On 8 Jul 2004 06:45:46 -0700, apetrusev@corrosionservice.com (Cowboy Al) wrote:

||I recently purchased a car plug-in phone adapter for my wife to charge
||her cell phone while driving. Problem is she tells me the cigarette
||lighter hasn't worked for the past 3 or 4 months. Thanks honey.
||
||It's a 94 Civic, a 5 speed. The fuses are fine, interior light and
||radio still work fine, nothing new elctronically has been added. Any
||ideas what to check to see if it's the lighter socket / plug-in or a
||more indepth problem? Any checks I can do with a voltmeter?

Are you sure it's not working? On some cars it only works with the key turned
on.

They are simple devices. A single wire connects to the back for the center
contact. Often the shell will have a ground wire attached.
Check it with a voltmeter. Black Neg wire to the shell, red positive wire to the
center contact at the bottom of the socket. Should have battery voltage. Check
with key on, and key off.
Often the problem is just a center contact that is corroded or just pushed down.

You can polish the conact with whatever you can get down there. A pencil eraser
in a cordless drill might be perfect, particularly if it's the abrasive ink
eraser.

See if the contact has any springy give to it. If not, try to hook something
under it to pull it up a little.

If all else fails, get a replacement socket at any parts store. Difficulty
depends on how hard it is to get behind the mounting point.

||Or am I looking at a replacmement of the socket and plug-in? Has
||anyone done this before and can offer help / guidance as to how its
||done?

Texas Parts Guy