Cigar lighter keeps shorting out

R

Rovergirl

New Member
Hi can anyone help me... I have recently purchased a lovely 216 cabriolet automatic, but can not use my satnav as the cigar lighter keeps shorting out.... have changed the fuse several times but it still keeps dying.... also the centre gear consol light goes out too.
Can anyone give me suggestions as to why this keeps happening please.... :(
 
Does it only short out when you plug in the sat nav lead or with any lead you plug in there? If it only does it with the sat nav then I would suggest the lead is knackered. If it does it with any lead you plug into it then the cigarette lighter socket is making contact with the body of the car when you plug something into it. If you pull it out and have a look make sure all the connections, particluarly the centre connections is covered by a plastic boot of some kind. These can wear away over time with constant rubbing as you plug things in an pull them out.

Dave
 
Dave3066 said:
Does it only short out when you plug in the sat nav lead or with any lead you plug in there? If it only does it with the sat nav then I would suggest the lead is knackered. If it does it with any lead you plug into it then the cigarette lighter socket is making contact with the body of the car when you plug something into it. If you pull it out and have a look make sure all the connections, particluarly the centre connections is covered by a plastic boot of some kind. These can wear away over time with constant rubbing as you plug things in an pull them out.

Dave
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I will try another lead, but I feel it is something to do with the wiring in the car more than satnav lead as last night when driving home the centre consol light on gears went out and so I am wondering if there is a shorting somewhere.... I just would not know where to start looking to be honest.
RG
 
Rovergirl said:
I will try another lead, but I feel it is something to do with the wiring in the car more than satnav lead as last night when driving home the centre consol light on gears went out and so I am wondering if there is a shorting somewhere.... I just would not know where to start looking to be honest.
RG
Click to expand...

If it is a cigar/cigarette lighter and not an auxilliary power supply ie it has the bit you push in that heats up and pops out, have you tested that to see what happens?

Lights going out might be just a poor connection on a panel, unless it's the same panel?

If you're not sure I'd either get someone ie a friend who knows about car wiring to have a look at it or take it to an auto electrician for a check up.

Dave
 
Dave3066 said:
Rovergirl said:
I will try another lead, but I feel it is something to do with the wiring in the car more than satnav lead as last night when driving home the centre consol light on gears went out and so I am wondering if there is a shorting somewhere.... I just would not know where to start looking to be honest.
RG
Click to expand...

If it is a cigar/cigarette lighter and not an auxilliary power supply ie it has the bit you push in that heats up and pops out, have you tested that to see what happens?

Lights going out might be just a poor connection on a panel, unless it's the same panel?

If you're not sure I'd either get someone ie a friend who knows about car wiring to have a look at it or take it to an auto electrician for a check up.

Dave
Click to expand...
I changed the fuse first time and cig lighter heated up so I presumed it was all systems go then the next time I tried to use it for satnav it just refused to work so change the fuse again and no joy.... tried several 20 amp fuses all new and still no joy... I will try what you advised and call someone with electrical know how .....thank you for advice :)
 
rockdemon said:
If your cigar lighter is on the 216 and is after 1995 it'll be the same as my 400 tourer. I noticed when taking it apart that somebody had put insulation tape around the wires where they go into the back of the socket as they look prone to shorting - So you may want to investigate behind there. It's not too bad to get out, just a bit fiddly. Either 4 or 6 screws in total if i remember rightly...
Click to expand...

If you hang around here for long enough the right answer will appear :D

Dave
 
Rovergirl obviously looked up my profile , saw how old I was, and decided not to admit to living anywhere near me .........
 
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