must have been simply another Lucas defect.

Arthur Dalton · #22 03-04-2009, 09:55 AM

Your TR had P/F , but it was tecnically illigal at that time in US..but no one enforced that DOT regulation..same deal with VWs...but Benz would not hook up the P/F for US Export to conform to that regulation..that's all.

Arthur Dalton · #23 03-04-2009, 10:04 AM

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Yes, that is Fog Indicator. The Fogs actually could be used with both headlamps and running lamps...so, when pulled out , the fogs came on with the same lights that the In position would be in...l parking for first notch and headlamps for second. That gave the operator the choice of fog witht or w/o headlamp.

JimFreeh · #24 03-04-2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arthur Dalton

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Yes, that is Fog Indicator. The Fogs actually could be used with both headlamps and running lamps...so, when pulled out , the fogs came on with the same lights that the In position would be in...l parking for first notch and headlamps for second. That gave the operator the choice of fog witht or w/o headlamp.

The light only comes on in the second position (pull out twice). Which is for the rear fog light (when equipped) on a W108. Rear fog light on a W108 is a separate unit, and should be located on the driver's side on the car, usually hung under the bumper.

Jim

Arthur Dalton · #25 03-04-2009, 10:37 AM

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Yes, only in countries { Germany] when the added rear fog had to be installed for Country Mandates... That is where you had to wire the seperate Rear fog...but the Factory sw wiring were as I mentioned..
If no rear fog , that sw is wired for both fogs w or w/o headlamp positions

My understanding is the mandates came after production, but was retroded to existing cars,..so Benz added the Hang On rear fog and that is how one wired it to satisfy the mandate. Later cars had the rear fog in the lens assemby by design .
Once in a while , here in the US, you will see a vintage Benz with a bolt-on rear fog [ they were RED] on the rear/driver side ...that is the tip off it is a Euro car that wound up here and the owner never removed the fog. Not a DOT mandate here at that time, so you could take them off]
On the light sw. some guys add Driving lights and use that detent pull for that circuit too.

250 Coupe · #26 03-04-2009, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arthur Dalton

P/F should work regardless of Ign sw position.

I checked this morning on my way home and, at least on the 450SEL, it only works with the ignition on.

Michael

Arthur Dalton · #27 03-04-2009, 12:47 PM

I think that is b/c that does not have the foot switch for beam selection.
The earlier ones were direct feed.

Mark DiSilvestro · #28 03-05-2009, 10:49 AM

A few years ago, when I installed the Euro headlamps in my '60 Fintail, I considered hooking up the flash-to-pass circuit. The Fintail turn-signal switch already has the flash detent, but according to my wiring diagram, it requires an additinal underhood relay to make it work.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Arthur Dalton · #29 03-05-2009, 11:09 AM

I designed a circuit with another guy where you can get rid of the foot sw and use the stalk detent with a VW Latching High/Low/Flash relay..
Kinda cool mod for cars w/stick shift cuz of the pedal.....simple to do , too.

AgSilver · #30 04-26-2009, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arthur Dalton

Talking 108 chassis..P/F did not come out on US version until '72 b/c of regulations.

Your 6.3 had it b/c your guy hooked it up...as my post stated ..it was in the car..but DOT did not allow it until '72. So the single wire for that Factory Circuit was in the harness at production, but taped back, unconnected , right there at the factory , to satisfy the then current DOT Export regulations w/o having to have different harnesses,,they just did not hook it up until DOT changed the rules.......
Any car after that had it hooked up.. Like your other US chassis.

The determining factor was US REGULATIONS. The FEATURE was ALWAYS in the car.
But NOT ALLOWED at that time in US only ........................
Same deal with the 113 cars ..if you have a Euro version, it is hooked up, if you have US version, it isn't ..[ but many are b/c US version guys know this trick, just like your guy did]

Art - - -

If it's not too much trouble, it would be a great help if you could point me to exactly where the wire is taped back. I have studied the 109 wiring diagram until my eyes started to bleed and I still cannot find it. I just finished a multi-year project restoring a 109 with a shop that has one of the few techs left who was originally involved with this series of machines (also the 198's). As great as this automobile was in 1969, we made several upgrades (from an engineering standpoint not cosmetically) which, quite frankly, have produced quite an even more remarkable example of this incredible automobile.

Thanks,

Steve Silver