cigarette lighter wiring

[NutmegCT]

I plugged a small 12v air pump into my cigarette lighter (75/76 MGB) and discovered the lighter has no power. First time I'd tried it since I got the car 2 weeks ago.

I pulled off the console and saw that the lighter's black wire to ground is fine (it plugs into the black wire in the harness), but the red/white wire leading from the small cylinder on the side of the lighter is hanging loose. The loose end has a female receptacle, about 1/8" diameter.

There's a brass (?) stub at the base of the lighter cylinder, which looks like it could take the female end of the red/white wire. But there's no other wire or wire stud on the lighter - just the red/white (un-attached) line, and the plugged in black ground line.

As the lighter is in the plastic console, and thus ground-less except for the black line, where does its power come from? I can't find a spot (plug or tab) for a power line on the lighter itself. There are several un-used powered lines in the harness, so if I knew where to plug the line I could get the lighter working again.

Thanks.
Tom

 

[90 XJ-S]

The red/white wire is for the light which is inside that funny shell attached to your cigar lighter. the cigar lighter main power IIRC is a purple wire, fairly heavy gauge. comes out of the harness right behind the cigar lighter. Often is hiding right up against the plastic housing so that it is difficult to see.

Mike

 

[NutmegCT]

Mike - thanks for the info. Do you recall where that purple wire plugs onto the lighter? I can't find a terminal for it, only the spade plug for the black wire connecting to ground. And where does the red/white wire from the bulb connect? My red/white, about 3 inches long with a female terminal, is just hanging loose.

Thanks.
Tom

 

[DanZ]

There should be a threaded stud in the center of the lighter housing that the wire just pushes onto. If it isn't there, then it's probably broken off inside the connector.

 

[90 XJ-S]

What DanZ said on the Cigar Lighter is right on. The Red/White wire has likely been used in the radio installation. (Hopefully, for the light in the radio, as the power in all red/whites comes from the lighting reostat)

 

[NutmegCT]

Thanks guys. Now I know where the red/white line goes - on the stub at the bottom of the lighter cylinder.

But where does the (purple) power line go? I can't find a terminal on the lighter for it. (Sorry if I wasn't clear - that was my original question.)

Tom

 

[Bruce74B]

Whoa!!!..the purple wire goes to the stub on the lighter...the red/white wire goes to the light attached to the side of the lighter...don't try to power the lighter from the red/white wire or you will burn out your reostat in half a second!

Bruce

 

[NutmegCT]

OK - jamming on the brakes ... One end of the red/white wire goes to the light bulb holder - got it; that's the way mine is set up. And the *other* end of the red/white wire goes ... ?

And the purple wire goes to the stub on the lighter.

The leg bone is connected to the ... king pin? <g>

T.

 

[90 XJ-S]

"...And the *other* end of the red/white wire goes ... ?"

In the same harness that the purple wire came out from, there should be a Red/White traced wire coming out going to what looks like a square chunk of black rubber. Right now you should have the wire from the harness and one wire going to each of the heater controls for a total of three wires and then one corner of that piece of black rubber should be unoccupied. Push your light wire in there and you will be golden. Or actually, your Cigar Lighter will have a green halo.

Mike

 

[JTB]

yeah that threaded stud unscrews from the back of the lighter. Guess you could solder directly to that tiny stud if the screw in part is no longer there. The screw in part has a place to clamp in wire on one and is a tiny hex sided affair on the other end that has threaded whole inside that screws into small stud on back of lighter. Mine is buggered up on the clamp end so I might have to solder and cover with shrink fit or something to protect it. Took me a week to figure out the wiring there but that was before I could read a wiring diagram. Use wire the same size as the heavier duty purple you find in the console harness extension.

 

[Keoke]

JTB, You could solder a bullit on to the lighter center stud and one on to the Purple wire then a standard bullit connector will hook you up.-FWIW---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[NutmegCT]

A zillion thanks guys - now I've got a working 12v lighter (power source) with a glowing orange ring.

Now to tackle the radio installation ...

Tom

 

[90 XJ-S]

Keoke,

That center stud is exactly the same size as an english bullit connector. So all you need is a female bullit connector and it slips right over that screw.
Then... "Its Golden brewed, malt based beverage Time" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

Mike

 

[Keoke]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif-Keoke