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Faulty cig lighter turns to toast

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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 10:01   #1
123gt
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Default Faulty cig lighter turns to toast

A few days ago I decided to test my cigarette lighter in preparation for connecting a new GPS unit. This small exercise ended in the wiring to the ignition turning to toast and causing a serious amount of toxic smoke inside the car. The lighter was purchased new approx. 5 years from one of the Euro parts dealers and was used only once when first installed. The lighter itself was faulty with base unit testing ok.
Luckily I was parked in the garage at the time. Lesson learned - install an inline 20A fuse. If I had been driving at the time it could have been a more serious situation. I have since learned that Ron Kwas recommends the inline fuse option as a precaution for all Amazons.
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 12:08   #2
SwallownAmazon
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I never connect accessories to the original wiring in my Amazon. I have two separate fuse boxes under the dash, one for ignition controlled accessories (power supply through an ignition circuit controlled relay) and the other for those where the circuit is permanently live (power supply through a separate inline fuse).
Fuseboxes are the eight tag Lucas ones as used in Minor 1000s, Minis, etc.
Never had a problem yet and there are lots of "accessories"!
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 14:44   #3
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gt;

As can be seen below, Cigar Lighter on a 122 is directly connected with an unspecified gauge wire (but which looks like an 18ga, so that's what I have included in the diagram) to the Ignition Power Terminal 54 of the Ignition Switch, which is connected to the Terminal 30 (when Ignition is switched ON), and which is directly connected (with the second heaviest gauge wire found in the car) to the Solenoid Term 30, and that is connected directly to the Battery with the heaviest wire in the entire car. So in the case of a short, this connection path can deliver a LOT of current!...hence the smoke show!

Luckily, the small gauge wire supplying the Lighter is the weakest link, and itself acted like a fuse...but not before turning the insulation into an acrid smoke, and getting I expect, your full attention(!)...you can expect damage to be limited to that wire, but your poor Ignition Switch was passing that current!...not so good...!

Generally, I highly recommend if anyone is going to use their vintage Cig Lighter...or even a more modern replacement power socket, which is likely china's (not-so) best, for any purpose, from it's original, to merely supplying power to your phone/GPS, to add an inline fuseholder of whatever type you can easily procure, and install a fuse rated appropriate to the expected load which will be operated...this means 20A for Cig Lighter, 3A for a phone/GPS. I'm not a fan of components dangling beneath the Dashboard, but it's better to simply blow a fuse, and loose function of the GPS then ruining what would have otherwise been a pleasant drive...

In your case, gt, you'll want to replace the damaged wire at the same time! I suggest you do this work with the Battery disconnected to prevent further unplanned exitement!

Cheers


Last edited by Ron Kwas; Aug 25th, 2016 at 14:46.
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 21:48   #4
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Thanks Swallow & Ron for your responses. Yes all done and dusted with inline fuse.
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