acostaernie

Tried two new bulb assemblies, no luck. Does any one know where I could get fuse identifiers along with locations? Our Benzs are not labeled!!

Thank you. 2001 S430 Sport

vmystikilv

What kind of lights, hid, regular?

acostaernie

Regular H7 lamp assembly not HID

corkshoppe

this is what i did, did you replace the correct bulb, its closer to the fender, i changed the bulb 2 times and realized i was changing the wrong one.

MB-Dude

I know this sounds weird, but turn on the headlights and open the hood. If the left headlight comes on, replace the passenger side SAM unit. I had this exact problem. I can't make this crap up!
Cheers,
Jeff

corkshoppe

mb-dude, this is true the left works the right and other way, its a safty feature. i have a left sam if you need 1.

kraut56

I can confirm via DAS that the LEFT headlight is controlled by the RIGHT SAM

Mrmojo78

I currently have the same issue. I turn on the headlights and the driver side headlight and the passenger side turn signal doesn't work. Once I pop the hood, the lights turn on. I removed the hood latch sensor and zip tied it to the frame. This way I could drive with working lights, but the annoying "open hood" warning light pops up when you start moving. You say to remove the Passenger side SAM, is this the one under the hood or under the rear passenger seat. Also would I have other issues besides the headlight if the SAM was faulty? Any way to test a SAM? Sorry for the questions, but I've been having so many issues with this car. I've been working on it almost everyday for a month.

corkshoppe

the sam is and electronic ciucuit, its just chraper to replace, i have a left sam for sale if your looking for 1

MB-Dude

Yup... SAM unit under the hood is bad. Identical symptoms to my situation. Replace the SAM - no programming needed - and you'll be right as rain.
Cheers,
Jeff

MB-Dude

Not sure about the 'safety feature' angle. One of the front SAM's controls the anti-thief and that's where the hood latch circuitry ties in. (Open the hood, alarm activates, etc.) They SAM programming gets wonky and opening the hood turns on the headlamp, etc. For some reason, MB designed the headlight circuits to be activated by the opposite side SAM unit. Dumb. But as long as people are aware, troubleshooting is easier. BTW - I don't need a SAM unit... replaced mine already... that's how I am sure how the circuit works.
Cheers,
Jeff

Mrmojo78

Thanks Jeff. just to be sure, the passenger side SAM is defective since my driver side light goes out? Or is the driver side SAM defective since the hood latch is on the passenger side? Are the front SAMs interchangeable? Do the front two SAMs have the same part number? Thanks in advance.

MB-Dude

Yes - The left headlamp is controlled by the passenger-side SAM. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but that's the way they're wired. (For reference, the RH headlamp is controlled by the driver-side SAM.)

The hood latch silliness comes into play not through the warning switch itself, but through the anti-theft circuitry... which is also in the passenger-side SAM. [Surprise, surprise.] The anti-theft alarm activates if the hood is detected open while the car is locked.

To my knowledge, the SAM units are not interchangeable and they have different part numbers.

The swap-out is simple, though be careful as the electrical box is crowded and cramped with bunches of cables and connectors. Work slowly but steadily to ensure you do not inadvertently disconnect another connector.

Cheers,
Jeff

Mrmojo78

Nice. Thanks a lot. Kind of sux tho since all the cheaper SAMs on eBay are driver side. I put up a post about all the issues I'm having. I explained that I found a bundle of green and green/white wires running in the driver side footwell. I noticed one green/white wire was disconnected. I spliced the wire with the rest of the wires of the same colors. Boom my ride height and suspension switches on the dash started working again. Well now I have a defective display with an engine pic warning, brake pad wear and airmatic malfunction warning popping up on the dash. In the same footwell, I also noticed a blue/white wire running from a black harness disconnected. This wire ran along with four or five other wires under the driver seat and into a plastic duct. I need to remove the seat to find the connection. I was wondering if you knew what the wire ran to. Also could all the warnings be a result of the same SAM? Maybe someone disconnected the wires to stop the warnings in the dash. The brakes are new, the airmatic is working fine since I just replaced the rear left strut and the engine runs smooth. Please let me know what you think. Thanks in advance.