Hi there, I have just fitted a cigarette lighter into a 12v car which picks up a constant 12v feed and is protected by its own in-line fuse. Does anybody know what would be a suitable rating of fuse that it should be protected by?
Any thoughts are welcome.
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The fuse must always be rated to the size of the wire used.A 20amp rated wire must not have a fuse higher than 20amp, there are other considerations also, so for this reason i would always fit a fuse rated to suit the appliance fitted. If a 10a appliance is connected to a 20amp rated wire then i would fit a 10amp fuse.
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Thanks for your comments jud, I can appreciate what you are saying. But what I need to know is just how many amps a cigarette lighter is likely to take, because I don't want to use a too high rated fuse because it will be no good if something goes wrong and equally if I use a too small rated fuse it will blow all of the time. I know I could start with a small rated fuse and work up until it doesn't blow but I am trying to be scientific rather than the using the trial and error method.
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I have just fitted a cigarette lighter into a 12v car which picks up a constant 12v feed.....
Personally speaking, I would have wired it through the ignition switch. After owning a 2 door Allegro many years ago if you folded the front seat foward to let a rear passenger in/out, the seat would press in the cigarette lighter. Fortunately (and unfortunately) the plastic dashboard the lighter socket was mounted into melted and the cigarette lighter popped out.
All cars I have owned since that has a cig lighter not wired through the accessory circuit, soon gets a re-wire.
On fuse rating, in my Vauxhall handbook, they specify 20amps.
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Good point d-dave hand't thought of that scenario
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It is a shame that the lack of a standardised auxilliary power take-off means that the cigarette lighter has been pressed into service for this function, for which it is not really suited.
Still, better than the old crocodile clips on the battery scenario, I suppose!
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The main reason it is wired up to a permanent 12v feed is so that I can leave my phone on charge when I am not in the car. Yes I know you shouldn't leave stuff like mobiles in cars that are unattended but I do this when my car is at work or on my drive etc. I can appreciate your comment about the seats on an allegro hitting the lighter and melting the dash but aren't there quite a few cars around that have the cigarette lighters on a constant live feed, particulary Fords?
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"but I do this when my car is at work or on my drive etc"
still a dangerous thing to do, Simon!
I think you're right with the F*rd thought though - I'll check out the old mans Sierra
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The main reason it is wired up to a permanent 12v feed is so that I can leave my phone on charge when I am not in the car.
If thats the cig lighter sockets main purpose, then a 2 amp fuse should suffice.
Word of warning about car phone chargers. Depending on which one you use, it can shorten the useful life of the mob battery as most "tend" to fast charge, whereas the standard 240v mains one trickle charges.
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Thanks for all the input folks. Picking up on the 2 amp fuse issue, if I fitted a 2 amp fuse and then I or someone else pressed the ligher in for any reason would it blow the fuse? Obviously if this would happen then I don't want to have to replace the fuse each time someone messess around with it. On the issue of wiring the car charger in permanently, I can't really do that because I use a variety of vehicles and thus it tends to follow me about quite a lot.
P.S. Dr Dave, I thought you were ill! The 'Ask Dr Dave' forum is in need of your technical expertise and you don't seem to have posted anything for a few days!
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Thanks for all the input folks. Picking up on the 2 amp fuse issue, if I fitted a 2 amp fuse and then I or someone else pressed the ligher in for any reason would it blow the fuse? Obviously if this would happen then I don't want to have to replace the fuse each time someone messess around with it. On the issue of wiring the car charger in permanently, I can't really do that because I use a variety of vehicles and thus it tends to follow me about quite a lot.
P.S. Dr Dave, I thought you were ill! The 'Ask Dr Dave' forum is in need of your technical expertise and you don't seem to have posted anything for a few days!
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The main reason it is wired up to a permanent 12v feed is so that I can leave my phone on charge when I am not in the car.
Have you considered wiring a charger permanently into, say, the clock feed, and then leaving the charger in the glove box?
When you need to charge, simply put phone into glovebox, and that would alleviate the problem with yob/brick/window...
(BTW, does anybody actually keep gloves in their glovebox?
Shouldn't we change it to tatty-old-map-and-half-a-packet-of-sweets-and-two-duff-biros-and-casse
tte-boxes-for-cassettes-which-I-haven't-seen-for
years box?)
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Simon
I've just checked three vehicle handbooks and they give the cigar lighter fuse rating as: 20 amp (Xantia and Pug 306) and 16 amps (Citroen C15 van). HTH.
Ian Cook
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Please beat me if I'm wrong, but I've never seen a 16A fuse?
or is it something French??
MG-Rover Questions? Click on www.mg-rover.org
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Please beat me if I'm wrong, but I've never seen a 16A fuse? or is it something French?? MG-Rover Questions? Click on www.mg-rover.org
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If you'd care to sidle up to my end of the bar, Dave - I'll beat you into buying me a drink ;o)
To be honest, I though it seemed funny when I read it in the Haynes manual but I've just checked the vehicle. The fuse boxes looks as though they came off Nelson's flagship and contain the old fashioned glass tube fuses with metal end caps. I pulled the one in question and it's definitely marked 16A. I mean, this is a 1995 Citroen, for goodness sake!
Ian Cook
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Bl**dy hell!
I though glass fuses went out with the ark!
....on a 1995 vehicle?? Crazy! Makes you wonder what other 'old' technology they use on the C15?
MG-Rover Questions? Click on www.mg-rover.org
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Bl**dy hell! I though glass fuses went out with the ark! ....on a 1995 vehicle?? Crazy! Makes you wonder what other 'old' technology they use on the C15? MG-Rover Questions? Click on www.mg-rover.org
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I know, but it has a certain "Gallic charm" and a simplicity that many would welcome on today's complex vehicles.
A few months ago SWMBO mentioned that the lights weren't working on one side at the back. Well, they weren't working at the front either. Something was shorting to ground and, rather than trace the wiring through the chassis and floor, I simply spliced the right hand into the left hand and upped the fuse size. It worked a treat. Oh for the days when you could mend a car with sticky tape and a hammer.
;-)
Ian Cook
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Thanks for all the input folks. Picking up on the 2 amp fuse issue, if I fitted a 2 amp fuse and then I or someone else pressed the ligher in for any reason would it blow the fuse? Obviously if this would happen then I don't want to have to replace the fuse each time someone messess around with it. On the issue of wiring the car charger in permanently, I can't really do that because I use a variety of vehicles and thus it tends to follow me about quite a lot.
P.S. Dr Dave, I thought you were ill! The 'Ask Dr Dave' forum is in need of your technical expertise and you don't seem to have posted anything for a few days!
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Picking up on the 2 amp fuse issue, if I fitted a 2 amp fuse and then I or someone else pressed the ligher in for any reason would it blow the fuse?
Yes.
Obviously if this would happen then I don't want to have to replace the fuse each time someone messess around with it.
Unless you smoke, do as I do & leave the lighter in the ash tray. That way no one can press it in as it's not there. Failing that, just stick to the 20 amp fuse and hope that if someone does press it in, it doesn't remain stuck in when you've parked up & left the vehicle.
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Simon
A number of car makers provide lighter sockets without the lighter as 'power sockets' these days. These cars have a plastic cap over the socket to stop dirt and coins dropping in and to make them look neat. A trip to your local Vauxhall dealer (for one) may get you one of these caps - I know they are used on Zafiras.
Regards
John S
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That is an excellent idea about the plastic cap, I hadn't thought of that. I have always stuck the lighter back in after using the socket because it looks untidy if you don't. Okay that may be really petty but I can't help the way I think! I will probably get my hands on one of them and use that.
Cheers.
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Also, the sockets which are designed to be used for taking power off seem to have the spring clips removed so that they will not hold a cigarette lighter in them.
I mean, you can push the lighter in, but in some way it doesn't make contact and the holder won't retain it in once you let it go.
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Boat/caravan/camping shops have heavy-duty ones with a plastic cap which will fit most existing mountings.
Beware that there seems to be a fusibile link in some sockets which does not take kindly to any prolonged high-amp useage. The link melts in the socket, but does not blow the fuse.
rg
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