V70: Electrical Cigarette Lighter/12v Socket Fuses

[Maurice Mynah]

I am a little confused here Sye73. In an earlier post you said that any device plugged into the socket blew the fuse, but now you seem to be saying that only the cigarette lighter blows the fuse. Please clarify.

[sye73]

That's a fair point, Maurice - I will try and clarify..
When I first 'tested', the cigarette lighter itself and a cigarette lighter usb adaptor was inserted into the lighter socket. The consequence was that both blew the fuse and my sense at that point was it had to be the socket.
Having then purchased more fuses and tried 5/6 different cigarette lighter usb adaptors (for sat nav, mobile phone charging etc), the blown fuses seem only to occur when the lighter itself is engaged in the socket. I guess it's possible that the one adapter I'd tried previously could also have been faulty (ebay/Chinese)?

[Tatsfield]

The latching design for these plug units differs from item to item. Could it be that the fault is in the socket but is only mechanically initiated by contact with particularly shaped plugs?

[sye73]

I agree that some connectors seem to 'latch' better than others, especially with so many aftermarket adaptors on the market. However, because the lighter consistently blows the fuse and this is an OE item going into an OE socket, I'd have thought the connection would be good??

[Tatsfield]

I was just suggesting that if there was something loose in the socket, it might be that certain design pugs foul the short but other designs don't and it is regardless of the provenance of the plug, just its shape. Just a shot in the dark!

[reggit]

Have you tried the cig lighter or one of the 12v USB adapters in the rear seat socket? If so does this also blow the fuse? If it does, it rules out a socket fault (unless both have the same fault which is unlikely).

[apersson850]

Especially the front socket is vulnerable to things falling into it, since it faces upwards. So trying the rear facing one is a good advice.
Try blowing the socket with compressed air, if you feel it's the socket, not the device you plug in, that causes the problem.

[sye73]

Thanks again for everyone's help -
After trying a few things this morning:

1. The 'rear seat' socket operates without fault. A number of adaptors were tested and all function correctly. The cigarette lighter itself engaged securely into the socket and popped-out once hot.
2. Upon putting the same lighter into the front socket, the following was observed:
- It was necessary to hold the lighter down manually (i.e. it wouldn't 'lock' in place).
- The lighter did get hot by holding it down and, on this occasion, the fuse didn't blow.
- When inserting the lighter into the socket, I noticed a very brief 'pause/break' in the reception of the vehicle's radio. I don't know if this is normal?

So, it would seem the lighter itself is OK and the issue is the socket, especially given the inconsistent nature of the problem (the fuse didn't blow at all today). If this conclusion seems reasonable, does anyone know how to remove it!? I really don't want to start taking the whole console out..

[Tatsfield]

I'd guess that there is a small foreign object lodged in the socket that is causing the problem. In effect it's a mechanical fault in an electrical component rather than an electrical fault. If you are lucky and it's a steel item, you could use a strong magnet to see if you can secure it. Otherwise you are going to have to remove the socket and see what's in there. Of course it could be that the socket is just damaged, as I suggested in an earlier post, and it shorts out when plugs of a certain type are pushed into it. Either way getting it out will help you see what the fault is.

[sye73]

I agree that removing the socket is the next step.
Any ideas what's involved? I can't see any screws etc nearby and don't really want a big dis-assembly job. Could it be the socket will just pull out??