cigarette lighter

Discuss Electrical problems here.
Forum rules
By using this site, you agree to our rules. Please see: Terms of Use
Vikki
Minor Friendly
Posts: 86
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:22 pm
Location: Rugby, Warwickshire
MMOC Member: No

cigarette lighter

Post by Vikki »

hi can someone tell me how to install a cigarette lighter in penny, i think im gonna need a sat nav for next week :)
[sig]7113[/sig]
jaekl
Minor Addict
Posts: 611
Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:40 pm
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
MMOC Member: No

Post by jaekl »

Is Penny the convertible in your signature? If so, you have a very handy power source under the right side dash. You should find the leads that would be used to power the interior light on a saloon. One purple and one black and always live.
rayofleamington
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 7679
Joined: Fri Nov 01, 2002 2:55 pm
Location: LEAMINGTON SPA
MMOC Member: No

Post by rayofleamington »

Alternatively... take a live feed from the live side of the fuse box (remove fuses and see which terminals are live). Use 15A or 20A wire and run it through a 10A inline fuse, and continue the wire to somewhere under the dash where you connect it to the centre terminal of the lighter socket. The other terminal should be wired to ground (the body/dash metal).

There are 2 fuses in the fuse box - one is switched by the ignition, the other is permanent live - choose one or the other depending on what you want. Many cigarrette lighter sockets these days have inbuilt lighting so a switched live cound be better.

In the well known parts shops, they have a chav section with gadgets in. There you'll find multi socket cigarrette lighter extension leads (with plug). If you cut the plug off, this gives you most of what you need and is usually far cheaper than just buying the single socket in the 'normal' section.
The wiring on a plug and socket extension will be 10A wire as it has a 10A fuse in the plug. Personally I prefer higher rated wire for extra protection. Also thicker wire gives less voltage drop if you do use a lot of current. The 10A wire in a standard 12v extension should be perfectly safe - otherwise they wouldn't sell it ;-)
Ray. MMOC#47368. Forum moderator.

Jan 06: The Minor SII Africa adventure: http://www.minor-detour.com
Oct 06: back from Dresden with my Trabant 601 Kombi
Jan 07: back from a month thru North Africa (via Timbuktu) in a S3 Landy
June 07 - back from Zwickau Trabi Treffen
Aug 07 & Aug 08 - back from the Lands End to Orkney in 71 pickup
Sept 2010 - finally gave up breaking down in a SII Landy...
where to break down next?
2013... managed to seize my 1275 just by driving it round the block :(
MarkyB
Minor Maniac
Posts: 7845
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:18 pm
Location: South East London
MMOC Member: No

Post by MarkyB »

One with a bracket like this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cigar-Cigarette-L ... 1|294%3A50
Saves drilling a big hole or having the socket dangling on a wire.
Vikki
Minor Friendly
Posts: 86
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:22 pm
Location: Rugby, Warwickshire
MMOC Member: No

Post by Vikki »

thanks for your help guys, got up to the national and back safely thanks to the sat nav, it always put me at ease. we cut the end off a ciggarette lighter in the end, thanks for the tip rayofleamington, we did it the morning we were leaving the boyfriend managed to get it done in about ten minutes, i might be able to persuede him to help me with the car more often ;)
[sig]7113[/sig]
User avatar
d_harris
Minor Legend
Posts: 4388
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 3:52 pm
Location: Sunny Brighton
MMOC Member: No

Post by d_harris »

Didn't see your car there.....

bmcecosse
Minor Maniac
Posts: 46561
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:24 pm
Location: ML9
MMOC Member: No

Post by bmcecosse »

Vikki says " boyfriend managed to get it done in about ten minutes " - well it does say in another thread that ' Morris Minor owners do it slowly ' !
ImageImage
Image
Sidney'61
Minor Legend
Posts: 1550
Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:35 pm
Location: Northampton
MMOC Member: No

Post by Sidney'61 »

boyfriend isn't the owner :wink:

I saw your car at the national, you'd struggle to miss it :)
Andy W____________1961 2-door 948cc (Sidney)_____________1963 2-door 1275cc (Emily)_______

Vikki
Minor Friendly
Posts: 86
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:22 pm
Location: Rugby, Warwickshire
MMOC Member: No

Post by Vikki »

yep was parked with all the other minors, i missed some cars i wanted to see aswell just didnt spot them.
[sig]7113[/sig]
xpress
Minor Addict
Posts: 761
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:08 am
Location: West London
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by xpress »

hi ray, just going to maplins, just wondering what sort of connectors to buy for patching into the fuse box as per your post? thanks.

MMaurice52
Minor Friendly
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2010 9:04 pm
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by MMaurice52 »

A warning:

If you own an MM, they are wired positive earth. The + wire is connected to the center terminal of the socket and - wire to the side terminal. The socket should be insulated from the body metal. I used a plastic bracket behind the dashboard "grille". I did not want to chance my GPS recognizing reversed polarity.
PSL184
Minor Legend
Posts: 4978
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 5:49 pm
Location: Nuneaton
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by PSL184 »

Good advice but remember ALL Morris Minors of any age were originally Positive Earth. So, check if yours has been converted to Negative Earth first, regardles of model.....
[sig]8426[/sig]

Compare the Minors - Simples !! http://mog.myfreeforum.org/index.php
bmcecosse
Minor Maniac
Posts: 46561
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:24 pm
Location: ML9
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by bmcecosse »

Rather than mess about 'isolating' the thing - which will only end in grief/fire/burned out sat nav one day, I would swap the polarity of the car to the now standard -ve earth.
ImageImage
Image
alex_holden
Minor Legend
Posts: 3798
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:46 am
Location: Burnley
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by alex_holden »

xpress wrote:hi ray, just going to maplins, just wondering what sort of connectors to buy for patching into the fuse box as per your post? thanks.
You want an insulated female Lucar crimp connector, something like this:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=42728
Probably the blue size, depending on how thick the wire you're using is.

You'll need a crimping tool too if you don't already have one.
ImageImage
Alex Holden - http://www.alexholden.net/
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer.
xpress
Minor Addict
Posts: 761
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:08 am
Location: West London
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by xpress »

ah ok, do the female lucars go to a male lucar in the fusebox? i will get some of these and fix it up soon. just glad that she's starting up first time and running well now.

dp
Minor Legend
Posts: 1045
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 6:26 pm
Location: Southend
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by dp »

bmcecosse wrote:Rather than mess about 'isolating' the thing - which will only end in grief/fire/burned out sat nav one day, I would swap the polarity of the car to the now standard -ve earth.
Bit of a thread hijack here but yesterday I read somewhere that the reason that cars were positive earth was that it stopped the electrode furring up (can't remember which one furs normally). Anyone know if that's true?
Image
bmcecosse
Minor Maniac
Posts: 46561
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:24 pm
Location: ML9
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by bmcecosse »

I believe it's to do with reducing the tendency to RUST!
ImageImage
Image
xpress
Minor Addict
Posts: 761
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:08 am
Location: West London
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by xpress »

hi there.

i can't see a space on the fuse box and i see

AA EE DD etc

what one is permanent live?

regarding the space on the fuse box for a lucar connector, what shall i do, do they sell lucar splitters? please advise.

weimylady
Minor Friendly
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 11:14 am
Location: wiltshire
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by weimylady »

This may sound like a silly question, but where can I get a cigarette lighter from? Can I just buy one from Ebay or do I need a special one (for a special car!)?
MarkyB
Minor Maniac
Posts: 7845
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:18 pm
Location: South East London
MMOC Member: No

Re: cigarette lighter

Post by MarkyB »

Ebay is fine.
The cigarette lighter will take it's polarity from the car and so the car must be negative earth or anything plugged into the cigarette lighter will be toast.

Look for one that can be fixed to a panel.

"Once you break something you will see how it was put together"
Post Reply