12V socket not working, but fuse is fine

[mike5]

On my GenII, I had an accessory plugged in to the cig lighter socket (by the handbrake) for a few minutes. I'm sure it put a bit of a load on the circuit. Now there is no power coming out of the socket but the fuse is fine. I switched fuses, but no dice. I'll probably have to pull things apart and get it figured out. But just wanted to see if anyone has come across this before I go through all the trouble.

Thanks in advance.

mike

 

[off-roader]

I think you're gonna want to pull that apart. You may want to doublecheck the FSM for other items on the same circuit to check if they're working since it could be a fusable link or relay that died killing everything else and you're just not aware that the other things are also dead.

 

[mike5]

When I looked at the owners manual, it referenced the fuse compartment under the dash. The layout I believe was spot 1. I just need to get in there with a multimeter first to ensure there is power at the fuse...then check the socket and associated wiring. This should be fun!

 

[MontyMcV]

Try your mirrors. Pretty sure they are on the same fuse. I had a dime drop into mine cig, unbeknownst to me, and it was an old one that took a while to figure out it was in there. Kept blowing fuses. All was fine once the dime was identified.

 

[mike5]

I finally got it sorted. A circuit tester and a multimeter were the tools needed. I used the circuit tester to determine the fuse had power along with the harness connector at the base of the 12 socket. This was a sigh of relief as it meant the wiring was fine and the issue was with the socket itself. The socket is definitely an interesting item to remove from the center console. It has 4 or 5 parts to it that must be disassembled in a particular order! From the bottom, you unscrew a ring. Once that is off, the mental enclosure around it comes off which then allows a plate to come off. Then from the top you can remove the black surround trim and socket. After examining (and disassembling the socket) I figured out that the issue was with the base (from the bottom side looking up). The base basically has two mental planes. One plane is connected to the harness which basically brings power in. The second plane is what takes power to the socket's base and associated side wings (which is what the lighter touches for positive). Between these two planes is a washer that does not conduct (really weird). Instead, the two planes connect/conduct through a one inch wire that is soldered on. This wire had become damaged and was not passing power. But with the way it is designed, you can't just remove the wire and put in a new one. I did manage to get it off and solder a new piece on though (not as nice as the OEM one but it works). This solved the problem.

The question that remains is why they designed it this way. Is that wire supposed to be a second line of defense in case the wrong fuse is used? Or is it some over engineered type of thing. I'll never know....

BTW: The 12V socket next to the locker switch has its own 15 AMP fuse as well.

BTW 2: The lighter socket's illumintated ring and ashtray light consist of two different type 74 bulbs. BUT, they share the same harness. So if there is a power/wiring issue, chances are both will stop working. If only one stops, it's the bulb. But again, you gotta take the center console apart to replace either bulb!