12 volt outlet

Patrol65

New member
I have a 2007 jku rubicon. During a camping trip I had an air compressor short out my 12volt outlet in the dash. This is the one that stays on when the veh is off. I checked the fuses and they look good. Any one have any ideas or is it time to pull the dash and run new outlet?
 

NatersXJ6

Explorer
An air compressor is a LOT of power draw for that dash outlet. Maybe 3-6x the rating. I would look for burned wires too, but a careful check of the fuses might still be warranted. You say they “look good”. Does that mean you tested them? Did you look for a fuse in the compressor cord too?

To your second question, yes, you should run a direct to battery power source for a compressor.
 

Patrol65

New member
haven't used compressor since. The fuses didn't look blown but I changed them just in case. Still no power to the outlet. The other outlet running off the ignition is working.
 

86scotty

Cynic
You probably just burnt the wire up or the outlet itself. Quick and simple to replace. I would reassess before using an air compressor on a 12v outlet again.
 

billiebob

Well-known member
The weak point is the cigarette lighter. It usually fries right at the plug in connection. Pull the cigarette lighter before diving in to pull the dash. If it shorted at the plug it"ll be obvious.

And like everyone says, add a dedicated circuit for the compressor. Maybe hardwire it under the hood.
 

zgfiredude

Active member
And just to echo/add to the others, when you add/replace that cig lighter.....size the wire and the lighter for the load to prevent a repeat performance. I'd consider just repairing the interior one and adding one next to the battery that is set up for the increased load.
 
Also: some aftermarket sockets have an inline fuse. So it's possible there are mutiple fuses in your 12v circuit (one inline another at a fuse block). It's possible you burned out one and not the other.
 

shays4me

Willing Wanderer
If it's an oem power port with oem wiring and fuse the fuse should have went before the wire melted. That's what the fuse is for, to protect the circuit. I would suspect the receptacle first as others have.
 

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