Troubleshooting cigar lighter not working

[C5Longhorn]

I was airing up my tires yesterday using a 12v air compressor plugged into the viper's cigar lighter. I aired up 1 tire and it suddenly stopped working. I double checked the air compressor worked in another vehicle socket and also confirmed a phone charger worked in another vehicle but not the Viper.

From process of elimination, I think the issue is either the cigar lighter wire connectors or the wiring itself.

Would a good way to test the wires be to cut back the insulation and use a multimeter? Does the wiring go all the way from fuse panel to console?

Steps I've taken using a multimeter:
1) Verified cigar lighter fuse is good at hood fuse box
2) Checked for any other blown fuses
3) Tested cigar lighter wire connections and they do not carry a charge
4) Hooked up new cigar lighter and no power still (female end did not fit well but I held hot wire in place).

I have a 2002 Viper which has a 25 fuse under the hood for the lighter/hazards. Any troubleshooting tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Rick

[My98RT10]

First things first: do you have the service manual? If not, I recommend to get one as it spells out every detail of the complete wiring of the car...

Did you just check the fuse itself or also, if there is voltage present at the fuse terminal? This way you can at least narrow down the issue to whether it is located before or after the fuse block. I guess you then just have to closely follow the wiring to find the culprit. Might be also a bad ground connection but to check this you need to know where this circuit is grounded (-> service manual :o)

Hope this helps a bit...

[daveg]

As stated, check for voltage at the fuse block for voltage on each side.. OR just put in a new fuse. You might not see that its actually blown so just replace it. You could also put an ohm meter across the fuse as well.

[Fatboy 18]

Have you checked the micro fuses under the dash by your left knee? I believe one of those is also for the cigar lighter.

[C5Longhorn]

Thanks all. I appreciate the replies. I have checked with a multimeter, the fuse in the fuse box near the battery. I did look at the fuses in the fuse box on the drivers side. I believe folks say it is a 15amp fuse. I will check those again, but I did replace one based on reading threads on here.

I'm also now going to try and determine if it is the connector or wire. I can't get any power to read with the multimeter. I figured I could take a light probe thing, connect to a different ground and verify the Hot wire connector. Then reverse to check the negative wire to try and determine where my issue is.

Rick

[dave6666]

1. Wire is typically more robust or durable than fuses or connectors. So I would not suspect a bad wire without first checking other things. Since the lighter has it's own ground you should get 12VDC across both those wires.

2. Does your car have any aftermarket stereo or alarm? The lighter is a handy place to pick up power. There's also a ground connection that could get tampered with while doing aftermarket work.

3. I would never use the lighter plug to power an air compressor for non emergency reasons. They pull 15 amps depending on the model. And when you are pulling that amp draw for that long airing up tires, then yes, you can burn up wiring. Get a small 120VAC compressor for home use and save the roadside compressor for emergencies.

[RedTanRT/10]

Rick, I have blown fuses in every car I've owned using those type of air compressors. Check the fuse.