DYI: Cigarette Lighter - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Black95Cam · 01-09-2008, 01:43 PM

i used midnightmach DIY and added pictures to it.

start by removing the trim bezal to get full access to the the lighter.

disconnect the connectors.

remove the nut and there will be a washer behind it. that washer you will keep. there is a second washer which is bigger in diameter is between the bottom tabs.

once you pry the tabs open take out the washer. put the tabs together and re-install the lighter

if need more help, send me a PM and i'll do my best to help you out.

blackhawk · 01-09-2008, 01:45 PM

nice i had to to that also a while back but there was never a DYI so good now other can fix theirs

Black95Cam · 01-09-2008, 01:48 PM

yeah. i got it off your old thread. and i figure im doing it so mind as well snap some pictures. its a simple fix that almost anyone can do.. much props goes to midnightmach.

xtremeskier97 · 01-10-2008, 11:05 AM

Ok..first thing's first...its DIY..not DYI.

And second...what exactly are you doing here? Was something broke and you are fixing it, or what?

Just trying to find out what all this is about.

nhl58 · 01-10-2008, 11:21 AM

ahah i've been changing mine this morning

but is it possible that the the power in it is not exactly what it should be cause it seems that it makes my LG GPS go crazy.

maybe it was juste because of the cold and a long week on my back seat

Black95Cam · 01-10-2008, 12:34 PM

^^^ not sure what you are saying but when i plug any power source to it, there would be no power. this is just a simple, cheap way of fixing it. but use it at your OWN risk.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtremeskier97

Ok..first thing's first...its DIY..not DYI.

And second...what exactly are you doing here? Was something broke and you are fixing it, or what?

Just trying to find out what all this is about.

my bad... it was too early in the morning for me. yes i guess you can say it was broken since it didnt have any power coming through the lighter when the fuse was still good.

blackhawk · 01-10-2008, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black95Cam

yeah. i got it off your old thread. and i figure im doing it so mind as well snap some pictures. its a simple fix that almost anyone can do.. much props goes to midnightmach.

okay cool that was a great idea ... we are all learning from each other

xtremeskier97 · 01-10-2008, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black95Cam

..my bad... it was too early in the morning for me. yes i guess you can say it was broken since it didnt have any power coming through the lighter when the fuse was still good.

Ok cool...just didnt know what to take it for.

Vagisimo · 01-11-2008, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhl58

ahah i've been changing mine this morning

but is it possible that the the power in it is not exactly what it should be cause it seems that it makes my LG GPS go crazy.

maybe it was juste because of the cold and a long week on my back seat

I Had the same problem on a saturn and my camry,
it turned out that the wire that is crimped to the 2 metal washers
was not making contact. i re-crimped the wire connections and
checked with an ohm meter that it was making contact.

works great now, the wire seems to be a sacrificial part to keep the socket
from melting the dashboard, if too much current is drawn through the socket

dewilso4 · 07-02-2008, 11:40 AM

where the two metal plates, one connecting to the input wiring, one connected to the cigarette lighter housing, were not making contact because of the washer in between. Obviously when it was first put in, there was contact, but for some reason the washer became non-conductive. It turns out that both my cigarette lighter outlets stopped working around the same time, when I was doing some testing for work, powering our devices through the cigarette lighter. Apparently, pulling close to the 110W limit over long periods of time causes an electrostatic potential to be created between the two plates, across the washer. If there's moisture in the air (i.e. humidity), that washer will become oxidized and not make good contact between the two plates. Similar to that elementary school science experiment where you apply a voltage across a small piece of copper in (tap) water and get the resultant electroplating.

Anyhow, I thought I would respond and give a little bit of the reason I've found for why this happens. Coincidentally, I fixed mine by simply applying a solder bridge across the two plates, bypassing the washer. This way I didn't have to pry the plates apart.

Cheers!

LazyAccent · 07-11-2008, 03:34 PM

So does this diy fix the no power to the cig lighter? cause the radio and clock works fine but the cig lighter is getting no power..

dewilso4 · 07-11-2008, 03:49 PM

Depending on which problem you are having with the cigarette lighter, this may fix it. If you disassemble the center console, remove the cigarette lighter plug, look on the back, you should see the washer. If it's oxidized like mine was, it will have a greenish tint. You may also check for oxidation by using a multimeter and checking the resistance between the two plates. If there is a high resistance (kOhms or MOhms), this diy should fix your problem. If you measure close to 0 ohms (or don't see visible oxidation), this diy MAY NOT help you.

LazyAccent · 07-11-2008, 06:15 PM

^ alright thanks ill get on it later. time to dust off my voltometer (i think thats what its called?) lol

dewilso4 · 07-14-2008, 08:48 AM

LazyAccent~
I reread your 1st post, and I'd suggest you first check your fuses if you haven't done so already. You said that the clock and radio still work fine, but on my Camry, these are on different fuses from the cigarette lighter and power outlet. My cig lighter and power outlet fuses are located behind the little change holder left of the steering wheel. Just a suggestion...

LazyAccent · 07-14-2008, 09:49 AM

^ Those fuses are fine. so ill just go ahead with your suggestiong of checking the resistence and such. thanks...