Cigarette lighter and radio on same fuse?

[rjornd]

Help!!! Please? I was charging my laptop the other day with my power inverter plugged into the lighter on my '97 Metro. I must've blown a fuse, because now the radio and the lighter doesn't work. I've looked at the fuse boxes under the hood and can't find the correct fuse (all were good). Is there another fuse box under the dash that I can't see?

Thanks in advance.

RJ

[westsidex]

I believe they are on the same fuse. There are two fuse boxes in a Metro. There is one under the hood, and one under the dashboard. Good luck.

[83-944]

Yeah, they're on the same fuse. If you use the cig lighter, the radio sound will drop a bit too.

[rjornd]

Ok, thanks. Actually found the fuse box under the dash. Tried replacing the blown fuse with a known good one and the radio still doesn't work. Could I have blown the radio? Or what are some other probable solutions?

[83-944]

Maybe your blown fuse was from a shorted wire to the radio?

[rjornd]

Perhaps, yes. Oh, and the A/C doesn't work now. Not just the A/C control button, but the fan control switch as well. On the same circuit?

With regards to the radio... the radio's panel lights work when the headlights are on and the clock will function (somewhat, won't keep correct time) when I press the RCL button. But other than that, the bleepin' thing doesn't work. Time to look into a new sound system, maybe?

[westsidex]

There are two power sources that go to the radio. One is responsible for keeing the clock and memory set. The second one is the one that powers the radio on and makes it work. They, however, both work off of the single fuse that also powers the cigar lighter. Since the radio isn't keeping its memory, we can assume that the backup power supply circuit has been damaged, or the power to that part of the radio has otherwise been interrupted. One recommendation that sometimes is a cure-all in Delco electronics: unplug the battery for about 30 seconds and reconnect it. This will reset all of the onboard electronics. It is a long shot, but I have seen this cure problems of this nature before. However, since the fan circuit has failed, which is not on the same circuit as the radio (at least at the under dash fuse panel), this leads me to believe there may be more extensive damage to the electrical system. You may have blown one of the relays under the hood. You said the fuses under the hood were good. How did you verify this? As I recall, late model Metros use a relay that cannot be visually inspected. They actually need to be tested for functionality. Generally, if a surge interrupts several unrelated components, such as the radio and fan, a relay is to blame. Double check the integrity of all of the relays and fuses in the car, both under the hood and under the dash. If, after disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it, you still have no radio, make sure that the blower is the only other component in the car that is malfunctioning. Check to see if all other options your car is equipped with work, such as the rear defogger, if you've got an automatic transmission, make sure it shifts properly, ect. Also, when the A/C is powered on, check under the hood to see if the compressor engages (you will hear an audiable click when the clutch engages/disengages), check to see if the condensor fan comes on, as well as the engine cooling fan. If your vehicle has ABS, make a hard stop to see if the ABS system is still operational. All of these checks will help you isolate the problem. I doubt the engine computer, the transmission computer, or the ABS computer is damaged, but if they are, now is the time to find them, so you know exactly what damage, if any, you may have done to the electrical system.

[rjornd]

"You said the fuses under the hood were good. How did you verify this?"

Well, when I realized that one box was relays I opened the other and found the fuses under the hood. I proceeded to pull them individually and inspect them. The relays I'll have to check as recommended if the battery trick doesn't work.

I've suspected that I would have probs with the A/C soon. But this was before the probs with the radio surfaced. I was suspecting something like a resistor block (if so equipped) was going out due to not all the fan speeds working. I also suspect that I may need a refridgerant check and recharge due to warm air coming out of the vents.

Engine cooling fan, defogger, lights & signals all work fine still. No ABS on my car, unfortunately.

[andr3w]

I just bought a '96 metro from a co-worker, and it's got this same problem. the air conditioner doesn't blow cold, the radio and the cigarette lighter are dead.

the fan seems to be working properly though. Has anyone worked out what this can be? I've inspected all the fuses, and none are bad.

[andr3w]

Sorry to bump, but rjornd, have you had any luck?

Has anyone else had/fixed a problem like this?