Cigarette Lighter stuck!
09-07-2011, 04:03 PM
#1
Instructor
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Cigarette Lighter stuck!
So, I am trying to plug in my GPS but I cant get the cigarette lighter thingy mabob out. I push it in and then I wait and it pops out but I can't pull it out. I wiggle and what not but it doesn't pull out. Any suggestions? I will probably end up wiring a seperate 12v plug anyways seeing as a lot of people complain they are really shallow sockets.
09-07-2011, 05:50 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
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You have constant +12v and a ground up at the dome light. I butchered a lighter-plug to mini usb adapter for my tom-tom and stuck the guts up into the header panel, then just pulled the wire out through the visor clip (after cutting in a bit of a notch).
Once you remove the case of those 12v adapters, the guts inside are really not that big. I soldered on some wire to the circuit board inside, then slipped the whole thing into some shrinkwrap tube.
+12 volts is on one side of the bulb and the switch controls how the light bulb goes to ground. One position is through the door switch, the other is direct. You can use the existing spade connectors to connect your wire if it's small enough. Also, if there's a indicator LED on the circuit board, you might want to remove that (just cut it out)
I actually wired in a tiny toggle switch, but I really don't think that's necessary.
Once you remove the case of those 12v adapters, the guts inside are really not that big. I soldered on some wire to the circuit board inside, then slipped the whole thing into some shrinkwrap tube.
+12 volts is on one side of the bulb and the switch controls how the light bulb goes to ground. One position is through the door switch, the other is direct. You can use the existing spade connectors to connect your wire if it's small enough. Also, if there's a indicator LED on the circuit board, you might want to remove that (just cut it out)
I actually wired in a tiny toggle switch, but I really don't think that's necessary.
09-07-2011, 06:06 PM
#5
Drifting
There's a silver snap ring on the back side of the panel that holds the lighter receptacle into the dash. You have to pull the glove box to get at it but it beats jury-rigging or butchering your car. My cigarette lighter wouldn't hold anything I plugged into it except the lighter so I replaced it with one from Autozone.
09-07-2011, 06:12 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
The PO on my car used the lighter socket for a radar detector, and it ruined the socket. It doesn't appear to conform to whatever standard accessory plugs are made to. Better off to add a separate socket.
