eMotors.ca and author of the article below cannot in any way be held responsible nor liable for any of the content or for any use or misuse of the information provided in the article. eMotors.ca and the author of the article cannot guarantee the accuracy or correctness of the information provided in the article, therefore, the information provided by the article can only be used at your own risk.
The content and the photos of this article are copyrighted and provided as a courtesy by

HID Lights

Author : Rob Levinson Posted on : 06/12/2004
Model : BMW, 5 - Series (E34) 1989-96 Category : Lights - Headlights
Source : http://www.bmwe34.net
 

OEM Bulbs

35W HID Lights

HID means High-Intensity Discharge lamps. They provide about twice the brightness of halogen headlights but use less power and can last longer.

From the Associated Press:
These lights are good for the driver, BAD for everyone oncoming!!! A lighting specialist at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said some people are more sensitive to light that has a blue cast. But he said the lights meet the same intensity and beam shape standards in place since 1978, the last time the government made a major revision of its standards.

Halogen lamps on most of today's cars generate light by heating a tungsten filament inside a halogen capsule. The halogen gas helps prevent blackening of the capsule as the filament slowly burns out.
High-intensity discharge lamps operate more like vapor-filled streetlights. They don't have a filament, but create light by zapping an arc between two electrodes. That arc excites a different kind of gas, usually xenon, which in turn ignites metallic salts.

Rob Levinson '94 M5 3.8 Touring wiht HIDs in US ellipsoid headlights

Procedure

Some Bmw E34 owners spent $400 to change there bulbs for HID ones.

If you want to be part of this elite, the whole procedure is available in the UUC Motorwerks page using Lincoln Mark VIII parts (it is a PDF file).
The only way to do this mod correctly is with US ellipsoids. Euro ellipsoids will not work (metal housing cannot be modified correctly) and US non-ellipsoid gives a wide, specular pattern with terrible throw (distance of beam projection).

Thanks Rob Levinson
 

Pictures

Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3

Click on the thumbnails to see larger images.

 

References

  • http://www.bmwe34.net
    •  


    Fix for infamous Low Beam Failure problem
    Model : BMW, 3 - Series (E36) 1991-99 Category : Lights - Headlights
    ... figure out how to do this!). 6) Squat down low and look up under the dash near the left side for the CCM module. In front of it is a plastic nut that needs to be removed. It can be looseden either by hand or with a 10mm socket. I have big hands, so I used a socket with a 12" extension. 7) By reaching up and behind the wiring mess, attempt to pull the CCM toward you-- there is another ... (more)
    Posted : 1 November 2004 Author : Mike
     
    HIDs in High Beams (or Low Beams)
    Model : BMW, 3 - Series (E36) 1991-99 Category : Lights - Headlights
    ... was pushed through (for estimate on how big the hole must be). Second is top view with grommet pushed through. Last is back side. (I already have male connectors on these wires since these bulbs were from my foglights.): - Looking at the high beam wires from the back of the headlight, you should see one WHITE wire that is normally plugged into the bulb for power. Another wire is BROWN for ... (more)
    Posted : 4 November 2004 Author : clumpymold
     
    Z3 HID Retrofit
    Model : BMW, Z - Series Category : Lights - Headlights
    ... and, unfortunately, trial and error. You want both headlights to look roughly the same, so any degree rotation off, will translate into a crooked beam pattern. This will not be so evident if you are using DOT xenon projectors since their cutoffs are not as razor shop as their ECE counterparts (with some exceptions e.g. S2000). After aiming it, I bolted the projector in place and shimmed it so ... (more)
    Posted : 25 November 2004 Author : Ian Lam
     
    Headlight Replacement
    Model : BMW, 5 - Series (E34) 1989-96 Category : Lights - Headlights
    ... the side wing part of the center grill. Even with the tab release, it took a lot of prying pressure to get those wings loose with a screwdriver. Be careful not to scratch the paint. See Bentley manual for pictures. 2. You do not need to take the headlamp assembly out to change either the low or high beam. Spray some WD40, heat with a hair dryer for 4-5 min and carefully pry the light out off ... (more)
    Posted : 2 December 2004 Author : John Feng
     
    LKM & Relay
    Model : BMW, 5 - Series (E34) 1989-96 Category : Lights - Headlights
    ... your lights - hopefully the intermittent operation is a fading memory... Jason tried the relays only and it didn't work he said that all solder connections on the thrid of the PC board need to be heated up and new solder added. Procedure "Mustard" relay: E32 ONLY 1. The Mustard relay has retaining pins engaged in metal clips on the sides facing the wheels - they need to be pried off the pegs on ... (more)
    Posted : 2 December 2004 Author : Max Fretter
     
    Browse by title :
    # | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
    Browse by make :
    A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | M | N | P | S | T | V