Replacing A Car Cigarette Lighter
If your car cigarette lighter isnt working, you may need to replace it. Fortunately, this is a relatively simple process that only requires a few tools.
First, locate the fuse box in your car and remove the fuse for the cigarette lighter. Once the fuse has been removed, use a screwdriver to remove the screws that hold the lighter in place.
Once the screws have been removed, pull out the old cigarette lighter and insert the new one. Be sure to line up the wires correctly before screwing them into place. Finally, replace the fuse and test out the new lighter.
Replacing a car cigarette lighter is a simple process that only takes a few minutes. However, if youre still having trouble getting your lighter to work, then you may need to replace the entire device.
Faulty Consumer Plug / Lighter
So lets start by checking the consumer, whats the consumer? Its whatever youre plugging into the power socket. Lots of times the problem isnt with the car at all, but with the lighter, charger plug, or cable.
If the consumer is a cigarette lighter, check the coil face, is it broken or covered in tobacco? Modern car lighters and sockets are universal, take your lighter to a friends or neighbors car and test it in their socket.
If your consumer is a phone charger, check the contact points for damage. Test it in another car or try a different charger. Its soooo common for the problem to be in the phone plug connector or cable.
The phone charger type plug has three contact points, one in the center and two on each side. All must be clean and free from debris.
The contact points are spring-loaded so that they contact the inside of the lighter socket firmly, go ahead and check that the contacts are working.
Removing The Old Port
For the factory 12v port, it has an outer shell that holds it into place. From what Ive found, the inner frame slides out first, then the outer black shell can be removed. For some reason, mine was jammed in place and I wasnt able to separate it. The inside of my factory port is rusty, so I wont bother keeping it anyway. Instead, I just broke off the mounting tabs, the rectangular slots exposed chrome in behind is the tab locations.
As for the plug, the clear outer plastic is what keeps the terminals in place, along with small tangs on the inside. Here you can see one of those tangs, they need to be pulled away from the terminals.
The new port doesnt fully fit and the hole isnt completely round. So it does require some sanding, for this will be using a small drum sander on a drill. The finer the grit, the cleaner finish youll achieve. Its only plastic so the material can be removed quickly.
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Remove Surrounding Parts To Remove The Socket
If you cant quite remove the cigarette lighter socket from its position, try removing the panels surrounding it by hand. Start prying around the edges gently. If you cant do so by hand, use a plastic pry tool. You dont have to pull the panels fully.
You only need to pry them to an extent that allows you to look inside. Look for a wire connector or wire attachment that connects to the socket from the back. Remove the wire connection by rotating the connector counterclockwise or by releasing any clips that are securing it. This releases the socket from its attachment.
Once the cigarette lighter socket is released from the back, you can now remove it from its position. Avoid applying too much force. Wiggle it and turn it a bit further if youre experiencing any trouble. If theres a nut holding the lighter socket in place, use a wrench to remove it. This step applies to sockets located on the dashboard and near the gear stick.
Dealing With A Blown Cigarette Lighter Fuse
In many cases, you will find that the cigarette lighter fuse is blown, which can be the result of a number of different issues. If you found a coin in the socket, then that is probably the end of it. If you didnt, then you may have a short elsewhere, or you may have plugged something in, like a cigarette lighter inverter, that simply draws more amperage than the circuit is designed to handle.
Cigarette lighter circuits are often fused at 10 or 15A, which isnt a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. So if your cigarette lighter inverter isn’t specifically designed to keep current demands below that level, plugging in any number of electronics could theoretically blow your fuse and keep the inverter from working.
The easiest way to proceed from there is to replace the cigarette lighter or 12v accessory socket fuse and see what happens. If it blows immediately, youre dealing with a short somewhere in the circuit. If you plug in the cigarette lighter and the fuse blows, then that is probably the issue. If everything is fine initially, but the fuse blows when you plug in the inverter, then the inverter is probably the culprit.
In any case, the inherent limitations of cigarette lighter inverters mean that you may end up better off with a different inverter that is hooked either directly to the battery or to the fuse panel. For more information about that, you can check out our article on how to estimate inverter requirements.
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Ensure You Have Turned On The Car
If your car is old, it will require you to remove the car cigarette lighter before you can access the socket. You dont have to turn on the car because you can still receive power even if the vehicle is off.
However, with the most recent generation of cars that are highly electric and comprise several computerized settings, some electric functions will not work unless the battery is engaged. So for this type of car if the cigarette lighter is not working you have to ensure that the car is turned on first. If your car radio can play and the fan is also blowing but there is no power coming to the socket, then you will have to take the next step in this troubleshooting list.
Troubleshooting A Dead Car Cigarette Lighter
In this age of electronic portable devices, having a malfunctioning electric outlet in your car is one of the issues you can easily identify. A malfunctioning electric socket will most likely cause frustrations. This may tempt you to have your car checked by a mechanic to fix the electric outlet. Fixing a car cigarette lighter should not be such a complex job.
You can do it at home without going through the hassles and expenses of taking your vehicle to a mechanic to help fix it. The likely cause of a dead car cigarette lighter can be traced from a blown fuse. Fixing this is not a difficult task. But before you can embark on this duty, you have to ensure a couple of things are considered first.
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Determining Switched Power Connector & Polarity With A Multimeter
Now to determine which is the switched source. Some 12v ports remain on all the time or they can be switched with the ignition. This can be checked using a multimeter or test light and Ill demonstrate both examples. First using a multimeter, set it to the two-digit dc voltage setting. Make sure you have the leads in their correct position, this will help determine which wire is positive and negative.
With the key in the off position, test the plugs for the 12v ports. These can be probed from the front or rear, whichever is easiest. As you can see, one has no voltage and the other has voltage present, therefore its on all the time.
If youve noticed, the value was negative on the meter readout, this means the polarity is mixed up. Therefore positive is negative and negative is positive. So when the leads are switched, the value will be shown as a positive value. Therefore the black lead is on the ground and the red lead is on positive. This will need to be known when connecting the new port.
Next, I have stuck the probes in the back of the connector so they stay in place, then turning on the ignition, the circuit has power right away. Once the key is turned off, the circuit turns off as well.
How To Check Car Cigarette Lighter Coils
If youre like most drivers, youve probably wondered how to check car cigarette lighter coils at some point. After all, these devices are responsible for providing the power needed to heat up your cars interior. Fortunately, checking them is relatively simple and only requires a few tools.
First, locate the coil in your car cigarette lighter. Once youve found it, use a multimeter to test the continuity of the coil. If theres no continuity, then its likely that the coil is defective and will need to be replaced.
Once youve checked the continuity of the coil, reassemble your cars cigarette lighter and test it out. If it still doesnt work, then you may need to replace the entire device.
Trying to figure out how to check car cigarette lighter coils can be frustrating, but its actually quite simple once you know what to do. With a few tools and a bit of patience, you can easily troubleshoot this common issue.
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How To Properly Clean Car Cigarette Lighter Socket
If your car has a cigarette lighter socket, you know how convenient it is to have. You can use it to charge your phone, power your GPS, or even heat up your coffee on those cold mornings.
But over time, the socket can become dirty and grimy, making it difficult to use. Heres how to properly clean your cars cigarette lighter socket so that it works like new again.
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Instructions:
Cleaning your cars cigarette lighter socket is a quick and easy way to keep it in good working condition. By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your socket works like new again.
Which Causes A Car Cigarette Lighter To Stop Working
A car cigarette lighter may stop working due to several reasons. One opportunity is that the more delicate is not obtaining energy. It could be due to a malfunction in the autos electrical technique or an issue with the lighter itself. Another reason the lighter might not work is if it blocks by something, such as a piece of paper or a coin. If the flint is more delicate worn down, it might also stop working.
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Replace With A New Fuse
As said earlier, the fuse box contains different fuses for various other functions in the car. Each fuse is assigned a different color and number.
Once you identify the blown fuse, you can use it to find the appropriate replacement if present or buy a new one.
Replacing the new fuse is not as difficult, but you need to be careful and ensure proper alignment. Make sure you do it gently, as the replacement may break with any sudden movement.
Installing The New Port
Install the new port, if equipped make sure the rubber cover is aligned properly with the new port. This rubber cover will keep the port looking clean and provide protection from any dust or dirt.
Install the large nut on the rear.
To snug up the nut, it may be hard by hand so interlocking pliers can be used. With the nut only being plastic, it can be damaged easier, so I would recommend wrapping electrical tape around the jaws. Dont over tighten it, its only plastic. You just want it tight enough where it wont move or come loose over time. Then verify that its straight, if not, make adjustments as needed.
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How Does A Car Cigarette Lighter Work
The car cigarette lighter is a very simple device. It consists of two metal coils that are wound around a piece of metal or glass. The object that is being heated up is placed in between the coils. When the current is turned on, the coils will heat up and cause the object to become hot.
The heat from the object will then ignite the object it touches. The flame can be used to light cigarettes, cigars, pipes, campfires, or grills. If you are ever in a situation where you need to start a fire, a car cigarette lighter can be a lifesaver.
Disconnected Or Broken Wire
A simple test light is the best tool for this job, a voltmeter works fine too. So how do you test the socket? Easy, place the point of the test light on the brass center ring at the bottom of the outlet. Place the ground on the metal outer rim.
Before testing, turn the ignition on power outlets will only be powered when the ignition is switched on, this prevents your car battery from draining away.
This is a lot like the board game Operation if you touch the outer ring with the test light, the fuse will blow, so keep that in mind.
Testing with a voltmeter is just the same, positive probe in the center and the ground to the outer rim, 12v here means its all OK.
Everythings checked out so far, and we still have no power. Lets now check for loose wiring, it happens a lot.
Youll likely need to remove some dashboard trim to access the wiring. Ive left checking the wiring to last because who wants to remove parts of the dash only to find all is OK.
When you access the wiring, obviously check its secure if all is checked out, go ahead and remove it.
Check carefully that the metal contacts are clean and tight. When wiring connectors begin to get loose, theyll widen the mental contacts, causing a poor connection, even though the connector is attached.
If you find the contacts have simply widened, just squeeze them gently with pliers.
Check the wiring and connector for signs of scorch marks, any damaged wiring will need to be replaced.
So far, we have checked and found:
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How Long Can You Charge Your Phone In Your Car
A fully charged 200 amp-hour battery will, in theory, deliver 20 amps for 10 hours or 2 amps for 100 hours. The charger draws 0.3 amps, so the battery will run the charger for a maximum of 666 hours amps * 10 hours). Due to inefficiencies in batteries, the actual time will be about 2/3 of this: 444 hours.
How To Check If My Fuse Is Blown
Sometimes there are two fuse boxes one which is usually in the hood of the car and is a black box that has FUSES written on it and the other that is underneath the dash often to the left of the steering wheel. The cigarette lighter fuse is sometimes labeled LTR for lighter and is in the box labeled fuses under the dash of the car. After you find this fuse look at is to see if there is a dark smear inside the fuse or there is a visible gap between the two wires. If there is a gap or a smear then the fuse must have blown and to get your cigarette lighter working you have to replace it. Make sure you replace the blown fuse with the correct type / size of fuse otherwise, the new fuse is likely to blow straight away once you plug something in.
If your fuse keeps blowing click here: Why does my cigarette lighter fuse blowing
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Is There A Way To Get Constant Power From A Cigarette Lighter
However, the relay could be bad you can check by jumpering the 2 wider terminals of it with a pair of 1/4 spade terminals on a couple inches of 12-ga wire. You can also leave it like that to get constant power even with the truck off. There is also a non-replaceable fusible link type thing on the back of each outlet, or so Ive heard.
Disconnecting The Battery For Computer Reset
If the socket still fails, then it may be time to disconnect the battery to ensure that the computer is fully reset and no faulty codes are causing electrical glitches. Disconnecting the car battery will also reset any saved settings, such as the clock or radio preferences. This can be annoying but it is guaranteed to reset the computer.
You can disconnect and reset your battery using the steps below:
- Locate the battery in the hood it will be near the front center under the hood.
- Disconnect the terminalsuse a small wrench to loosen the terminals. Once loose to detach, pull them straight up, making sure not to get them confused with each other. Use a rag to make sure the terminals and terminal heads are clean.
- Reattach the terminals making sure that the positive and negative terminals are placed back from where you removed them, ensure a firm connection and tighten them back in place
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