When I bought my car there was no cigarette lighter in there and the fuse was blown. I needed the plug to use for my compressor so I switched the fuse, it worked fine. Now I managed to snatch a cig lighter from a wrecked cavalier 2000ish. I tried it today and the fuse blew. Is the cig lighter faulty?
the lighter may not be faulty but a wire sure is. take it back out and make sure that everything is connected tightly and isn't shorting to ground somewhere. your lighter may also be fine, it could be the plug from your compressor shorting out. i had a similiar issue with a radar detector that had a faulty connection from the wire to the detector that caused my ligther fuse to blow....only went through 3 fuses before i figured out what it was.
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cig lighter oulets are not made for high wattage. The fuses tend to blow when you over load them. Whatever you do , DO NOT put a higher amp fuse in b/c you will fry your wire. If your fuses blow right away you have already shorted your wire.
no the compressor (12v for bike tires) worked fine when i used it, but when i put in the stolen cig lighter the fuse blew.
sounds like a short to ground. Check all your connections before you do anything else
well I pushed the cig lighter in to get it heat up and it wouldn't pop back out then I checked the fuse and it was blown.
i would pull out that socket, and check it out. if the compressor worked fin and the lighter doesn't then i would double check it all, maybe try to trace the cig lighter's circuit. Also that cig lighter i'm not sure but i thought i might be tied into another circuit aswell. If that is the case then check that circuit too.
did you replace the fuse with the same rated fuse that the fuse panel cover diagram shows?
You didn't go lower did u?
Could possible be a bad cig socket, maybe the pressure of the lighter and the function of heating up the lighter might be shorting out the socket blowing the fuse.
Like u said you did buy the car with it already broken.
Ryan1
yes I replaced the 20amp fuse with 20amps, i'll make sure its the right on tommorow. But I think there is only one circuit for the cig lighter because everything else on the car works fine.
Is the socket removable wihout removing the trim?
Jacob B wrote:yes I replaced the 20amp fuse with 20amps, i'll make sure its the right on tommorow. But I think there is only one circuit for the cig lighter because everything else on the car works fine.
Is the socket removable wihout removing the trim?
you have to remove the trim because the socket and lighter assembly is held in place with a small nut.
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ok I took a look at the owners manual, it says the cig lighter shares the fuse with the Diagnostic terminal. I had trouble getting my computer scanned, one mechanic had his hooked up and it wouldn't but then I found a friend that had the machine and he started the engine and it scanned the codes fine.
I have to find out whats wrong i don't like it when something doesn't work.
You're going to have to trace the wires under the dash.... easy to do with the dash assembly out of the car, otherwise it's hard. The wires run from the fuse panel up along the top of the steering column, then out behind the cluster, and down to the cigarette lighter assembly.
I'm a little confused though... if you put a good fuse in.... then plug the compressor into the power port, it works? But the fuse blows if you put the cigarette lighter into the power port??
If so, then it's the cigarette lighter that is blowing the fuse... which means... the wiring is fine.... and you're either using a bad cigarette lighter which is shorting it out, or one not meant for that style of port (there ARE different kinds, and they're not always compatible.)
If you need a new factory/stock J-car cigarette lighter, I've got a couple kicking around here, I pulled out of wrecked cars... they're brand new, never used.
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The cig fuse blows out in fires all the time. when I bought my car the fuse was blown. I knew someone that had a 95 and it blew all the time. don't know what to tell ya. just buy a new fuse. I just bought a new fuse and mine hasn't blown since then.
I pulled the cig lighter from the wreckers, it looks like it works but its weird because I think it may be sticking. Would I be able to take a cig lighter from another car (non gm) and see if it'll work? I had a the little 12V compressor on to put a tire and it worked fine for the time I had it on. so I think theres something going with the cig lighter.
YA, i was thinking it could be the ligher too, i would maybe see if u can find another lighter and try that route.
Ryan1
if the person that owned the car before you was a smoker , then 9 outta 10 times the socket will be bad , what happens the heat from the cig lighter melts the plastic that seperates the ground and the power side of the socket , and causes the plastic washer to loosen up and cause it to short out
get a new socket and a new lighter , and you should be good
