Passenger head light plug in

[wolfeman]

This morning as I started my C230 and turned on the headlights, the dash indicator for a light being out came on. When I checked outside the car, the passenger side head lamp was not on. It seemed strange to me because I had installed new PIAA headlight bulbs in the car about 6 months ago. I checked the headlight bulb on the passenger side and it looked fine. No visible marks that something was wrong. As such, I switched the passenger side bulb to the driver's side and vice-versa to see if it was the bulb or not. As I expected, what was the passenger side bulb now worked in the driver's side, but the bulb that was formerly working on the driver's side was not working on the passenger side. On closer inspection of the white plug that connects to the rear of the bulb on the passenger side, there are black marks which appear to indicate some sort of electrical malfunction, such as sparks or a small electrical fire.

Obviously, I think the plug that actually connects to the back of the bulb has gone bad. Has anyone replaced one of these plugs?
Is it a fairly simple procedure? Any idea how much is it from the MB Stealership? Any information is greatly appreciated.

[pnsji]

This is probably a melting situation when you put a higher amperage bulb.

[GDawgC220]

what's the wattage rating on the bulbs? I'm guessing from PIAA, around 90/100 watts for lo/hi beam.

Some cars get lucky and have no problems with wires melting and some do melt. Check your wiring and see if it's burnt/melted or browning. If so, your probably going to have to replace the wire harness.

[sph17]

The standard H-4 bulb in the 94-96 W202 is a 60/55. at 13.5 volts they draw 4.44 amps each on low beam (watts/volts=amps). The H7 low beam bulb in 97-2000 is about the same but only a single filiment. A 100 watt bulb bulb draws about 7.4 amps. Now if your voltage drops (turn lights on before starting car) to 12 volts each lamp draws 8.33 amps. I don't remember how my 97 W-202 (same lights) was fused, but I think each light got it's own fuse (for a total of 4 fuses). Now if you only have a 8 amp fuse for your bulb, you could blow a fuse if your voltage drops, or if you have corrosion on a contact so the resisitance goes up. In addition to that, my impression is that MB is only putting wireing that meats the minimum requirements of the application, so that the wireing to the low and high beams is only as thick as it needs to be to support a 4.44 amp draw of a 60 watt bulb. Thinner wire gets hot when extra current runs through it, increasing resisitance and going into a visious cycle where a fire in your wireing could occur.

That being said, I ran 60/100 rally bulbs in older W123 without ever having a problem. But my eye-balling of the wireing in the European Headlight units I obtained to put the bulbs in, and the wireing in the wireing harness of the US spec W-123 is much thicker than in the W-202.

I felt comfotable running the 60/100 in the older MB as I felt the wireing supported it. I would not feel comfortable running the same bulbs in the W-202. You have to make the decision for your self.

BTW, I think the headlight units with the H-4 bulbs is much superior to the "new and improved" lighting on the 97-2000 models. I was more than happy with stock bulbs in my 96. I was not happy with the stock H7 bulbs in my 97, and even with SilverStars I put in, I think the 96 headlights were better.

Good luck.

<sph17>