Cigarette lighter not working

[psburtis]

Just to be clear, i'm not talking about the little thing you take out. I'm talking about the 12V power supply that is in the dashboard.

i'm not a smoker at all, but i rely on this little guy for several things. it just stopped working a few days ago. does this actually happen in our cars? or is it just a little dirty and needs to be cleaned out (don't see any obstructions, but i could be missing something). If not, where is the problem area most likely to be?

Thanks!

[myfirstbonnie]

Did you check the fuse?

[psburtis]

WOW....... haven't fell THIS stupid in a while.... in the interest of time saving, what number is the fuse for the lighter?

[myfirstbonnie]

Not sure which fuse it would be, but it will be marked on the fuse box covers and in the owner's manual.

[coldflood]

lol its always a fuse... just pump a bigger fuse in and you wont have this problem. people always overload this accessory device. Some scumbag shop quoted my mom $300 bucks to fix her cigarette lighter.. all it was was a blown fuse man I was seething.

[psburtis]

i took one look at the fuse box and found the blown fuse. I'll replace it tomorrow because i don't have any fuses lying around. hopefully this fixes at least ONE of the problems...

[Bing]

Whatever you do, don't up size the fuse. They have an amp rating for a reason. If you upsize the fuse you have a potential to start an under dash fire possibly.

If it keeps blowing with the accessories you have plugged into it. You might want to add another higher amperage accessory port and wire it into the fuse block.

[coldflood]

Whatever you do, don't up size the fuse. They have an amp rating for a reason. If you upsize the fuse you have a potential to start an under dash fire possibly.

If it keeps blowing with the accessories you have plugged into it. You might want to add another higher amperage accessory port and wire it into the fuse block.

ah thats paranoid, you can go 5 amps higher easily and should solve your frustration

[myfirstbonnie]

I would never suggest anyone use a fuse larger than the rating it was designed for. On a temporary basis for something safety rated (for example tail lights) to get to a point to get the proper fuse would be the only instance. Even then, I would suggest taking one from a non-essential circuit.

Check you acessories and make sure they are not causing the overload, check the lighter and make sure it is not bad and make sure there is not a coin or anything stuck in the socket.

It is not that hard or complicated to add another circuit.

[Silverjet]

Guys, I have almost the same problem. Front lighter works, but the rear is not. Could this also be a fuse?

[94SilverSSEi]

Guys, I have almost the same problem. Front lighter works, but the rear is not. Could this also be a fuse?

I have this same problem.

Front works fine but rear does not.

BUT....when I removed my console for cleaning I found no wire even existed to be able to give it power....?

[coldflood]

Guys, I have almost the same problem. Front lighter works, but the rear is not. Could this also be a fuse?

I have this same problem.

Front works fine but rear does not.

BUT....when I removed my console for cleaning I found no wire even existed to be able to give it power....?

its called magic duh

[92BonneSE]

There should be wire running through the center console for it. If I remember correctly they are actually red and black also. I would also open up the center console and take the cover off in the back by the cigarette lighter and make sure the wires are actually connected to the back of the lighter socket. If thats connected there is a another plug near the shifter and seat controls (plain cover in the SE) that might be disconnected if someone removed the center console.

I can't remember if there are separate fuses for the front and rear...check your fuse cover under drivers side dash or owners manual....

[Silverjet]

tell me at the same time, might be DIC have disabled due the fuse?

[psburtis]

well, i replaced the one blown fuse and it didn't work. i'm now interested to see what i fixed, but if i didn't notice it NOT working i probably wont notice it when it IS working. anyway, what's the next thing to check?

[sonoma_zr2]

Check your front door bus grounds, after checking for 12V at the receptacle.

[psburtis]

sonoma, that's a little too technical for me to understand.... translate please???

[psburtis]

translation please sonoma? or maybe some general instructions on how to go about this?

[sonoma_zr2]

What have you checked so far. Did you check for voltage at the socket? Did you check the socket connector is attached to the socket? Is the socket loose?

Here is the fuse panel showing the fuse in question.



Can you measure 12V at both post of the fuse (or get light with a tester)?

I will post pictures tomorrow of the socket and connector.

[00Beast]

Whatever you do, don't up size the fuse. They have an amp rating for a reason. If you upsize the fuse you have a potential to start an under dash fire possibly.

If it keeps blowing with the accessories you have plugged into it. You might want to add another higher amperage accessory port and wire it into the fuse block.

ah thats paranoid, you can go 5 amps higher easily and should solve your frustration

No it's not paranoid, it's to prevent the wires from having too much amperage pass through it, to prevent a fire. GM didn't just go "oh, well this circuit COULD take a 25 amp fuse, but let's throw in a 20 amp fuse just for *shoot* and giggles".

We're not here to help light people's cars on fire, or at least melt their wiring. There are plenty of ricers that would love to hear you tell them to put a bigger fuse in to help their car go faster.