Need A Repair Manual??? We Recommend Mitchell1

Battery Drain and Cigarette Lighter Issues


 

cigarette lighter battery drainQuestion:

Alternator works.  I can drive the car for an hour or so -park it overnight and the battery is dead.  I have to charge it.  There appears to be a short somewhere but I don’t know where (The cigarette lighter doesn’t work???  Everything else works. Where should I begin looking.  I cannot find a web page  on how to replace the lighter on a 94 Mazda Miata   – Jerry

 

Answer:

Jerry,

The best and fastest way would be to buy or borrow a clamp-on DC amp meter, which will allow you to hook up a freshly charged battery and measure the current draw with everything in the car off.  (key out, doors closed, underhood light unplugged)  If there is a drain you will see it on the current meter.  You can then start pulling fuses in the fuse box and see which circuit is causing the drain.  Once you have isolated the circuit you will then have to dig in and trace the wires.  More than likely the cigarette lighter circuit will be the culprit.  It’s possible there is a short, or I have even seen a penny get stuck in the cigarette lighter and cause issues!  (usually a blown fuse)  Your Miata also has a “fusible link” which may be blown as well, which would require a new socket, since the fusible link is built in to the socket.  Not sure on the specifics of how to remove the cigarette lighter, but I searched following my own advice and found this…

 

“I have my center console and center panel (the black strip that surrounds the radio/HVAC/cig-lighter area) removed at the moment for another purpose. And I just took my cigarette lighter out last night. Thing is, so far as I can tell, there’s no way of removing the cigarette lighter casing from the front without damaging it. I know you can yank it out with a needle-nose pliers, but it will get trashed. Since you already have a new replacement unit, maybe you should just go ahead and do that. Just be sure to break the cigarette lighter casing and not the center panel (the black plastic).

If you want to remove it without damaging it, you have to remove the center console and center panel. This sounds worse than it is. Once you have the center panel out, the cigarette lighter casing (and passenger side air-bag switch in my car) comes out with it. Then you can access it from behind. I actually used a cloth-wrapped flat-head screwdriver to slowly pry out the metal part from the front. When it’s out, there’s a clip on the plastic part that, when pressed in from behind, allows you to remove the plastic part from the front.” - http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=91095

Before you click out! While I know a lot about cars, I don't know a lot about YOUR CAR! A repair manual is essential and I have a way for you to get one FREE.

Click Here To Read More
(Link opens in a new window)






Learn more with our Autoshop101 courses.


Posted: 29th October 2013  |  Author: Kevin Schappell  |  Category: Electrical

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

About This Blog

AutoEducation.com has been around since 1999 educating you on how cars work.

Solid advice, a little bit of fun, and even answers to your specific questions keep customers coming back. We want to help make owning a car as easy as possible for you and your family. Americans love their cars, and we are here to help you get the most out of that experience! The blog is an agile way we can respond to visitors and answer questions or post the news of the day.

Want to take your education to the next level?

Sometimes you have to get "hands-on" and there is no better place than a trade school. If you are looking for a new career, or simply just want to learn to do repairs on your own car, we can help.

We have a directory of all the trade schools, vo-tech schools and automotive colleges in the USA. Get the best education for your need, at night or full-time.

Click Here to Find an Automotive School...

We Recommend...

Online Auto Repair Information for the Do-it-Yourselfer