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HIDs in fog lights

Author : clumpymold Posted on : 01/11/2004
Model : BMW, 3 - Series (E36) 1991-99 Category : Lights - Fog Lights
Source : http://www.bimmerforums.com
 
Items used:

- Osram 6000K HID kit (Osram H1 bulbs) with Hella ballasts (~$450-500)
- Diamond fogs with H1 bulbs

Tools used:

- Scissors (or, even better, wire strippers)
- Female and male connectors (or butt connectors, whichever you prefer but I used these since these are easier to remove)
- Velcro (4ft. pack at Home Depot ~$9.00 ...you can also use screws or double-sided tape. This is for sticking the ballast to the car.)
- Crimper

Overall, this is a relatively EASY install and took me about an hour or two (and I'm REALLY slow as I clean everything and take my time) but may take you less than 30 minutes or more if you're new to this stuff. I also did the "cheap"/simple method rather than "clean" in that I didn't use any solder/soldering iron.

I'm also showing you only the driver's side because I assume you guys can figure out that the passenger side is identical.

Anyway, here you have the stock foglight connector that plugs into the back of your fogs. Bulbs are H1
for the fogs as well as the HID kit:


Okay, I've been hearing so much about "grounding" and making sure to do it. But I'm still VERY confused as to why. These bulbs are already grounded! If someone can give me some input as to why, I'd appreciate it. This method worked anyway without additional grounding.

Anyway, I'm basically going to wire my ballast in series to this connection so I'll need to cut this connection to attach the connector onto the wires coming from the ballast. I'll have to do the same for the ballast wires.

Here's another shot of the foglight connector:


I also had to cut the wires going to the HID bulb. The power wires, at first, seemed like really heavy gauge so I was afraid that the wires I'm connecting them too won't be thick enough to support the current. But most of the wire is just some fiber optic insulation of some sort. So I'm figuring it's okay.

Here's a picture of the foglight connector cut out, the HID bulb wires cut and the foglight cap removed. I will basically wire the wires coming from the ballast and going to the HID bulb into the foglight connector/plug. I will then plug it into the foglight cap and wire those wires (white=power, black=ground) into the HID bulb using connectors.

Here's what I have so far before connecting everything:


Here's everything ready to be plugged together. The foglight cap will basically plug to the appropriate wires and then the ballast will plug into the foglight cap.

You MAY have to drill to modify your foglight holder to accept the HID bulb. I had to modify one of the dimples on the HID bulb to fit in one of the fogs and I had to drill a slightly bigger hole in the other one to fit the HID bulb.

Here's what I have so far:


I then took the original foglight connection (with the foglight connector/plug removed) and connected my stock ballast wires (which was originally used to provide additional ground) to them. So the foglight connection now plugs into the ballast using the proper ballast plug. See below:


Now, just attach some velcro to the back of the ballast and mount inside the foglight space. Lots of room but I mounted it towards the outer edge between some screws. Be careful not to stick it on some screws (otherwise, it'll be a pain to remove your trim if need be). I used velcro since I can move it if I run into any problems. I used the rough part on the ballast and the soft, fuzzy side on the car (don't know why but I thought it was better). I would also recommend using more on the car in case you decide to reposition the ballast slightly.

After putting everything together, this is what I have. The angel eyes are Lava Lighting in ZKW ellipsoids. I also did the parking light delete. If you want to see more pictures at lower light settings, please let me know. I also have some with both HID kits on, if interested (the other is a Philips 6000K kit in the lo-beams).

So...without further ado, here are the results:


And for those wondering what the "before" looked like. Here you go:


Okay, here's one with both HID kits running and a lower light setting :
 

Pictures

Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Picture 5
Picture 6
Picture 7
Picture 8

Click on the thumbnails to see larger images.

 

References

  • http://www.bimmerforums.com
    •  


    E36/5 Fog Lights Installation
    Model : BMW, 3 - Series (E36) 1991-99, 318ti Category : Lights - Fog Lights
    ... in wiring your car so you can have foglights on with high beams. This is a perfect time to make that happen. Cut off the connector supplied with 1 mm^2 red/white (terminal T) of the harness and cut the 2.5 mm^2 diameter red/white wire that comes out of position 2 of the K46 relay. You should cut 3-5 away from the relay to have slack for later. The K46 relay is the largest brown relay. My kit did ... (more)
    Posted : 14 May 2004 Author : Jonathan Maddux
     
    Fog lights with high beams on mod
    Model : BMW, 3 - Series (E36) 1991-99 Category : Lights - Fog Lights
    ... the following wires for the foglight relay (see arrows in picture below as well as Bentley diagram above): Red/white Yellow/gray Red/yellow Red Brown Make sure these are the correct wires. There will only be this combination for one relay in the fuse box (with the exception of the brown wire). I believe it's the upper center DARK ORANGE fuse of the six larger ones you see (two white, two dark ... (more)
    Posted : 6 October 2004 Author : clumpymold
     
    Lights Protection
    Model : BMW, 5 - Series (E34) 1989-96 Category : Lights - Fog Lights
    ... (not hot), or use a heat gun or hair dryer to gently warm the light lens. Warm the cover too. 3. Before removing the backing paper, dry fit the cover on the lens. Wet your fingers into the glass with the solution (handling the parts with dry hand will leave marks). Remove the backing paper and immediately spray the solution to the exposed adhesive side and to the light lens. 4. Apply the ... (more)
    Posted : 6 December 2004 Author : bmwe34.net
     
    Fog Lights Without Low Beams
    Model : BMW, 3 - Series (E30) 1983-93 Category : Lights - Fog Lights
    ... the driver and pin #30 should be facing you as you are standing on the driver side facing the fuse box.3. If everything is oriented as described above, then this modification should operate correctly on your E30. If not, you will need to look at your Benleys Service Manual and figure out how your specific E30 is wired.4. Strip off 1/3 of the insulation at each end of the 1 inch wire, leaving ... (more)
    Posted : 24 May 2005  
     
    E30 Independent Fog Lights
    Model : BMW, 3 - Series (E30) 1983-93 Category : Lights - Fog Lights
    ... on. Required Parts: Small length of 16AWG wire Required Tools: Multi-meter Wire cutter Wire stripper Soldering equipment Flat-head screwdriver 1. Verify your fusebox has the exact same K3, K4, and K8 relays. This would be the first indication if this method is even feasible on your vehicle. If you have the same colored relays with the same schematics molded on the relay covers, it's a bit safer ... (more)
    Posted : 24 May 2005  
     
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