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Ellipsoid- Lowbeams- secondary bulb?

 
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markf



Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 1026
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA.

PostPosted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 11:46 am    Post subject: Ellipsoid- Lowbeams- secondary bulb? Reply with quote

Hello, friends..

Concerning Head Lights- Ellipsoid- LowBeams..
Can anyone tell me what the secondary bulb socket is used for? (The one located at top-dead-center, behind the lens.)
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beejay



Joined: 18 Nov 2002
Posts: 1158
Location: Eastern, Pa

PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 3:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Daytime running lights.
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MisterFixit



Joined: 06 Sep 2006
Posts: 38
Location: Golden, Colorado

PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Ellipsoid- Lowbeams- secondary bulb? Reply with quote

markf wrote:
Hello, friends.

Concerning Head Lights- Ellipsoid- LowBeams.
Can anyone tell me what the secondary bulb socket is used for? (The one located at top-dead-center, behind the lens.)

Hello markf,

I believe the low wattage lamp just above the main bulb is a 'city light' or position light, used to mark the location of a car in congested city centers where tons of people and cars are trying to avoid each other.

Sometimes these are above the main bulbs, sometimes below. In any case, I do not think any E30 was fitted with 'Daytime Running Lights' as these arrived on the scene rather later than the last E30 was made.

Here is a link showing the way they appear on my car (1986 535i). Not an ellipsoidal low, but I believe it's the same principle, same function.
http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=132199

They are usually either a T4W bayonette or W4W wedge base lamp, wired to come on as 'parking lights' or 'clearance lights' to show where the car is when main headlight use is restricted or forbidden. The +12V wire feeding it will be grey, perhaps with a color stripe such as white, yellow, blue, etc. In versions where these are used, there is typically no dim 'parking light' filament in the turn signals.

Is your car a US or Euro version, and what year / model is it?

Do these lights work, or is this a case where you haven't installed the light but wondered what it was about, and how to connect it?
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