cigar lighter

[Justin71]

All,

is it possible to buy a replacement cigar lighter for a 71? Ours is not operational. It's not the fuse cause the wipers, horn etc (same circuit according to wiring diagrams) all work.

So I suspect it must have gone bad on PO and been disconnected.

A quick search at Don's site and CJ pony doesn't show a version available for 71.

Main purpose for repair is to use for a power outlet (iPod etc).

Any help? Perhaps the one I have is repairable. Any tips on removal/refurbishment?

Thanks in Advance

Jay

 

[JimNiki]

The back end shouldn't affect any aesthetics of the vehicle....

Quite easy to change ... Buy them anywhere ...Tandy, etc...

 

[jeremycfr]

Check NPD

 

[73vertproject]

I have one that I bought for my '73 but it is for a '71 or '72 and doesn't match my '73 vert. I bought is for $10 plus shipping but I'll sell it for $5 plus shipping. Let me know. It's in like-new condition.

 

[jeremycfr]

I found this. http://www.npdlink.com/store/products/knob_and_element_cigar_lighter_repro-184506-1.html

It is a new item and they tell me they will have the bezel late in the summer.

 

[OMS]

I have one that I bought for my '73 but it is for a '71 or '72 and doesn't match my '73 vert. I bought is for $10 plus shipping but I'll sell it for $5 plus shipping. Let me know. It's in like-new condition.

Doc, not sure which is wrong but the 71-3 lighter is the same for all years

Usually it is the center contact point that gets burnt and correded / rusted inside of the socket

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

IIRC there was a thread recently explaining that the old lighter dimensions are different than the current power port dimensions leading to some incompatibility when trying to charge or power accessories.

I bought a universal power port and cut the outer housing to match the old lighter housing parts and put it all together and it works well.

 

[Justin71]

Thanks guys. Lots of help here. I appreciate that.

Not sure i want to buy a new one yet, cause I may need the "socket" portion - mounted to the car and not the removable portion. If I am not mistaken both knob & element are removable?

Anyway, I may have to take the socket off the dash to see what is really wrong, from what I've read, that can be difficult. Any advice before I dig into that?

Jay

 

[OMS]

Thanks guys. Lots of help here. I appreciate that.

Not sure i want to buy a new one yet, cause I may need the "socket" portion - mounted to the car and not the removable portion. If I am not mistaken both knob & element are removable?

Anyway, I may have to take the socket off the dash to see what is really wrong, from what I've read, that can be difficult. Any advice before I dig into that?

Jay

Jay take a flashlight and look into the socket

If you see black / rusted center buttom - sand it clean

No need to remove it yet

Do you have a 12 tester

center button to gound should rear 12 Volts

 

[Tecman]

IIRC there was a thread recently explaining that the old lighter dimensions are different than the current power port dimensions leading to some incompatibility when trying to charge or power accessories.

I bought a universal power port and cut the outer housing to match the old lighter housing parts and put it all together and it works well.

Can you show me a picture of the set up? That sounds like the way to go so I can use my GPS or charge my phone.

 

[jeremycfr]

Look what I got from NPD today. A repop lighter.

 

[Justin71]

Jay take a flashlight and look into the socket

If you see black / rusted center buttom - sand it clean

No need to remove it yet

Do you have a 12 tester

center button to gound should rear 12 Volts

Did this, and found that center button was very rusted. I cleaned it thoroughly with a dremel, but still no luck. No voltage to center pin best I can measure with my tester.

I did find a loose plug under the dash in this area tho. It has 2 sockets, and 1 pin. It has 2 yellow wires attached to one of the sockets. the pin has a black wire, and the middle socket has a purple wire. See attached pic. I checked and at least one of sockets and it shows a good 12V.

Could it be that this connector is supposed to connect to the lighter?

 

[JimNiki]

No...

 

[midlife]

Wire to lighter is typically light blue/white stripe.

 

[OMS]

Pretty sure the wire to the lighter has a 90 degree black boot too

goes to the center pin

Reach behind it to feel if the wire is on the center pin

1/4 inch spade connector goes to the ground lug on the lighter locking ring

 

[Justin71]

I felt back there (very hard to get eyes on it), but I am pretty sure I felt the center pin at the time (I wondered if that was the connector). It felt like a threaded post in the center of the unit. A lot like what you might find on sending units for temps etc have in other places.

There is a good chance the wire has just been removed (I'm gonna guess it was blowing fuses - PO did several systems this way - when they go out - just disconnect them...). So I'll go look for a light blue wire with white stripe with a 90 boot in that area (and a ground lug). Hopefully the grounding lug is still attached.

If you have a clue what the 3 prong/4-wire connector is for, I'd appreciate the tip. I suspect it is something the car just wasn't equipped with originally (like maybe seat-belt lights or something), so it might not matter much.

Thanks again!

Jay

 

[midlife]

That connector looks to be for the map light, but I could be wrong. Is the center wire black/blue?

 

[OMS]

If the 3 wire plug is at the bottom of the dash area it should be for the console wiring

one power on with lights - clock lights

one power on all the time - clock power

one ground

The threaded post you felt was the power post for the lighter

 

[Justin71]

Well, here is the happy wrap-up to my cigar lighter story. Seems like it took me forever to get to it, but at last its figured out.

It was just missing the center wire. Somewhere along the way, that got disconnected. Of course the center button in back of the socket also got cleaned really well too.

It took me a good 10mins of digging around with my fingers behind the dash (after the 5 mins of getting myself and a light into position to see things as much as possible, but the wire had found a place in some small corner. Once dug out, sure enough it had the black 90deg boot on it.

I checked it and it had 12V on it relative to ground - even with the key out.

I had to use 2 fingers only on a blind mate behind the dash to push the connector onto the backside of the cigar lighter socket, but that was all it took. Good 12V to center of cigar lighter socket. I inserted the cigar lighter itself to see if it worked, and sure enough, it popped out nice and hot after a few seconds. My iphone chargers work perfectly in it also. Its nice the socket is continuous power (even with key off- something most new cars don't have these days)

Somewhere along the way I expected the fuse to blow, or some other issue, but nothing. the simplest fix ever - save the reach, vision, and access issues there are working in this area of the dash.

Thanks all for the help - I appreciate the advice and experience that helped me solve this mystery easily.

Jay