car cigarette lighters - Page 3

22-07-2005, 01:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by greencreeper

My mate asked if it would be possible to put a ring around the lighter socket. My thinking on this is that because the ring is always lit rather than only lit when the lighter is pushed in, the circuit must be separate. Negative might be shared but positive would be two separate wires. I guess the ring must be an LED (or a few). Also, I guess (thought it doesn't matter) that the ring should only light when the headlights are turned on - i.e. on a night. So that would mean wiring it into the right circuit.

Having said all that, I managed to blow a fuse just by changing the interior light bulb. Big orange flash

So what do I know

The lighting ring is liked to the lighting circuit. Usually by a trigger wire from the light switch to a low voltage bulb that is earthed on the ring for the lighter, the bulb illuminates the plastic ring that usually encircles the metal inner of the lighter, thus illuminating it in dark conditions, when the side lights / headlights are in operation.

Hope this helps you along the path of illumination...

zoombini · 22-07-2005, 08:42

IF it has no illuminated ring around it AND your after getting a new socket then can I suggest a trip to a scrap yard.

That way you can get a socket AND an illuminated ring/ or an illuminated socket.

Unless any of those maplin links above are for illuminated sockets?

Dave Stones · 22-07-2005, 10:34

OK just to update slightly, I've had a flick through my trusty manual, the section on fitting and replacing cigarette lighters/accessory sockets has the following helpful information:

Quote:

At the time of writing, no information was available for the removal and refitting of the cigarette lighter housing.

Guess I'll be doing it blind

Anyways, I also checked out the wiring diagrams and so far as I can tell, for my chassis the spur for the lighter comes off the same fuse as the one for the horn, so it is just a case of going and rooting around at the fuse box for this I guess.

Just to clarify, it is only the socket and power I need, anything else fancy like illuminated elements etc is unnecessary, there will be no smoking in my car

I also found:

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages...ighter&cid=880 or http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...26974&tc=photo

suitable?

marky · 22-07-2005, 10:48

apart from knocking a hole somewhere i think you have found the proper answer with the horn good luck and remember,

bic lighters must not be used to find the petrol cap on dark roads

Dave Stones · 22-07-2005, 10:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by markymoan

apart from knocking a hole somewhere i think you have found the proper answer with the horn good luck and remember,

bic lighters must not be used to find the petrol cap on dark roads

hey, there is a blanking plate with a pre-made hole just ready for me

they just make it awkward by not fitting the wires in the first place...

Assuming there are no wires trailing down from the fuse, is it simply a case of getting the old wire snips and electrical tape out?
__________________

oh, and i drive a diesel

zoombini · 22-07-2005, 10:55

You could walways look at the fusebox and see if there is a fuse socket for ciggarette lighter in that, if so see if it's powered & then come off of that.

OR failing that, find an unused one & bodge that so that you have a fused socket & the fuse is in the same place as all the rest.

marky · 22-07-2005, 10:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Stones

hey, there is a blanking plate with a pre-made hole just ready for me

they just make it awkward by not fitting the wires in the first place...

Assuming there are no wires trailing down from the fuse, is it simply a case of getting the old wire snips and electrical tape out?
__________________

oh, and i drive a diesel

i'd check the wiring colours they may use the same wiring loom in the other cars (touch wood)
deisel that good but would cause a few to run

Dave Stones · 22-07-2005, 11:11

well ive had a click around, and buried down in page 6 of google results is www.conrad-direct.co.uk an electrical shop with seemingly everything I need. I think it is:

http://www1.uk.conrad.com/scripts/wg...rotkrumennavi=

that would do the job grand. Though, can anyone tell me what wires etc I will need, assuming I get that... Basically what cross-section/grade wire it would be, I can't for the life of me remember how to work it out...

Dave Stones · 22-07-2005, 12:43

it's me again

if i got one of these

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...&rd=1&tc=photo

and cut the plug off one end, and wired it with a 5A inline fuse to battery +, and another wire to ground, would that do the job?

The only things that are ever going to be connected are my PDA and bluetooth GPS module...

marky · 22-07-2005, 12:50

put the fuse as close to the battery as pos if it blows the 5 amp put a 10 in as long as the wiring is rated above that other wise you could have a fire if it shorts

ian@huth · 22-07-2005, 12:57

Wiring looms for cars usually contain the wiring for most optional accessories. It is cheaper for the manufacturer to do this than have several different types of wiring loom. Wiring for a cigar lighter may be there already but not necessarily near the mounting point for the missing accessory and it may have been taped back to the loom.

marky · 22-07-2005, 13:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by markymoan

i'd check the wiring colours they may use the same wiring loom in the other cars

thought i did

Dave Stones · 22-07-2005, 14:23

woohoo, just removed my dashboard and had a look to see what I could do. Joy of joys, the correct wiring for the cigarette lighter was wrapped up in a pokey little hole, so i'm all set now

bought:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...e=STRK:MEWN:IT

thanks for your (as it turns out completely un-necessary) help everyone

Dave Stones · 27-07-2005, 14:38

just to follow this up in case anyone actually cares

Got everything fitted now, but boy was it a chore. Had to remove the dashboard front panel, which was a nightmare in itself, to do this i had to remove the ashtray, heater controls and radio...

next step was to unrap the wires required from the loom, this was easy enuogh to do as they were the only unused ones. Plugged the lighting ring spade connector to the cigarette lighter light thing, this worked fine

next step was awkward though, the connectors that were on the wiring loom didn't fit, so these got lopped off. Attached a new spade connector for the negative supply, but the positive supply on my lighter is just a metal stalk, so the wire has to be wrapped around this and stuck on with electrical tape (bodge and fix it, me

)

i attached the negative wire anyway, but while i was still holding onto it i grabbed the positve wire, anyway it slipped and came into contact with the piece of metal i was still holding, gave me one hell of a jolt

anyway after much swearing and finger-sucking, i got it securely fastened to the positive supply.

However, getting it secured to the little hole in the dashboard was a hell of a task. Got it done in the end though, with copious amounts of polystyrene cement, and that bostik glue that comes in a purple tube...

then, i realised my cradle for my xda2 had the wrong connector on the bottom of it for my y connector to fit onto it, this was a 5 minute job though with a saw and some more bostik

all is working smashing now

thanks for everyone's help... though I don't recommend getting a 12V jolt from a car electrical supply... It hurt almost as much as that time i peed on an electric fence by accident

Paul K · 27-07-2005, 14:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Stones

all is working smashing now

thanks for everyone's help... though I don't recommend getting a 12V jolt from a car electrical supply... It hurt almost as much as that time i peed on an electric fence by accident

You really are a worry at times Dave

Glad it's all working now and you won't be touching any un-protected wires for a while