Electrical problem
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: Union City, GA
Electrical problem Ok,
I noticed that my Cell phone charger which plugs into the cigarette lighter, doesn't work. My CD player doesn't work. The car's internal light's and the glove compartment light doesn't work. Changed the Radio Fuse (10amp) because it was blown. go to change the internal light fuse and new fuse blows. Another one sparks as I try to change it. Where is the short?
I noticed that my Cell phone charger which plugs into the cigarette lighter, doesn't work. My CD player doesn't work. The car's internal light's and the glove compartment light doesn't work. Changed the Radio Fuse (10amp) because it was blown. go to change the internal light fuse and new fuse blows. Another one sparks as I try to change it. Where is the short?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: Union City, GA
Last time something like this happened, it was in a Ford Escort. The lights on the instrument panel and the tail lights went out when the rear license plate lights decided to fry. I cut them and taped up the wires and that problem was solved. This just suddenly happened today. Haven't wired up anything new or done anything new in over a month. What could it be?
Staging Lane
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 62
Likes: 1
From: Livermore, Ca.
Cig lighter or accessory port-Sometimes know as DC ports these days. It is for any DC IN accessory you have. There are two of them in our cars. One right below the stereo and one right in front of the emergency brake handle.
If you smoke, the cigarette/cigar ashes can short them.
If you use them for things like radar detectors/cell phones, sometimes the jack from the accessory can bend the socket or plug causing shorts. Just take a flashlight and look inside the socket and make sure there isn't any metal to metal contact. Then look at the jacks of what you are plugging in to see if they are aligned/OK. Also, there might be a wire that has worn through to the dash/metal somewhere. Not as likely, and that would be a little harder to trace out. Not to bad if you don't mind taking out the center console and radio face plate. It really isn't that bad to do. Like 10 minutes.
Just watch that you don't scar up the emergency brake handle. Take it slow.
You might want to look at that last install/wiring and see if anything has worn through the wires.
If you smoke, the cigarette/cigar ashes can short them.
If you use them for things like radar detectors/cell phones, sometimes the jack from the accessory can bend the socket or plug causing shorts. Just take a flashlight and look inside the socket and make sure there isn't any metal to metal contact. Then look at the jacks of what you are plugging in to see if they are aligned/OK. Also, there might be a wire that has worn through to the dash/metal somewhere. Not as likely, and that would be a little harder to trace out. Not to bad if you don't mind taking out the center console and radio face plate. It really isn't that bad to do. Like 10 minutes.
Just watch that you don't scar up the emergency brake handle. Take it slow.
You might want to look at that last install/wiring and see if anything has worn through the wires.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: Union City, GA
The only thing in the cigarette lighter is the cell phone charger I've been using. It's an '85 Chevy Impala, by the way. I'll try replacing the fuse with the cell charger out and see what happens.
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