Mein E-code lights are in!!!! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

MikeTangas · #1 10-20-2002, 01:11 AM

They arrived yesterday, installed today after work in about an hour. WOW, I can see!

I didn't take any pictures of the transplant, but I did think about it, I guess I was too anxious to get the job done. Everything went smooth. I did spend sometime reading through all of the old euro light posts, and saw that several (mainly 124's) folks were complaining about difficult to reach screws. I didn't have any problem, but that could be because I went to the extent of removing the fill panel below the lights to ease installation.

Removing the fill panel really created a vast amount of room to slide the old bucket out and the new in. I used the US style wipers and they look/work just fine. The 6 pin plug has been rigged with a jumper wire to power the city lights but I haven't found the proper 5W bulbs for them, oh well, another trip to the parts house

.

I did find that my lightweight 25W soldering iron doesn't have enough juice to melt the factory solder. I'm guessing the factory used a fairly high percentage silver solder. That's OK, gives me the perfect reason to get a mid range iron, something that runs hotter than the 25W but cooler than the fire. Everything is set up so that when I get a hot enough iron, all I have to do is pop the turn indicators out and solder the wire to pin 4.

Adjusting the beams was a snap following the directions on the mbz.org link. I can honestly say that the difference truely is amazing, now I know why everyone crows about euro lights. I swear, with the low beams on the light output appears much brighter than high beams of the DOT lights and highbeams look like aircraft landing lights in comparison to DOT's.

For the fog lights I have standard H-3's. I did not try modifying the relectors to accept the yellow cups from the DOT assemblies. I will try to source yellow H-3's locally before ordering them on-line from suvlights. The white bulbs really add to the light, almost like driving lights but with the lower fog pattern. We'll see what the reaction of oncoming traffic is before I switch.

Again, all I can say is WOW.

JCE · #2 10-20-2002, 02:16 AM

Congratulations, you've 'seen the light'! I used to use the Hella yellow stars H# bulbs before they stopped making them. Now I am told only the PIAA Ion Crystal gives of the yellow light and comes in stock wattage.

BTW, did you see this link about a clean 280SEL 4.5 around the corner from me?

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=47564&highlight=280

MikeTangas · #3 10-21-2002, 01:36 AM

On the way home from work today I stopped and picked up a 40W iron. Got home and soldered in the jumper for the city lights. Everything is working and looking good. Making the move to a 40W iron was just the trick, the extra juice melted the factory solder without any problem.

Here is how it looked yesterday (actually an old picture during the resurrection)

and how it looks today

and with the city lights on

fogs

the whole shooting match

The city lights really looked dim in the late afternoon shadows, but really brightened up once it got good and dark. This mornings drive into work was a good test of my aiming job, we had some super dense fog. The E lights and fogs put out a light pattern that allowed me to actually see the road instead of reflective glare off the water droplets. Before I hit the highway, while I was in an area where I knew no other drivers would be at 0500 on a Sunday, I shut off the headlights and just used the fogs. They did such a good job I could have driven all 7 miles on fogs only.

#4 10-21-2002, 09:27 AM

In Stu Ritter's new E-Class Owner's Bible there is a write-up describing how to install Euro lights. I got the impression that there were only two options concerning the wipers. Either change to the Euro wipers or eliminate them. The total parts cost including Euro wipers was around $700.

Is it possible to use the US wipers with Euro lights? Even if they didn't work quite as well as they might, I'd be happy with some function at the possibility of reduced conversion cost.

BTW, Stu's book has the parts list for the conversion to Euro lights. I wished I'd made this conversion a long time ago.

JCE · #5 10-21-2002, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Is it possible to use the US wipers with Euro lights?

Several threads in the archives say this is possible on the w124 chassis. I believe one is by the user 'Barrie'. It involves making a home made bracket, and drilling a hole in the body metal strip that sits below the headlight. The Euro light wiper mount hole doesn't align with the US light wiper mount hole. New strips are cheap, and can be drilled for the new holes and painted. I believe someone also mentioned swapping the motors left to right to get an improved 'sweep' of the wiper blade over the lens.

If you can't find it with a search I'll see what I can find this evening, but I am on a tight schedule this AM. Good luck.

#6 10-21-2002, 12:00 PM

Thanks John, you've answered my question.
Bud

MikeTangas · #7 10-21-2002, 12:01 PM

The US wipers work fine, the only area they don't sweep is the fog light section. True, they don't mount up directly due to a difference in the Euro wipe bolt pattern, but two bolts line up fine (the chassis bolt and one bucket bolt). For the third bolt I simply used a small piece of preperforated strap, bolted one end to the bucket using the bucket bolt, then a small bolt with two washers and nut to secure the strap to the wiper bracket. That will hold me until I can stumble upon some euro motors and wiper arms at the salvage yard.

The euro arms are much more streamlined in my opion, not as "clunky" looking as the US arms. They do provide a full sweep of the lens to include the fog section.

Actually, now that I think about it all I would really need is the euro bracket. The motor itself is mounted to the bracket by a single 17mm nut on the output shaft. Simple procedure to remove the left motor and mount to a rightside euro bracket, sweep orientation would be correct. Then do the same for the other side. OK, my search is now for the euro bracket only.

taaboo · #8 10-21-2002, 12:57 PM

If I/we may - what brand of E-code lights did you go with?

THANKS!

Brian

MikeTangas · #9 10-21-2002, 01:08 PM

I bought DEPO's. Decent quality aftermarket replacements. Many of the members have installed DEPO's, and I don't recall anything negative about them. The price was right at $249 for the pair!!!

suginami · #10 10-21-2002, 01:25 PM

Placo1 also used his old wipers with the E-code lights.

Try searching under his user name for the post.

goldenbear · #11 11-16-2002, 10:17 AM

Assuming one did not wire the euro city lights to work with the side markers, what is their normal operation with a bulb installed? What switch position?

MikeTangas - did it require a special 5W bulb?

Just installed my euros Thursday and echo the sentiments of everyone else on the forum - truly amazing. Thanks.

MikeTangas · #12 11-16-2002, 01:10 PM

The true euro's with city light do not illuminate the side markers, or so I believe. To activate here, we jump from pin four of the side marker to power the city lights. I suspect the euro model cars have a different harness to the lights.

I didn't use a special 5W, I simply found one that fit the socket. It is probably too dim. Once things have settled down some I will try to locate the proper bulb.

engatwork · #13 11-16-2002, 04:08 PM

wow - good looking job Mike. I want to try to do it on the 300TD eventually. Thanks for "thinking about" taking pictures during the conversion

.

mbtjc · #14 11-16-2002, 04:24 PM

For the proper 5W bulb, go to www.powerbulbs.com. The proper bulb is a T4W bulb. The ones they sell are blue, but when I put them in my lights, the blue really didn't show up that well. Oh well. They still serve their purpose. You are correct, euro cars do not have what we call side marker lights or side reflectors for that matter. Therefore, euro turn signals have only a 2-post connector with a single filament bulb. And they don't have reflectors. Also on the taillights on a euro car, the orange on the turn signals wraps all the way around, where on US cars there is a red strip for side marker lights. So their marker lights are the "city lights" and the rear taillights which can only be seen from the rear. If you get the euro brackets, you will also have to get euro headlight panels (the panels under the headlights) since the holes do not line up the same. You can get euro wiper arms and blades from www.capitolwest.com. Real Bosch parts. They also carry replacement lenses. I could be wrong, but I don't think that the US wiper motors just reversed will work on a "euro wiper conversion" The US wipers only turn 90 degrees where the euros have a wider wiper arc. Let us know what happens!!