Need Help W/ Cigarette Lighter

[CarolinaDelt]

My cigarette lighter has stopped working. Any help?

I use this for my powering a few items when not hooked up to shore power, including my needed spotlight!


Is this a fuse? Recommendations for fixing? Thanks!!

[Sailmonkey]

Could be a fuse could be a corroded contact, most devices also have a fuse in the plug also.


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[skipmac]

Yes. All that sailmonkey said.

12V DC problems are generally easy to fix. Just start at one end (the battery) and work your way step by step to the other end (the device you are trying to power).

Assuming everything else works so battery is OK. Assume the plug gets power from an electrical panel so maybe start there. Is there a fuse or circuit breaker on the panel that powers the plug? If a fuse check it to see if it's blown. If a circuit breaker make sure it isn't tripped. Also, check the plug on end of the power cord to see if there's a fuse in it.

So, do you have a volt meter? Switch to volts and stick the red lead into the metal contact in the middle in the bottom of the plug. Touch the black lead to metal ground. Do you get +/- 12V? If so then probably (not certainly) things are OK to there and you should look at the cord and the device. Have you tried the cord and the device in a car or other location where you have a known good power? What about trying another cord and/or device in your boats plug to see if that device works?

[CarolinaDelt]

Thanks for the quick response .... let me add a few items.

I've tried multiple devices in the cig lighter and nothing worked. These same devices DO WORK in my car cig lighter. I don't see a fuse box or circuit breaker box anywhere on this boat (which is a 90' Hunter and recently purchased). Therefore, I'm assuming it's behind the navigation panel but I really don't want to take the panel off and cause another problem. Logic tells me the fuse/circuit breaker would be somewhere more accessible.

Batteries are good to go ... everything but the cig lighter works great on this boat!

[weavis]

If you have power to the plug...... then its cheap enough to change the cig lighter base....
A couple dollars.

[DefinitelyMe]

Use a match?

[skipmac]

By the way, you mention powering the spotlight from the plug. If you have a really powerful spotlight that draws a lot of power then you could be pulling way more than the plug can handle.

[Island Time O25]

Most cig lighter sockets have notoriously undersized wiring which leads to all kinds of issues. Before you replace the socket or the fuses make sure the wiring is appropirate for the loads you will be running. Especially for spot lights, etc. Wiring which can easily handle 5-10W fan may not be sufficient to run 100-150W notebook. Don't ask me how I know.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

Most cig lighter sockets have notoriously undersized wiring which leads to all kinds of issues. Before you replace the socket or the fuses make sure the wiring is appropirate for the loads you will be running. Especially for spot lights, etc. Wiring which can easily handle 5-10W fan may not be sufficient to run 100-150W notebook. Don't ask me how I know.

But I have to ask. Did it involve fire or just smoke?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by CarolinaDelt

Thanks for the quick response .... let me add a few items.

I've tried multiple devices in the cig lighter and nothing worked. These same devices DO WORK in my car cig lighter. I don't see a fuse box or circuit breaker box anywhere on this boat (which is a 90' Hunter and recently purchased). Therefore, I'm assuming it's behind the navigation panel but I really don't want to take the panel off and cause another problem. Logic tells me the fuse/circuit breaker would be somewhere more accessible.

Batteries are good to go ... everything but the cig lighter works great on this boat!

OK. Sounds like you have isolated the problem to the socket on the boat.

Unlikely that the socket has its own, separate switch or breaker. Most likely on the same circuit as some of the lights, instruments, accessories or something similar.

The last hope is to check all the fuses or circuit breakers on the panel in hopes that you will find one that is off or blown that feeds the socket.

If that fails then I see no option except to access the back of the socket. Some of them you can unscrew and remove from the front instead of accessing from the back. Have you tried that?

[dannyjoh]

It may have to do with the capacity (amp) of the socket - the piece that fits into the cigarette charger. For example, the 1Amp socket that is typically used for a smart phone in a car won't charge an iPad, which require 2.5 amp, I think. I had to buy a 3 amp socket to charge my iPad. Is this what you are experiencing, perhaps?

[senormechanico]

SARCASM ALERT !!

Stick a big screwdriver into the lighter socket.
When the smoke starts (not IF the smoke starts) there's the problem.


The usual warning applies. Don't ACTUALLY TRY THAT !!

However, putting a small load on the socket and THEN measuring voltages on the way to the socket ought to help you find the weak link.
Where the biggest voltage drop is located is more than likely your problem.

[mynameismud]

Well if all devices work in a different socket its a problem on the boat.


I just saw no fuses. I would think its the socket if it is rusted or follow the wires is what you will have to do and see where there is a break.

[svmariane]

Originally Posted by CarolinaDelt

Thanks for the quick response .... let me add a few items. I don't see a fuse box or circuit breaker box anywhere on this boat (which is a 90' Hunter and recently purchased). Batteries are good to go ... everything but the cig lighter works great on this boat!

Oh my, oh my...


First I'll need a cold, fresh beer
(perhaps a change of underwear)
as the thoughts flit free
amidst the mockery
at just WHAT this might entail.

Checking hither and looking yon
our intrepid yachtsman seems quite forlone
when reality hits - "What 'ere shall I do
as the Hunter Legend has gone askew?"
And 'gainst the gnarley he rales.

Pissed me pants as I laughed aloud
whilst wond'ring why he seems so proud
with a ninety foot Hunter tied at the docks
and the problem seems quite ....


Oh, I can't do this. I really can't.

Apologies to one and all........................

CarolinaDelt: You've been given solid advice in previous posts.
Batteries / wires / circuit breakers / fuses / corroded contacts / bad socket.
If none of that pans out, look for places where somebody might have spliced some wires into the circuit for some reason or another. Might have corrosion issues right there.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by CarolinaDelt

My cigarette lighter has stopped working. Any help?

I use this for my powering a few items when not hooked up to shore power, including my needed spotlight!


Is this a fuse? Recommendations for fixing? Thanks!!

Considering all of the other comments, note that there may be an in-line fuse in the wiring to your plug if the wiring is easily accessible. If not, likely not. Note that cigarette lighter plugs are notoriously unreliable as the contact surfaces within the fitting are easily corroded. Before doing anything else, free the plug and determine whether it is receiving power at all. If so, the plug has failed and isn't worth replacing. If not, there is either a loose/broken wiring connection somewhere before the plug or a blown fuse. If you can't stomach opening a panel to check the fuses, find a marine electrician to do so.

N'any case, once you've isolated the problem and insured/restored power to the plug itself, replace the plug with an outlet and cable plug assembly such as the following:



Then, you can either purchase additional two-prong plugs and refit the wiring connectors for your appliances or, if you prefer to retain the cigarette lighter plugs on them for use elsewhere, purchase a cigarette lighter plug extension such as:



With that, chop off the cigarette lighter plug-in connector and replace it with the two prong plug with due regard for polarity. This will allow you to use the cigarette lighter plug connectors on your appliances when necessary and, when not, keep the plug itself firmly water-tight and the extension cable in a zip-lock bag with a pad of desiccant somewhere below to protect it from weather/moisture when not in use.

BTDT...