Sealed beam headlamp failures

Post by **Vernon** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 4:35 pm

My daughter's 1969 saloon has suffered 3 headlamp failures in the last 18 months. What could be causing this?

Post by **bmcecosse** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 7:32 pm

Cheap and nasty sealed beam units. Go for proper halogen units - they are SO much better - you can actually see where you are going at night ! CTS will do you a pair for £18 complete with bulbs. ctsspares@fsmail.net or 0121 694 5664 I bought two sets for my cars a couple of years back - and the difference is amazing.

Post by **MikeNash** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 6:26 pm

Vernon,
I've been awaiting years for my sealed beams to conk out so that I can justify replacing them - but no luck! So hang the expense! I'm going for the change and if I'm not amazed then it rude words to Scotland!
But I'd check your volts if I were you. I can't find anyone down here that's had your daughter's experience. Sealed beams seem to last for ever. Regards, MikeN.

Post by **Multiphonikks** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 8:55 pm

One warning

If you're going to Halogens (BMC is right - they are much nicer than the older style lamps) you may want to do an alternator conversion if she's going to be sitting in a lot of traffic. Halogens do take a bit more of a drain to the electrics!

Nikki

Post by **Matt** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 8:57 pm

Halogens do take a bit more of a drain to the electrics!

No they don't, same voltage, same power, therefore same current and drain....

they are better because they convert the power to light more efficiently

Post by **Packedup** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 8:58 pm

In theory halogens of the same wattages shouldn't draw any more than sealed beams. 55 watts is 55 watts. However it does seem a lot of people think you might need more juice to power them, so maybe there is an element of truth hidden somewhere. I know my 80/100W halogens (cough, not used on the road, cough) put more of a hit on the alternator on the car I tried them out on, but then that's expected!

They also lit things up a touch more than the Lucas things that came off...

Post by **Multiphonikks** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 8:59 pm

Ah well, I'm a boring old muso

-

I'll bow to superiour knowledge

Post by **rayofleamington** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:21 am

Sealed beams seem to last for ever.

The only ones that I've had fail were quite new - therefore I tend to seek out nice old ones with a Lucas logo on the glass.
New parts can often be very inferior quality - and that doesn't just apply to lights, it applies to almost everything you can buy, including many of the parts from well known / highly respectable specialists too.
(please note that not everything I do is perfect either

!)

Post by **Packedup** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 3:07 am

Hmmm, musical ability, or basic electrical aptitude... I know which one I'd prefer to have...

Anyway, sealed beams - I have 4 cars with sealed beams, all have driving lights as well, making 16 sealed beam units in total. One of the cars had (well, has, but it's being chopped up) the lights etched with the number plate, so they must be quite old, and still work. In fact, out of the half dozen or so I've replaced not many have been Lucas units, whereas at least 50% of the ones on my current driver are Lucas.

I have had problems with sealed beams blowing on one side quite often (reletively speaking), I think it's down to poor connections somewhere as the other side will usually be OK. Also any bulb will have a shorter life if more oomph is put through it, so it's worth checking the charging system isn't pushing too many volts out, especially on old dynamo cars where the regulator might not be properly set up.

The Minor dip/ main switch feels quite robust, but in my opinion it's always worth dropping in a relay for the lights as and when you get round to it, and it's really quite important if you're going to be running more powerful bulbs. If you're adding extra lights that are powered with the normal ones then I'd say it's vital to run a relay in fact

Post by **Cam** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:19 pm

I had a spate of sealed beams failing (3 I think on the same side within about a month), but the current one is fine, so I think they were just poor units that had probably been bashed about a bit and the element had suffered.

I find sealed beams perfectly OK for night driving. They light up the road fine for me. Mind you, I do clean the lamps and the windscreen!

Post by **Alec** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:32 pm

Hello all,

lamps do not like:- vibration, is the headlight unit tight in the bowl\rim, overvoltage, stone chips\cracks (sealed beam) as it loses the gas or vacuum (I can't remember what's in a sealed beam unit).

Alec

Post by **Onne** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:58 pm

I absoluelt don't know. They're not allowed here, sealed beam units

Post by **bigginger** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:04 pm

?????? Any idea why?

Post by **Onne** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:11 pm

No. No idea. I don't think they were ever allowed overhere, you can't get them in LHD anyway.

Post by **lowedb** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 7:47 pm

I'd say check your volts, too. THe only strange thing is why only the headlamps. Overvolts would kill all your bulbs.

According to the manuals I have handy, sealed beams were (are?) 60W/45W, the equivalent bulb units were 45W/40W and halogens are 65W/60W.

Something I was told and found surprising is the higher wattage is the DIP element. This is to do with the amount of light lost (scattered to someweher not useful) by creating the dipped beam.

Post by **rayofleamington** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:45 pm

They light up the road fine for me. Mind you, I do clean the lamps and the windscreen!

Funny you should say that! Someone mentioned to me tonight that their headlights seemed to be getting very dim so they thought the battery/alternator was faulty. Their headlamps had got so dirty that you might as well have not turned them on!

Post by **Cam** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 12:25 am

Yeah, it's amazing the difference clean glass makes. My old grandad used to wipe my headlamps every time I used to leave his house after a visit. So, in the spirit of the old chap, I wipe the lenses when I go past and have a rag in my hand...

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:28 pm

Halogen lamps are all 55/55 - unless you go for the 'off road only' higher wattage. Sealed beams certainly used to be available with vertical dip - supposed to be fitted for Continental Motoring - dunno if they were made RH dip. One trick is to rewire the filaments so BOTH are ON when on main beam, the MAIN filament going off when dipped. This does throw extra light and obviously uses more current - but strangely the bulbs don't seem to have any shorter life. There are also various 'extra white' and 'blue' versions of the standard halogen bulb with various claims about seeing through fog/X-ray vision etc - but I have no experience of anything other than the standard ones.