HELLA are making hydraulic headlight adjusters again

General E30 related discussions -
Please put technical questions in E30 Tech Help forum below

Moderator: martauto

User avatar
Brianmoooore
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 49358
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Sat May 16, 2020 6:17 pm

BenHar wrote:
Sat May 16, 2020 12:39 pm
On at least one of the E30s I've owned the pipes went along the other side of the engine bay and through the bulkhead by the battery.

Ben
As I said in another recent thread concerning the routing of radio wiring, BMW provided detailed instructions for the fitting of these options at the supplying dealer, but that didn't stop the occasional fitter going their own way.
User avatar
BenHar
E30 Zone Addict
E30 Zone Addict
Posts: 3068
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2010 11:00 pm
Location: Reigate, Surrey

Sat May 16, 2020 6:58 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:
Sat May 16, 2020 6:17 pm
BenHar wrote:
Sat May 16, 2020 12:39 pm
On at least one of the E30s I've owned the pipes went along the other side of the engine bay and through the bulkhead by the battery.

Ben
As I said in another recent thread concerning the routing of radio wiring, BMW provided detailed instructions for the fitting of these options at the supplying dealer, but that didn't stop the occasional fitter going their own way.
I meant that maybe this kit would fit if it was tried on the other side.

Ben
User avatar
Brianmoooore
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 49358
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Sat May 16, 2020 7:06 pm

BenHar wrote:
Sat May 16, 2020 6:58 pm
I meant that maybe this kit would fit if it was tried on the other side.
That's what I said in my last but one post.
Now that you've mentioned it, I think that one of mine has the pipes on the RH side as well.
The problem is that the kit doesn't come apart, so you need a hole in the bulkhead big enough for the adjuster to go through, so that restricts the cabin entry points to the grommet below the glove box or the engine ECU wiring grommet by the front battery tray.
User avatar
BenHar
E30 Zone Addict
E30 Zone Addict
Posts: 3068
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2010 11:00 pm
Location: Reigate, Surrey

Sun May 17, 2020 12:03 am

Your E34 electrical conversion is much better.

But why bother? If the man from the ministry is fussy just hide the control with some gaffa tape.

Ben
User avatar
TurtleDesignTech
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2015 11:00 pm
Location: Hampshire

Tue May 26, 2020 7:20 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 11:22 pm
They'd probably fit if you reversed them and added a small grommet for the pipes next to the engine loom to cabin grommet, but that wouldn't be OE fitting, of course
I did consider this and it might have to be the long term solution if I can't find some RHD ones.
User avatar
RTTBMW
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 214
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2019 11:45 am
Location: Enniskillen

Fri May 29, 2020 2:58 pm

TurtleDesignTech wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 8:24 pm
UPDATE

Finally got around to fitting these this last weekend.


IMG_20200510_140358.jpg

IMG_20200510_140449.jpg



Bad news - they only reach to the passenger glove box, so they must be the left hand drive version.

I am contacting HELLA to see if they make a right hand drive version. Will see what they say....

Any chance you could take a few photos of them connected to the headlight. Mine arrived in the post today! My existing ones are cable tied away from the lights, so I am not sure how they are fitted in place. Thanks in the meantime!

regards

Richard
E30 325i Mtech 2 1990 (Registered in 1991)
User avatar
TurtleDesignTech
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2015 11:00 pm
Location: Hampshire

Fri May 29, 2020 8:47 pm

RTTBMW wrote:
Fri May 29, 2020 2:58 pm
TurtleDesignTech wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 8:24 pm
UPDATE

Finally got around to fitting these this last weekend.


IMG_20200510_140358.jpg

IMG_20200510_140449.jpg



Bad news - they only reach to the passenger glove box, so they must be the left hand drive version.

I am contacting HELLA to see if they make a right hand drive version. Will see what they say....

Any chance you could take a few photos of them connected to the headlight. Mine arrived in the post today! My existing ones are cable tied away from the lights, so I am not sure how they are fitted in place. Thanks in the meantime!

regards

Richard
IMG_20200510_140344.jpg
IMG_20200510_140335.jpg

You have to line up the 3 points on the light adjuster end with the slots in the back of the headlights and twist to get them to lock in.
IMG_20200510_132051.jpg
The slots look like this. This is one of them detached from the back of the headlights.
User avatar
TurtleDesignTech
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2015 11:00 pm
Location: Hampshire

Fri May 29, 2020 8:53 pm

BenHar wrote:
Sun May 17, 2020 12:03 am
Your E34 electrical conversion is much better.

But why bother? If the man from the ministry is fussy just hide the control with some gaffa tape.

Ben
I did look into this, but a new set of E34 headlight adjusters are over £100 now anyway. Not much difference in price.
User avatar
RTTBMW
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 214
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2019 11:45 am
Location: Enniskillen

Tue Jun 02, 2020 3:21 pm

I see what you mean they don't fit. So a hole through the firewall maybe the only solution! Anybody any suggestions to the safest place under the steering to cut a hole and fix the grommet to! Any luck with contacting HELLA.

regards

Richard
E30 325i Mtech 2 1990 (Registered in 1991)
User avatar
Brianmoooore
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 49358
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Tue Jun 02, 2020 6:36 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 11:22 pm
They'd probably fit if you reversed them and added a small grommet for the pipes next to the engine loom to cabin grommet, but that wouldn't be OE fitting, of course
Position the grommet close to the grommet for the engine loom and cut a 3mm wide channel between the two to slide the pipes through.
User avatar
RTTBMW
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 214
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2019 11:45 am
Location: Enniskillen

Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:33 am

So you are saying the gromments are close together. The adjusters have to go through the firewall and they are big and the control is even bigger if I went from engine bay to dash. So I would have to remove the engine loom grommet to get the adjusters through! I think I got your thinking! Took me a minute! Thanks! Need to check whether the can be reversed. When first looking at it I though one side was really short!
E30 325i Mtech 2 1990 (Registered in 1991)
Post Reply