Saijin_Naib

Thanks pif

Next up on mods is new headlights/clear corners (lost one on the highway today, grumble grumble) because it became clear to me during the rally that I cant see **** captain.

Also, I will continue to swap out the white interior lights for red because it really is a blessing at night because it does not ruin your nightvision.

Also, we are going to be bolt/weld/screwing a sheet of metal over my plastic oil pan shield because that got battered to **** tonight as well.

Edit: Schooled some WRXs in a rally. A RALLY. Muahaha

Saijin_Naib

Does anyone know the bulb type for the Vanity Mirrors and for the Halogen Reading light that is in the front map light dome? I'd like to change them to red as well as my under door courtesy lights.

STLe320

I'd be interested as well (as you know! lol)

Does anyone know the trunk light size either?

pifcat2

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...lacementGuide/

not sure where to get the corresponding colored bulbs but you can try eBay.

Saijin_Naib

Thanks pifcat, but that site does not show the bulbs I am after although it has helped me replace most of my other lights.

Here's what I have so far.

pifcat2

It lists the correct white bulbs, where did you get the colored bulbs?

Map light
6418
6418LL Long Life Upgrade: Up to twice the life of the standard lamp

Dome light
6411

Saijin_Naib

Got them from Pep Boys. It lists the festoon bulbs (36mm front/41mm rear) but NOT the reading light (the one pointed at in the picture).

STLe320

Do you plan on getting that red too?

Saijin_Naib

Yeah, it gives a good amount of glare off when everything else is red. I want that and the Vanity Mirrors red so when I'm driving at night the lights can be on and not mess up my night vision.

Saijin_Naib

Anyone know of some seriously bright 1156/7506 bulbs? I need better illumination when I back up.

Saijin_Naib

I think my alternator may be dying, the car's lights dim quite extremely while the car is idling or sometimes while driving. This behavior is sometimes accompanied by a cyclical squeaking noise that when it stops, the lights go back to being normal brightness.

http://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/prt,23,AL0169X

Will this Bosch AL0169X alternator work on my 300ce? It's for the 1993 300ce which has the same m104 as I do (I think), so it should be bolt up, right?

STLe320

I have these any they made a huge difference
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MERCE...Q5fAccessories

Saijin_Naib

Do they LOOK brighter because they are blue or do they actually throw more light? I don't care about color temperature, I care about lumens :P

ZorroAMG

Plastic old housings will not fair well with higher wattages, just an FYI...meltage suxage.

Saijin_Naib

This is true.. There are PIAA 27w ones (only 6 watt more than stock) or Polarg ones which have a convex lens at the end of the bulb. Both are supposedly better than the standard ones. There are also the Putco Luxeon LED bulbs @ 5w that are supposedly (actually) brighter than standard 21w filament bulbs. Urgh, confused.

Saijin_Naib

Vanity Mirror Light Bulbs are standard 36mm festoon bulbs, two per mirror. This makes Four total. The bright reading light in the map light housing is a bulb type I did not recognize bearing Osram Part 64111 (12v 5w 969), and was replaced by an 1895 in red. Now I have every major light red except for the under-door courtesy light and the Vanity Mirror lights. Gague cluster I'm not sure I want to change yet. Trunk/glove box are both red now.

AMGDave

Yes, the AL0169X (120 amp?) bolts up. But if you're going to upgrade the alternator, just get a 143A or 150A (AL0766X, AL0768X, AL0785X). Full details are in this thread.

I've done this upgrade to 4 different W124's now, it is WELL worth the effort!! I just completed the 150A install into my 1993 300D yesterday. On this latest install, I left the stock battery terminals and power distribution block (in previous upgrades, I changed those items). I'll update that thread with the new photos in the next few days.

Saijin_Naib

Thanks for the reply dave

Do you notice any drag on the engine due to the increased size of the more powerful amps? My CE is precious slow to begin with and I really don't want to be robbing more HP with an amp I won't even use to the fullest. I don't plan on a beast stereo and I don't think one more neon will screw me. But yeah, any advice is welcome. I think my car has the 90amp one?

AMGDave

HA! You think your CE is slow with 177hp? Try my 2.5 diesel with 125hp!! But to answer your question, no, there's not a detectable difference in engine power. I assume the larger alternator probably uses an extra HP or three, but from behind the wheel, you can't feel it. I believe the M103 never came with anything larger than 70A or 80A, which has the plug-in style connector. Everything 90A and larger has threaded post connectors.

Saijin_Naib

I believe my CE is the early m104 (24v DOHC) with 212hp, but I am unsure of the alternator size. If you say that there is no noticeable loss, then I trust you. I will have to look into the prices as I'm rather strapped for cash right now and really want to get the swaybars upped first :P

AMGDave

Wooops! I didn't notice which engine you have. The M104 is much nicer than the M103, and the additional 35-40hp doesn't hurt either. Used 150A alternators are cheap, $50-$100... if you want a rebuilt one, it will cost more like $300-$400 (not worth it - used is fine). I just posted a bunch of new photos to my website with my latest alternator install, using two 4-ga cables, and the stock power distribution block. Click the URL below to see the photos... check out the files named "cable_4ga...":

http://www.w124performance.com/image...eo/alternator/

Are you planning to do the normal Sportline sway bars, or the "Sportline Plus / stage 2" setup with a limo front bar & 500E rear bar? The cost is near double for the latter, though... $450-$500 vs. approx $250 for the standard stuff. (I have the bigger ones on my car, btw.)

Saijin_Naib

Will a used one put out the rated amperage? I think that is what is up with mine... It's just worn out. Granted, a 150 or 143a alternator worn out probably puts out more amps than my 60a (?) on it's best day... Harumph, decisions.

What, if you don't mind, is the power distribution block? Do I need (for safety's sake) to replace the cables and block? I don't want to mess anything up, I do that plenty on normal days lol.

I am gunning for the + setup with the LWB front and 500e rear. I think I got it priced at 375$ with bushings so it seems fairly reasonable. At least the car won't flop about like a dick with E.D anymore, or so I hope. How big an improvement did you notice? Would the H&R Sports + Bilstein Sports be a bigger improvement? I plan that anyway but my god is that costly.

AMGDave

That's the neat thing about alternators. The performance doesn't degrade as they age. They work fine right up until they quit. The common failures are bearings, and the voltage regulator brushes. If the bearings are smooth & quiet, and the brushes aren't worn out, a used unit will work fine for years. I put used 150A alternators on all three of my cars and all are still working perfectly. The 150A unit puts out over 100A at idle... the stock 70A unit puts out maybe 40A at idle. The 150A also puts out the rated 14V, which the 70A unit does not!



The power distribution block is where the stock alternator cable connects to the factory wiring harness. You don't need to change this. You do need to replace the cable from the alternator to the distribution block, though. You really need to look at the photos at the link in my previous post, this will clear up a lot of questions.



Sweet! If you found the bigger bars for <$400, that's awesome. Compared to the stock bars, it's a significant difference - you'll be happy, trust me. I would do the sway bars first, and springs/struts later on. I prefer factory Sportline springs instead of H&R... with the factory springs, you can select springs that will allow the exact ride height you want, and you can adjust higher or lower if needed (by changing to the next taller or shorter spring). With H&R, you're stuck with what you get out of the box. I've been through this discussion many times... for a street car (especially a daily drive), lowering it too much is NOT a good thing. For a show car, or race car, that's a different story.

pifcat2

check these LED's: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/pts/1007933452.html

Saijin_Naib

I'm not sure I want to use LEDs for interior light as I'm not sure it will be nice even light like filament bulbs throw out. I'll keep on finding these festoons that are red despite the annoyance :P