[brandnew161]

alright regarding the coils that are cylindrical and have two terminals with one main plug in the middle. Its in oil filled coil and heres my question. If the metal exterior is dented a little bit will that lessen the life of the coil or not? thx

 

[iminhell]

If the oil is still able to flow around the windings and does not intrude far enough to contact the windings, no life is lost.

But the oil is also there to isolate the windings from vibration. A dent severe enough to mark the case may have disturbed the windings and the life span could be shortened from that.

There really is no clear cut answer, but if you can just get a new one, they are cheap and plentiful and nearly universal.