Cig Lighter

[chrisanthony]

Hi

I have a 96 ford escort lx.

I'm haveing problems where the cig ligther keeps blowing out fuses evey time i replace them and put something in. Are there any suggestions on what the problem could be?.should i replace the cig lighter cylinder?

[Intuit]

Auto parts stores have replacement cig lighter sockets. They're standard. The one you have likely just screws out of there, counter-clockwise. The wires will be connected using little tabs that you just slide off. No special tools are really required.

Oh, just make sure you disconnect the batter before replacing that socket.

[chrisanthony]

does anybody elese have any more suggestions about the cig lighter or should i just replace the whole damn thing lol..

[zzyzzx2]

When you remove the old one, the problem might be obvious. Could be the wiring to it as well, espically if somebody messed with it. If you bought it used, you might not have any clear idea what moron before you did.

[Selectron]

The cigarette lighter socket has its own fuse, not shared by anything else, so if the fuse is blowing then the problem is in the wiring or the socket itself - unless of course it only blows when you plug in a particular accessory - cellphone charger for example - in which case you'd need to investigate the fault within the accessory.

Those sockets can sometimes become loose, so if you can feel it moving when you plug or unplug something then check the wiring at the back to see if it's short-circuiting against something when moved. Check also for damaged or melted insulation on the two connecting wires, and check for damage to the socket itself.

The circuit is ultra-simple; the 20 amp Cigar fuse in the interior fuse panel feeds 12V via a yellow wire to the socket's positive terminal, and then a black wire completes the circuit from the socket's negative terminal to ground - that's for the '95, but your '96 should be the same.

There shouldn't be any need for multimeters or test lamps on this one; I'd expect to find the fault by careful visual inspection, and as Intuit said, remember to disconnect the battery negative terminal before you start digging around at the back of the socket.

'95 Escort cigarette lighter socket wiring diagram

[chrisanthony]

thank you guys..my car had alot of problems 3 months after buying it..it seems the people that had it really treated it like crap..

The cig lighter is kinda loose, so this weekend i'll open it up and check it out..and maybe after I'll buy a new one if needed.

Thanks again...

[denisond3]

I have replaced the cig. lighter socket on our 94 Escort, since we dont smoke, and prefer the kind of socket that doesnt have the 'ears' to hold a cigarette lighter in while it heats. I also added two more 12v accessory sockets, having separate fuses, and which stay one when the ignition is off. On long drives we often have plugged-in; the GPS, a cell phone charger, the adapter for the mp3 player that is feeding the radio; or powering the laptop for surfing the net from a rest area, etc.

[chrisanthony]

Originally Posted by denisond3

I have replaced the cig. lighter socket on our 94 Escort, since we dont smoke, and prefer the kind of socket that doesnt have the 'ears' to hold a cigarette lighter in while it heats. I also added two more 12v accessory sockets, having separate fuses, and which stay one when the ignition is off. On long drives we often have plugged-in; the GPS, a cell phone charger, the adapter for the mp3 player that is feeding the radio; or powering the laptop for surfing the net from a rest area, etc.

wow thats alot of devices hooked up lol

[chrisanthony]

hi everyone

I replaced the whole cig cylinder with a brand new one, and it works perfect now. The new cig cylinder comes with a bulb to illuminate the cig lighter, it says to hook it up to a light switch wire. I'm not sure which one would that be. DOes anyone have suggestions?

[denisond3]

In cars that came with a light in the cig. lighter, it was hooked to one of the wires for the lights in the instrument panel. There might be a fuse for the instrument lights, and you could plug a wire in beside that fuse.

[chrisanthony]

Originally Posted by denisond3

In cars that came with a light in the cig. lighter, it was hooked to one of the wires for the lights in the instrument panel. There might be a fuse for the instrument lights, and you could plug a wire in beside that fuse.

hmm..how bout using the orange wire going to the radio?..that normally has power only when you turn the key?..

anyone else have any ideas or locations?

[Intuit]

Just get a standard car outlet without the extras and be done with it... or if possible, ignore the extra wire for the pretty light. (covering the exposed end with electrical tape) Just isn't worth the trouble is all I'm saying, but it's near the radio and there is an illumination wire for that.

[chrisanthony]

Originally Posted by Intuit

Just get a standard car outlet without the extras and be done with it... or if possible, ignore the extra wire for the pretty light. (covering the exposed end with electrical tape) Just isn't worth the trouble is all I'm saying, but it's near the radio and there is an illumination wire for that.

yea your kind of right..i was thinking just ignore the extra wire..but extra fancy dancy would help lol

[chrisanthony]

any other suggestions?

[zzyzzx2]

Personally, I would not hook up this extra wire. My reasoning being that if I remember correctly, the lamp circuit has it's own ground, so unless you have got two wires for the light bulb, forget it.