Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi Guy's I have just got me an aftermarket Cigarette lighter to go into my Traveller but the Main Connector at the back looks like a small Bullet connection.
I was wondering if any one else has had the problem of trying to get a female connector to attach the Mains power to it. There is a Red wire which is part of the illumination lamp and the Black earth wire ( No Probs There )
Tried getting in touch with the firm I bought it off but they do not know what connector I want they do not sell accessories. So at moment stuck
Cheers Bubblemechanic (Paul)

Nope, not at all. I've a selection of Male & Female connectors in my electrical spares collection, Yellow, Blue & Red. I purchased a range of sizes and styles at my first autojumble.
ALWAYS use a female connector for the supply side of a connection if practicable, especially if permanently live, like the feed to a Lighter/Power socket. Otherwise, if it should come apart, you've got a bare metal live male connector waiting to spark somewhere.

It's pretty common to have a Bullet connector for supply and a Spade for the earth on a lighter/power socket.

Readily available on ebay, in all manner of pack sizes. probably cheaper than buying a packet at a shop, once you've spent ages looking.
For example: /www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165053095396

geoberni wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 7:13 pm ALWAYS use a female connector for the supply side of a connection if practicable, especially if permanently live, like the feed to a Lighter/Power socket. Otherwise, if it should come apart, you've got a bare metal live male connector waiting to spark somewhere.

Wouldn't the same happen if the entire connector, male or female, came away?

On this subject, the other day I noticed I'd positioned my new 12v towbar wire that I had to run from the fusebox in the wrong place. To undo it I had to take off the female connector, then a "fun" time re-doing a long section of wire (that could only be positioned leaning wayyyy into the engine bay after the inevitable crawling under the car re-locating the part that wasn't reachable) and finally, triumphantly, putting on the connector - only to discover I'd picked up the wrong connector and had two males meeting each other - so I got a twin female connector (the original style black rubber ones) and joined them up in a grump and went indoors

geoberni wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 7:13 pm Readily available on ebay, in all manner of pack sizes. probably cheaper than buying a packet at a shop, once you've spent ages looking.
For example: /www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165053095396

Also don't forget the cheap crimp tool, and make sure if you buy a manual (non-cranking one) to get one with rubber, not plastic or metal, handles - your hands will thank you for it:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262814955269 ... SwjDZYgQr4

Chief wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:21 pm

geoberni wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 7:13 pm ALWAYS use a female connector for the supply side of a connection if practicable, especially if permanently live, like the feed to a Lighter/Power socket. Otherwise, if it should come apart, you've got a bare metal live male connector waiting to spark somewhere.

Wouldn't the same happen if the entire connector, male or female, came away?

No, the Male and Female Crimps are the 2 halves of the Single connection!
If the 2 elements of the connector, the Male and Female came apart, the live supply would be shrouded in the Female Connector.

Just to clarify, I meant if the live wires connector came away completely leaving just the bare wire exposed.

Chief wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 11:38 pm Just to clarify, I meant if the live wires connector came away completely leaving just the bare wire exposed.

I realised what you meant, that's why I made it clear what I had said, just so that everyone else understood.
That also comes back to my second point about using a ratchet crimp tool that will significantly reduce the chances of an actual 'crimp' just falling off because it hasn't been fitted correctly by using the 'cheap and nasty' tool that relies simply on user's judgement.


Edited to correct a typo.

Cigarette lighters, ooh don’t get me started! I have an electric tyre pump which plugs into a lighter socket. It was original equipment with a Vauxhall Corsa. Unfortunately the Corsa is the only vehicle we have with a suitable socket. Browsing eBay I spotted a socket with wires and clips to connect direct to the battery when required, only £3 including postage from China.

Duly connected the pump wouldn’t work. I disconnected from the tyre and the unladen pump ran, but only very slowly. Then I realised that the wires were getting very hot and on closer examination found they had only half a dozen strands of wire the size of a human hair. Ok, clearly not allowing enough current so I dug out some thicker wire and carefully soldered it to the socket and clips. I connected it all up again. This time the socket melted!

Clearly a very lightweight piece of kit and suitable only for very low current items. The eBay listing made no mention of load limits or suitable uses. I laugh at it now but if I hadn’t noticed what was happening it could have caused a serious fire. Some of this cheap imported stuff is quite dodgy and must be used with care, or perhaps better, avoided altogether.

ianmack wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 11:18 am

There's some things you just don't want to buy direct from China.

I've seen those on ebay and some say they are 30A
12v 30A would require a minimum of 2 to 2.5 sq mm cable

As you say, the images actually on the page imply a far smaller cable size.

I used https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/triple-h ... ckets.html for usb ports, a battery meter and "cigar lighter" socket. I actually have't used the socket yet but the USB ports and meter work well, and the reviews on the website suggest it is acceptable quality. (Everything has its own fuse, in a fuse box, not as part of the products.)

The holes are just slightly too narrow to fit in the ashtray holes in the parcel shelf so I filed them slightly wider and glued metal nuts so I could use the same holes. The lighter socket is specced at 20A. It's only £4.40.

Thank you all for your speedy replies, and unfortunately I was asking if anybody knew the actual size if possible of the central connection bullet connector for these particular lighters?
The lighter I bought has the Black and red Wiring for the Illumination Then the Central Male connection out of the Back, the end looks like a bullet connector but is smaller than the normal bullets that I have.
When I got in touch with the people who supplied it said they do not supply any kind of connector for the middle connector
I am a little lost
Cheers Paul

Bubblemechanic wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:18 pm the end looks like a bullet connector but is smaller than the normal bullets that I have.

Well the back of mine is like that and it's a standard Red Bullet Connection.
Are yours Blue ones by any chance....

I can’t advise on the connector size you will need, so many manufacturers produce these sockets and I wouldn’t assume that they are all a standard fitting. You could try measuring it with a micrometer, or maybe just buy a pack of assorted connectors.

The last one that I bought has spade terminals:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313660752481 ... Sw8vJhLeQF
This takes standard blue female spade connectors, as did the one I bought for the Herald, although this came with lengths of cable and an inline fuse holder already:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/193959866577
Best wishes,
Mike.

ianmack wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:41 pm or maybe just buy a pack of assorted connectors.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392195418517 ... Swx2dYGjWR

You only tend to see those three sizes (red is smallest). At least with the assortment you have other connectors on hand if you should ever need them.

I suspect this is a cheap buy on the part of the OP?

If it is, it is likely to fail early.

My simple ‘fix’ would be to solder on a heavy gauge wire, suitable for the load, run the supply through an in-line fuse and simply carry on. No hassle, problem overcome - and no need for complicated intervention.

No need, then, for a connector sticking out the back (connection made at a convenient point), no need for any special purchase, all repair kit is standard (for a ‘bubble’ mechanic - whatever that is supposed to describe).

oliver90owner wrote: ↑Thu Oct 21, 2021 5:04 am I suspect this is a cheap buy on the part of the OP?

If it is, it is likely to fail early.

My simple ‘fix’ would be to solder on a heavy gauge wire, suitable for the load, run the supply through an in-line fuse and simply carry on. No hassle, problem overcome - and no need for complicated intervention.

No need, then, for a connector sticking out the back (connection made at a convenient point), no need for any special purchase, all repair kit is standard (for a ‘bubble’ mechanic - whatever that is supposed to describe).

I don't regard that as the case at all.
Even the £14 one from CW has the same connection.
www.morrisminor.org.uk/parts/116-access ... olt-supply

In my experience, a great many, if not the significant majority, of after market lighter/power sockets have the same connection.
What is complicated by using a Red Crimp?
I just took the connection from the back of Basil's and the new matching Red Male connector I put in for illustrative purposes is a very secure fit, I can't make it any clearer.
It just happens that Basil's crimp is fitted with a separate clear insulation, but Hey Ho, it's the Red size.
The past owner probably paid somewhere to fit it, they did practically nothing to the car themselves as far as I can work out, they always 'had it done'.

Use a Red Female Insulated Crimp.

I'm glad mine was just standard blades, but to help the OP, you mean something like this:
https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/insulate ... minal.html

Most annoyingly, there seems to be a range of sizes of bullets which are almost the same, presumably imperial vs metric. Red here is 4mm. 12 volt planet also sell 4.7mm which is perhaps to match 3/16", and 5mm for blue and yellow. NB red gives max 1.5mm^2 cable = 21A, so best to use a 10A fuse (with 20A cutout). If you wanted 20A capacity, you may need a different lighter unless it has a 5mm bullet.

nwxh wrote: ↑Thu Oct 21, 2021 1:13 pm
Most annoyingly, there seems to be a range of sizes of bullets which are almost the same, presumably imperial vs metric. Red here is 4mm. 12 volt planet also sell 4.7mm which is perhaps to match 3/16", and 5mm for blue and yellow.

I thought 4.7mm was the contact width for the spade terminals. Can't say I've ever encountered different sizes of Red Bullet

I hadn’t come across 12 Volt Planet before but the range on their website looks good. Their socket with clips is actually stated to be suitable for inflators but not lighters. It costs £8. That’ll teach me to be a tightwad