Parking Light Bulb Replacement?

[OlGeezer]

Is there a Radio Shack or automotive store replacement P/N for this bulb?

 

TIA,

 

Bill Allen

[Redbrick]

I don't know about any replacement bulb other than BMW but I have replaced both sides on Kathy's 04 1150RT in the last year..What is it with these bulbs?...Tricky place to get into...Some do it without removing tupperware......Not me, too tight; off it came....

BMW part no: 07 11 9 987 391 = $6.40+tax

 

Phil........Redbrick

[kioolt]

I believe that Redbrick is referring to the fog lights since he said he replaced both sides. The fog lights are available at a lot of auto parts stores as an H3 bulb. I'm not sure if the parking light bulb is or not but the electrical specs are 12 volt 5 watt. This may help is finding a substitute.

[Uggles]

Another thread here.

[OlGeezer]

Another thread here.

 

Thanks, but I had no trouble getting it out. Sometimes, being ham-fisted has its advantages

 

Bill Allen

[OlGeezer]

I don't know about any replacement bulb other than BMW but I have replaced both sides on Kathy's 04 1150RT in the last year..What is it with these bulbs?...Tricky place to get into...Some do it without removing tupperware......Not me, too tight; off it came....

BMW part no: 07 11 9 987 391 = $6.40+tax

 

Phil........Redbrick

 

Thanks, Phil, but those are the fog lights. I'm looking for that little bitty bulb standing vertical right in front of the high beam bulb.

 

BTW, to facilitate removing the fog light bulbs, I removed the speakers and packed them away for the future owner.

 

Regards,

 

Bill Allen

[twolfy]

You can get a bulb from cyle gadget. They even have colored ones, put a blue one in the RTP. Easy to replace, reach up under neath the bulb and pull straight down. If it is the first time replacing it can be pretty tight in there. Tom

[NoHeat]

Have you tried visiting an autoparts store and showing them the old one?

 

A motorcycle manufacturer is likely to use a commonly available bulb that can be bought buy cheaply from multiple suppliers.

 

The BMW Repair Manual describes the bulb, p. 366, as:

Parking light W 12V 5W

 

The way it appears in the list in the Repair Manual, the "W" designation looks like it is intended to be a common type.

[NoHeat]

BMW's part no for the parking light bulb is 63 21 6 926 927

 

If I could see a close-up photo of the bulb showing its socket-end connector, I might be able to identify it in the Osram/Sylvania online catalog.

[Redbrick]

I don't know about any replacement bulb other than BMW but I have replaced both sides on Kathy's 04 1150RT in the last year..What is it with these bulbs?...Tricky place to get into...Some do it without removing tupperware......Not me, too tight; off it came....

BMW part no: 07 11 9 987 391 = $6.40+tax

 

Phil........Redbrick

 

Thanks, Phil, but those are the fog lights. I'm looking for that little bitty bulb standing vertical right in front of the high beam bulb.

 

BTW, to facilitate removing the fog light bulbs, I removed the speakers and packed them away for the future owner.

 

Regards,

 

Bill Allen

 

Woops !!!!!!!!!Sorry Bill...Right you are....Wrong lights......

 

Phil........Redbrick

[OlGeezer]

BMW's part no for the parking light bulb is 63 21 6 926 927

 

If I could see a close-up photo of the bulb showing its socket-end connector, I might be able to identify it in the Osram/Sylvania online catalog.

 

Here's the best picture I can take. I hope it helps. This bulb is now the most photographed part of my bike.

[kioolt]

That picture looks like a side marker bulb for an old Ford truck. I'd go to the local auto parts store and check it out.

[NoHeat]

Here's the best picture I can take. I hope it helps. This bulb is now the most photographed part of my bike.

 

Darn good photo.

 

If it's Osram Sylvania, my best guesses are part no. 2821 and 2825. Not sure if one of them could be a perfect match - compare to your photo. Details below.

 

catalog for their automotive miniature bulbs is found here.

 

Sylvania Fig. 70:

possible bulbs for that figure:

part no. 2821 (12V 3W, 1,000 hour lifetime) (lifetime for this bulb is spec'd at 14V)

part no. 2825 (12V 5W, 300 hour lifetime)

Those two parts have filaments that look like these two pictures, respectively:

 

 

Other possibilities are some 14V bulbs:

 

Sylvania Fig. 71:

possible bulbs for that figure:

part no. 168 (14V, 5W, 1500 hours)

part no. 193 (14V, 5W, 5000 hours)

part no. 194LL (14V, 5W, 5000 hours)

all three of those have filaments that look like this:

[NoHeat]

The Sylvania part numbers I listed all appear to be very common interior automotive lights used in dashboards, etc. Cost is typically $1 at an autoparts store.

 

I also found the GE automotive bulb catalog, and they've got lots more possibilities, but the Sylvania part numbers will probably be enough to get the job done.

 

These bulbs have what's called a "wedge" or "W-base". (Not a bayonet base.) Some of them are also designated W3W for W-base 3-Watt, or W5W for W-base 5-Watt.

 

I'd probably go for one rated at 1000 hours or longer. At an average speed of 40 mph, that would last you 40k miles.

 

Let us know if one of these works for you.

[OlGeezer]

Here's the best picture I can take. I hope it helps. This bulb is now the most photographed part of my bike.

 

Darn good photo.

 

Thanks, John.

 

My questions:

 

1. I don't care what the filament looks like, do I?

 

2. A 3 watt bulb won't be as bright as a 5 watt bulb, will it? It's not that important for this application, just curious.

 

3. What is the ramification of using a 14v bulb instead of a 12 volt bulb?

 

Thanks for your research.

 

Bill

[NoHeat]

1. I don't care what the filament looks like, do I?

No reason you should care. I cared at first, because I thought I could find the exact bulb used by BMW, but I found that I was unable to match the filament shape, so it's not the exact OEM bulb.

 

2. A 3 watt bulb won't be as bright as a 5 watt bulb, will it? It's not that important for this application, just curious.

The brightness is indicated in the catalog, which I linked above. The units specified by Sylvania are MSCD, where 1 MSCD = about 13 lumens. So you can look the values up and compare, if you like. Not sure if it matters, since I'm not sure why we need a parking light, actually.

 

3. What is the ramification of using a 14v bulb instead of a 12 volt bulb?

I'd guess they are intended for the same automobile application: nominal 12V electrical systems, which have an actual output closer to 14V when operating off the alternator.

[Boffin]

[quote

3. What is the ramification of using a 14v bulb instead of a 12 volt bulb?

 

Automotive systems are not really 12 volt, that is just the nominal designation derived from the batteies, 6 cells at a nominal 2V per cell. In order to charge a lead-acid battery you need a voltage of over 2.15 volts per cell but this is temperature dependant, most automotive applications use 2.3volts per cell. Under full charging of the alternator therefore, they run closer to 13.8 volts.

 

Andy

[Nevets]

You can get a bulb from cyle gadget. They even have colored ones, put a blue one in the RTP. Easy to replace, reach up under neath the bulb and pull straight down. If it is the first time replacing it can be pretty tight in there. Tom

Careful about using ANY kind of blue light on anything with wheels. I know two people that were given tickets here in Michigan for having blue lights on their cars. One was for two dinky blue lights behind the grill, another for a blue dome (yea, a dome) light!

[georgeb]

Just last night I used a Sylvania 194LL bulb from the local autoparts store. Does not have a wattage rating but some research shows that this may only be a 3.4 watt bulb. I had no idea what the brightness usually is since I just bought the RT the other day and it was burnt when got it home.

[NoHeat]

welcome to the forum!

 

So does the 194LL replacement bulb work, or is that the one that you said failed?

[georgeb]

Thanks for the welcome.

Yes it works but I am not sure if it is as bright as the factory bulb. It was burned out when I bought the bike. I fits in the socket perfectly, but the wattage might be a little low.

[georgeb]

Thanks for the welcome.

Yes it works but I am not sure if it is as bright as the factory bulb. It was burned out when I bought the bike. I fits in the socket perfectly, but the wattage might be a little low.

Alright I got it fixed. In the manual it calls for a 4 watt bulb. Walmart had the W5W bulb and it is significantly brighter than the 194LL. It's in a GE pack on the peg board Part# 12V(2825), W5W.

[OlGeezer]

Thanks for the welcome.

Yes it works but I am not sure if it is as bright as the factory bulb. It was burned out when I bought the bike. I fits in the socket perfectly, but the wattage might be a little low.

Alright I got it fixed. In the manual it calls for a 4 watt bulb. Walmart had the W5W bulb and it is significantly brighter than the 194LL. It's in a GE pack on the peg board Part# 12V(2825), W5W.

 

I concur. My sister sent me a package of Sylvania 194s and they are significantly dimmer. They are rated at .27a at 14 v which is 3.78w compared to 5w for the factory bulb. I got the replacement bulb at the BMW dealer in San Diego. On the receipt, it lists the part number as 07 11 9 978 373. The price was/is $1.20+T which is much cheaper than I was expecting (at the Bring My Wallet dealer).

 

Regards,

 

Bill Allen