Resistor for side marker lights?
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,455
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From: Long Island, NY
W220 S65 AMG
Resistor for side marker lights?
Gentlemen... how are you? This is a FANTASTIC forum and I've been reading the stickies and stuff here the past few days and you guys have a wealth of information and very helpful members.
I've searched up and down, left and right and I still can't seem to find the information that I am looking for.
I painted my orange side markers to match the color of the car:
In the process I removed the bulbs because on my last car they melted the plastic lens because of the head due to the layer of paint.
As you can imagine I have the annoying SIDE MARKER L, R CHECK LIGHT message on the MFD now every time I fire up the lights.
Do you guys know how to eliminate this? Which resistor should I use? I tried a 100ohm resistor but it got ULTRA HOT and burned in about 60 seconds. I tried a 10W 100ohm resistor and it got pretty hot but seemed to dissipate the heat better, but I am weary of stuffing that in my bumper and waiting for it to go on fire as I'm cruising down the highway.
Your help is VERY appreciated!
I've searched up and down, left and right and I still can't seem to find the information that I am looking for.
I painted my orange side markers to match the color of the car:
In the process I removed the bulbs because on my last car they melted the plastic lens because of the head due to the layer of paint.
As you can imagine I have the annoying SIDE MARKER L, R CHECK LIGHT message on the MFD now every time I fire up the lights.
Do you guys know how to eliminate this? Which resistor should I use? I tried a 100ohm resistor but it got ULTRA HOT and burned in about 60 seconds. I tried a 10W 100ohm resistor and it got pretty hot but seemed to dissipate the heat better, but I am weary of stuffing that in my bumper and waiting for it to go on fire as I'm cruising down the highway.
Your help is VERY appreciated!
Administrator
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From: www.Traben-Trarbach.de
MPG+ ROLFCOPTER
Resistors will get HOT. To help with that you can see if you can mount the resistor against metal, or locate it into an airflow. Both of these might help you with better heat dissipation.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: New York City
C55 ///AMG, 535xi
ahhh resistors.... I tried using 5ohm, 25watt resistors for my side markers, it worked great, and it didn't heat up THAT hott... but..chris, there's another way you can do this if you want "LEDS" just get another socket, splice it, and put another regular bulb.
Super Member
Joined: May 2008
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W203
I tried a 100ohm 5W resistor and the message did not go away, despite the resistor getting very hot. I'll try a 5ohm and see.
My fit for the resistor heat was to pull the wires inside the engine bay and tie them to the fender support such that the resistor hangs in the air and touches nothing.
My fit for the resistor heat was to pull the wires inside the engine bay and tie them to the fender support such that the resistor hangs in the air and touches nothing.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,455
Likes: 11
From: Long Island, NY
W220 S65 AMG
Oh... is that safe? I think the electrical tape will melt.. FAST!
Thank you for the compliment, highly appreciated!
Someone suggest wrapping the bulbs in tin foil.
Thank you for the compliment, highly appreciated!
Someone suggest wrapping the bulbs in tin foil.
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W203
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,455
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From: Long Island, NY
W220 S65 AMG
I don't know why it has not happened to anyone else... when I painted my markers last time and left the bulbs in, the plastic light casing melted from the plastic getting so hot because the paint held the heat in.
By the way I love those CLS wheels on your car... looks amazing!
By the way I love those CLS wheels on your car... looks amazing!
Moderator Alumni
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,255
Likes: 22
From: Seattle
w203 m112
Woah woah. That def hasnt happened to me. Ive painted / sold like 10 sets of those things things w/ at least 3 layers of primer, 5 layers of paint, and 5 layers of clear... I have only used stock side markers though... Im assuming you are using the same 194 wedge bulb and cant imagine them running any hotter in the w220 than in the w203...
I love your comment on my photo, haha... Cracks me up every time I go back to that page. Sadly, I see that more and more people are doing what Ive done... Maybe its time for a change :x
I love your comment on my photo, haha... Cracks me up every time I go back to that page. Sadly, I see that more and more people are doing what Ive done... Maybe its time for a change :x
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Joined: Nov 2008
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From: Boca Raton FL
2006 c230
Measure the ohms of the bulb you took out. (Resistance measurement with the VOM meter).
Divide 13.6 volts by the resistance to get the current in amps.
Multiply the current by the volts (13.6) to get the watts.
So a 100 ohm resistor draws .136 amps and 1.85 watts.
So anything less than a 2 watt 100 Ohm resister will burn out.
A 5 ohm resistor draws 13.6/5 or 2.72 amps.
13.6 x 2.72 = 37 watts. So the 5 ohm resistor should carry at least a 40 watt rating for safety.
Anyways, measure the ohms of the bulb and go from there to determine the wattage needed for the resistor.
Best of luck.
Divide 13.6 volts by the resistance to get the current in amps.
Multiply the current by the volts (13.6) to get the watts.
So a 100 ohm resistor draws .136 amps and 1.85 watts.
So anything less than a 2 watt 100 Ohm resister will burn out.
A 5 ohm resistor draws 13.6/5 or 2.72 amps.
13.6 x 2.72 = 37 watts. So the 5 ohm resistor should carry at least a 40 watt rating for safety.
Anyways, measure the ohms of the bulb and go from there to determine the wattage needed for the resistor.
Best of luck.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,455
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From: Long Island, NY
W220 S65 AMG
