My dc socket in the dash (cigarette lighter) went out after my wife plugged in a portable air compressor. The fuse is fine. I also fiddled with the connections but still no power. Any ideas?

My ac socket in the dash (cigarette lighter) went out after my wife plugged in a portable air compressor. The fuse is fine. I also fiddled with the connections but still no power. Any ideas?

 

On my 96 OBW, the cigarett lighter had a melted "bridge wire" that is soldered between the connection posts on the back of the socket. My theory is this "bridge wire" is designed to melt, and open the circuit, if prolonged high heat from the socket, (ex. it's heating element stuck and not releasing), is sustained. It's a double backup in conjunction with the fuse to reduce the risk of fire, and can "blow" just like the wire in a fuse. So, you should pull the socket assembly and check the rear connections - not a bad job.

 

I simply took some 60/40 electrical solder and reconnected the gap on the connects. It's been working fine for over a year. (I power a laptop from this socket and probably taxing the maximum load it can handle).

 

Hope this helps.

that's the same problem i had on my 94 legacy.i just replaced the whole assembly with one out of a parts car i had.

PAezb:

That bridge-wire must be the culprit -- makes a lot of sense. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks.

I had that same problem on a 74 Dodge Monaco i got at auction from Illinois

 

 

I have no real help, Good luck though.

That's probably what was wrong with the lighter in the Bluesmobile.

Thanks PAezb. It was indeed a faulty "bridge wire" that caused the failure. This wire is essentially a fuse on the positive terminal of the dc socket.

 

I used regular copper wire to reconnect the points because I do not have a cigarrette lighter and see no need for the extra fire protection. The 20 amp fuse will work just fine.

 

Thanks so much again. Taking care of this little issue has made my 2006 that much brighter.

Thanks PAezb. It was indeed a faulty "bridge wire" that caused the failure. This wire is essentially a fuse on the positive terminal of the dc socket.

 

I used regular copper wire to reconnect the points because I do not have a cigarrette lighter and see no need for the extra fire protection. The 20 amp fuse will work just fine.

 

Thanks so much again. Taking care of this little issue has made my 2006 that much brighter.

 

 

Your welcome - no biggie really, you would of discovered it eventually. Glad you got'er fixed.