Sealed Beam (not Lucas ) All pins Zero Ohms ?

[whyperion]

OK I dropped a headlight , one of the L pins has come off , any ideas how to safely peen the pip back over the tab ?

I would have thought normally the M/B and Earth would be either o/c if broke, or (zero ish resistance) if the lamp filament works, ditto for dip and earth, but M/B and Dip should not be connected and there is some kind of internal short or shorting via earth ( lamp body ? )

Also the inner bowls ( not the black ones ) are well corroded on surface , worth dipping in rust remover acid and repainting or do I have to just go an buy new ?

[autolycus]

Think of the two filaments as being wired in series, with a tapping in the middle that goes to the earth pin. As you say, the cold resistance of one filament is naff all, and twice naff all is still naff all, so with a simple continuity tester all three pins will appear to be shorted together. I find my "yellow box" battery/jump leads is handy for testing headlamps and the like.

As for mending it: I can't see it standing much hammering, so I'd try a blob of solder from a solder gun for electrical continuity, then a blob of araldite for mechanical support. Then buy a new one, with the satisfaction of knowing you've tried.

Kevin

[bmcecosse]

Good explanation! And hahahaha on the repair. But honestly - rusty etc - is it worth it? And after dropping it - the filaments will be stretched out of position. I wouldn't waste my time on it.......

[mike.perry]

If you are going to replace the light unit, invest in a set of Wipac halogen lights

[DaisyMayFozz]

If you are going to replace the light unit, invest in a set of Wipac halogen lights

Seconded. Much better light and they look right too.

[ASL642]

and more importantly you can see where you're going!

[bmcecosse]

Absolutely nothing wrong with sealed beam lights - I had an early morning run yesterday at 5am on dark roads and the sealed beam headlamps were perfect. In fact - I would argue actually better than the halogens on my TR7. And no - I wasn't dawdling about yesterday but can't put the speed up on here.......