How to Rewire a Car Lighter Adapter Plug

How to Rewire a Car Lighter Adapter Plug

Portable electronic appliances typically come with 12-volt adapters and patch cords that enable such appliances to be used inside vehicles. In the United States, production of 12-volt automobile plugs is standardized under "UL standard 2089," which covers plugs and patch cords that insert into cigarette lighter receptacles. A 12-volt car lighter adapter plug is easy and convenient to use, but can sometimes become defective due to abuse or misuse. If you know how to rewire a defective car lighter adapter plug you can save yourself some cash.

Things You'll Need
Diagonal pliers
Wire stripper
Soldering gun
Solder wire


Instructions
Cut the cord attached to the lighter plug about 2 inches below the plug, using diagonal pliers. Remove about 2 inches of outer covering from the tip of the patch cord, using diagonal pliers. Strip off 1/2 inch of insulation from the tip of the two inner wires (positive and negative), using a wire stripper.

Look at the plug. Observe the two retractable metal fins protruding on each side of its cylinder, and the retractable metal nipple at its tip. Note that the side fins are negative conductors, and that the tip is the positive conductor of the 12-volt circuit.

Hold the plug cap in your right hand, hold the cylindrical body in your left hand, and twist the cap counterclockwise to unscrew the cap from the plug's cylindrical body. Find the holding screw along the adapter plug's cylindrical body, and unscrew it with a screwdriver. A lighter plug is typically split lengthwise along its center into two identical halves. Open the cylindrical body to reveal the metal fins and nipple inside, including a small spring that pushes the retractable metal nipple.

Note the order in which the metal conductors and spring are arranged inside the plug's cylindrical body. Remove the existing wires attached to the metal nipple, and to the metal fins, by cutting the wires using diagonal pliers.

Loop the stripped end of the positive wire (red, or black with white stripe) around the base of the metal nipple (positive terminal), and solder the copper wire to the metal nipple, using a soldering gun and solder wire.

Wrap the stripped end of the negative wire (black, without stripe) around the base of the metal fins. Fasten the wire onto the fins, using soldering gun and solder wire. Replace the metal nipple and metal fins inside the plug, and reassemble the plug in the same arrangement as you had found them earlier. Make sure that the positive and negative wires do not come in contact with each other.

Turn on your vehicle's ignition switch. Insert the car lighter adapter plug into a 12-volt receptacle on your vehicle's dashboard, and turn on your appliance to test the connection.

How to Install a New Cigarette Lighter in a Car

How to Install a New Cigarette Lighter in a Car

Most cars produced now days no longer have an actual cigarette lighter inside of the car. The port the lighter uses can still be found in all modern models, but these are now used to power electronic devices. Even if you have an older vehicle you may have burned out the cigarette lighter. If you tend to smoke in your car you may want to look into installing a new cigarette lighter in your vehicle.

Things You'll Need
Replacement cigarette lighter

Instructions
Place the key to your vehicle in the ignition and power on the vehicle. You do not need to start up the ignition, but at least turn the key far enough to start up your radio and power up the windows.

Place an electrical device that uses the lighter charger into the charger to make sure it still works properly. It is possible to accidentally blow out the charger if you have extracted too much power from it at one give point.

Pick up a replacement cigarette lighter. These can be purchased at most automotive stores such as AutoZone or Pep Boys. All cars use the same size so there is no need to measure the size of your power port.

Place the cigarette lighter into the power point. When you want to charge the cigarette lighter press it down completely. Once the lighter is hot enough it is going to pop out. Hold your cigarette against the hot tip for a moment to light the cigarette.

How to Fix the Accessory Power Outlet in a Car

How to Fix the Accessory Power Outlet in a Car

Current technology has transformed a car’s accessory outlet from a mere cigarette lighter to a vital piece of the commuting puzzle. Paper maps have gone the way of cassette players with the advance of global positioning satellite navigation units and mapping applications on cellular phones. These 12-volt sources now power devices that provide navigation, traffic updates, weather conditions and emergency communication capabilities making car travel safer and more comfortable.

Determine If the Outlet Is Bad
Try a different accessory with the outlet. If the second accessory does power on, the problem is the original accessory and not the outlet. If both accessories fail to turn on in the outlet, the outlet is probably the culprit. If this is the case, proceed with further troubleshooting steps to determine the root cause of the outlet failure.

Check the Fuse
Accessory power outlets are protected by a fuse in a fuse block. It is there to prevent the outlet from overdrawing power and possibly creating a fire due to a short or misuse. Your owner's manual has a listing of all of the fuses in the car and a diagram highlighting the exact location of the fuse block. Remove the fuse using a fuse puller and inspect the metal line the plastic housing. If it is broken, replace it with a new fuse of the same amperage. The fuse block cover may have spare fuses you can use. Never use a replacement fuse with a higher amperage rating than the one you are replacing.

Check the Wiring
Use a multimeter’s DC volts setting to get an idea of what’s going on with the outlet. With the car ignition in the accessory position, insert the red lead into the outlet and make firm, direct contact with the conductor in the center of the outlet. Use the black lead to contact the side of the outlet without touching the red lead or the center conductor. If the meter reads anything below 12.0 volts or no current at all, find the problem in the wiring. Remove the negative battery cable and check for continuity between the side of the outlet and the outlet’s ground point, the outlet center conductor and any junction point between it and the fuse block, and hot shorts or short to ground. Repair any break in the wiring or shorts.

Replace the Outlet
If the fuse is OK and you didn’t find any breaks or shorts in the wiring, it is safe to suspect the outlet itself. A multimeter can help determine this as well. Unplug the power outlet from the wiring harness so that the outlet is electrically separated from the rest of the car. Jumper the red and black wire in the outlet's electrical connector, then insert the multimeter leads into the outlet as you did to check for voltage, but this time set the multimeter for continuity. Because the wires themselves have already been tested, an open circuit here will verify that the break is inside the outlet itself. If the meter reads no continuity, replace the outlet.