98sclass

do i only have to splice/solder the positive wire from the ballast to the positive white wire on the headlight and the negative wire from the ballast to the brownish negative wire?

nguyensteve

on the ballast connection yes, correct.
However, are you putting xenon bulb in the halogen headlight?
If so, the ligth pattern is not going to be correct, but it will be bright. Are you using the D2S or D2R bulb or H7 xenon bulb?
Give us more detail on what you are trying to do?

Steve

98sclass

i am trying to install some xenon ballast i bought off a wrecked s4. to my 98 s420. and yes, i have halogen housings. the oem s4 ballast use d2s bulbs and is h7 like mercedes.

i just want to know how others with mercedes installed their own xenons.

the oem ballast look like this...my ballast look like this...

http://ctny.a4.org/mark/s4/euros/dsc01701.jpg


http://www.vagparts.com/pages/NewA4_xenon_install.htm

Hank

I see that the Audi ballast has 6 contacts in the connector. Do you know the wiring diagram? That would be helpful if you're going to try to retrofit. Also, the bulb is not a straight *snap* fit, you're gonna have to jimmy up some method to hold the D2S bulb in the H7 socket. Unless you're correct about Audi using H7 style on the D2S bulb.

question, why are you asking about installation on a W140 in a W210 forum?

nguyensteve

The D2R bulb need to be modify to fit into the H7 socket.
The modication is adding a spacer to match the filament.

Please read here

H7 HID:
H7 specs calls for a distance of 25mm from the base flange to the bottom of the filament. D2S/D2R specs call for a distance of 27.1mm from the base flange to the center of the hid capsule. H7 filament is spec'd to be 4.1mm in length, so distance from base flange to filament center is 25 + 4.1/2 or 27.05mm nominally nearly perfect positioning. Hid capsule size is 4.1mm measured along the longitudinal axis, so even that is very nearly identical to the length of the H7 filament. This is if the H7 filament was centered. But it isnt. Its actually off the center axxis by a 1.5mm in downwords direction.

http://faq.auto.light.tripod.com/special-topics.htm

or you can get a Xenon bulb that have the H7 socket.
I do have a spare pair if you are interested.

Steve

michakaveli

I did a quick retrofit of D2S bulbs by cutting the base off of an H7 bulb and used JB weld to adhere it to the base of the D2S bulb. Works fine, just make sure everything is straight.

98sclass

because i didn't get much of a response so i thought i'd try other forums.

michakaveli

That isn't the right ballast to use for this retrofit. You have to use the ballast off of 00-02 A4/S4 or A6 with xenon lamps.

98sclass

this is oem ballast off a 2000 s4. i removed them myself when i paid the junkyard.

michakaveli

I apologize. The ballast you have pictured is the Valeo. The one best suited is the Hella, due to the long cable that comes out of the ballast and to the bulb. Plus the Hella does not have the remote ignitor. Hella ballasts only use two wires. Constant and ground, very simple. Included is a link to what I am referring too....

rob_fed

When you figure out the proper wiring configuration of your ballasts, then "yes", you are basically powering each ballast from each original headlight harness. If you do not want to cut off the original H7 socket, you can use the male 1/4" blade connectors inserted into their respective sockets. Just remember to get the polarity right for your ballasts.

I replied on a previous post last August:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=48247

Scroll down till you see me crude wiring diagram. I shows a how to insert a resistor in parallel so the headlight warning does not come on.

98sclass

i have the wiring figured out on the audi ballast and i only have a postive and negative wire left on them. i tested it out by hooking it up to one of those portable jumper battery.

about the resistor.. is there a certain brand i'm supposed to use? also do you have a part number of the one you used? thanks in advance

rob_fed

For the purpose of fooling the "headlight" failure message, the resistor can be almost anything. The last person was able to get away with the 2.2K ohm resistor in parallel with the ballast. You can use almost any wattage, but I would use a 1/2 to 1watt rated resistor. You can get them at any Radio Shack. The higher the resistance the less power it will have to dissapate. But if you go too high, the warning will still come on. What every you use, you will have to solder some wires to the the ends of the resistor.

On a side note, there are many load resistors sold for the purpose of loading the mechanical turn indicator flasher, as when you replace your turn indicator bulbs with LED bulbs. These are typically in the 5 to 10 ohm resistance range and are rated at about 20watts. These are power resistors with small wires soldered to each end. You can use these in parallel with the HID ballast, but it is an over kill. They will just get hot from being powered continously when the headlights are on.