E34 official bulb specifications?

**moroza** · 01-21-2018, 08:44 PM

Wasted about an hour perusing the ETK, FSM, Bentley, BFc, and Google... and I still can't find the official specification for exterior lightbulbs on an E34, other than the highs, lows, and fogs. Does anyone have an owners' manual and can see if that info is in there? Or another source? I'm looking for official bulb numbers, not BMW PNs ($9 per bulb? GTFO), and not US-spec that are sorta kinda close (those can still throw LKM warnings even if they're nominally the same wattage, so I'm 85% sure an 1156, while it may or may not work, is incorrect).

**CarterH** · 01-22-2018, 05:34 AM

Do you mean the side markers, rear license plate bulbs etc?

According to my book:

The parking and side lights are 5 watt bulbs
The front turn indicators are 21 watt bulbs
Central brake light is 21 watt bulb
Rear lights are 10 watt bulbs (then there's a note that says "other lights" are 21 watt bulbs)

**XAlt** · 01-22-2018, 11:48 AM

Just use the US spec bulbs.

P21W = 1156 are almost exactly the same. Never had an LKM warning, even from using an dual filament 1157 for a year because lazy.

**moroza** · 01-22-2018, 04:27 PM

Wattage is easy to find as it's cast into the bulb sockets (for taillights anyway). I'm looking for exact bulb numbers, not "almost" numbers.

**XAlt** · 01-22-2018, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by moroza

Wattage is easy to find as it's cast into the bulb sockets (for taillights anyway). I'm looking for exact bulb numbers, not "almost" numbers.

it's just called P21W, known here as the 7506

**zubbie** · 01-23-2018, 08:46 AM

An interesting link on the subject.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...1156-7506-bulb

And more evidence the 7506 is the osram equivalent

https://carleylamps.com/product/CL70...V-21W-S8-BA15S

**eddycooper** · 01-23-2018, 10:16 AM

Osram has a page and a datasheet for P21W and related bulbs here: https://www.osram.com/am/ecat/ORIGIN...t/ZMP_1285824/

**moroza** · 01-23-2018, 05:21 PM

I believe that P21W = 7506, but I'm looking for official (from the horse's mouth, by BMW AG) confirmation of where to put those bulbs. Does anyone have an E34 owner's manual and can check?

Osram's catalog told me the rear indicator lights are 21W, which they are certainly not (socket clearly says 10W).

**K Fox** · 01-24-2018, 02:15 AM

I'll try to check tomorrow - I know I have my owners manual around somewhere... Not sure it's in there though. But there are like 5 books, so I guess we'll find out.

K Fox

P.S. FWIW, I've always gone with the 7506's - they're a different shape from the US bulbs IIRC (smaller), and they do have a slightly different output level.