Lighter socket not working.....

[Elliott653]

........and it's not the fuse.

A strange one. I plugged a faulty Tom Tom charger into my 4200CC lighter socket recently and the socket stopped working. I know that it's the charger at fault as I subsequently tried it in the Mrs' car 12v socket and that stopped working too. I then noticed that the charger plug-in unit was broken.

Assuming it was just a fuse, I checked the relevant one in the fuse compartment in the footwell. It was undamaged.

Could it be just a loose wire? I've had intermittent issues with the climate control fan knob which on occasion doesn't work unless I turn off and restart the car.

Any ideas as to how I could fix it?

Thanks.

 

[lozcb]

........and it's not the fuse.

A strange one. I plugged a faulty Tom Tom charger into my 4200CC lighter socket recently and the socket stopped working. I know that it's the charger at fault as I subsequently tried it in the Mrs' car 12v socket and that stopped working too. I then noticed that the charger plug-in unit was broken.

Assuming it was just a fuse, I checked the relevant one in the fuse compartment in the footwell. It was undamaged.

Could it be just a loose wire? I've had intermittent issues with the climate control fan knob which on occasion doesn't work unless I turn off and restart the car.

Any ideas as to how I could fix it?

Thanks.

From memory there are 2 fuses for the ciggy lighter have you checked both, also the passenger footwells are well known for retaining moisture and damp worth checking that the main fuse or relay area is free of damp and any subsequent corrosion



regards loz


regards loz

 

[Elliott653]

The footwell compartment was bone dry. I didn't know that there were two fuses. I'll get the handbook out once more.

 

[Elliott653]

I've rechecked the book. Fuse 41 in the footwell is for the cigarette lighter. That was OK

The only other candidate for a relevant fuse that i can find is the luggage compartment fuse 10. named as the "power socket". Could that be the second one?

 

[lozcb]

I've rechecked the book. Fuse 41 in the footwell is for the cigarette lighter. That was OK

The only other candidate for a relevant fuse that i can find is the luggage compartment fuse 10. named as the "power socket". Could that be the second one?

Yeps thats the one and i have a funny incling thats there 's a relay involved aswell



regards loz

 

[Elliott653]

Ah, OK. Thanks Loz.

 

[Emtee]

It's very easy to check the wires. Pop out the ashtray and it's one screw beneath IIRC, then just lift out the unit.

 

[Elliott653]

Thanks Emtee. I've been at the Supercar event @ Dunsfold all weekend. So, I've not had the opportunity to post that the lighter is working as a lighter, inasmuch as it's heating up the element. But, it's not connecting to any plug in device or power lead. Nothing is getting a charge from it.

Very strange.

 

[BennyD]

Thanks Emtee. I've been at the Supercar event @ Dunsfold all weekend. So, I've not had the opportunity to post that the lighter is working as a lighter, inasmuch as it's heating up the element. But, it's not connecting to any plug in device or power lead. Nothing is getting a charge from it.

Elliott, I wished we could have hooked up, I saw a black 4200 but didnt realise you were an active member of THE best Maserati forum!

 

[Elliott653]

Elliott, I wished we could have hooked up, I saw a black 4200 but didnt realise you were an active member of THE best Maserati forum!

I certainly saw you Benny! You seemed to have a permanent grin on your face and you certainly gave it everything on every lap as far as I could tell. The car sounded so sweet too!

I spent Saturday as a volunteer, selling Caterham rides to the punters. They did nigh on 200 rides on the day - we could tell by counting the waiver forms . A fantastic effort by everyone involved.

I returned as a paying customer with the family on Sunday. My OH's 10 year old son rode in a 458 & a Rolls. He clocked your car but refused to pay me £25 for his ride down to Dunsfold.

Roll on next year!



Now, about my recalcitrant lighter/charger socket.........

 

[Elliott653]

Ok. Something new has just cropped up. On starting the car, neither the indicators, nor the climate control controls worked. However, when I restarted the car, they worked correctly once more.

That's a relay isn't it?

 

[Emtee]

Hmm, Does sound like a relay, but checking the OM it doesn't make it clear which single relay it might be?

If you have the OM to hand all I can think (and it's only a guess) is that it could be the relay at position C or D?

 

[Elliott653]

Thanks Miles. I'll dig the OM out tomorrow. How can I tell if the relay is faulty? Or do I just buy a new one and hope for the best?

 

[Elliott653]

Mea Culpa time.

After a bit more investigation, I discovered, my to my embarrassment, that the lighter socket has worked perfectly throughout. The problem was with the THREE faulty plug-in chargers that I was using. All three were broken in one way or another. It wasn't until I had bought and tried a new charger that the penny dropped.

I'll get me coat.

 

[Paulm]

Elliott.............similar thing happened to me........except I told everyone it was a loose wire !!!!

 

[Elliott653]

Elliott.............similar thing happened to me........except I told everyone it was a loose wire !!!!

Err, yeah! That's what I meant. A loose wire. Flippin' spelling auto correct..