cigerette lighter

[BluAccord]

i want to add a three hole aux to my car. when i plug in my computer, the computer blinks off and on. is our lighters strong enough to handle that load it doesnt do that in my other vehicles. has anyone had any trouble plugging anything in theres besides cell phone or GPS?

[drkshdw107]

Hmmm....haven't tried anything that heavy...are you using some kind of converter?...i know that the wires going to the cigarette lighter are 16 guage...not good for big loads...and if you are going to put a three-way in there then you might want to consider adding a relay and a different power source with a larger wire diameter...like 12 - 14 gauge to run your accessories. thats all I can think of.

oh wait...you might want to check for a bad ground first...they can create all sorts of problems...good luck

[BluAccord]

cig lighter

hey thanks Drkshdw107, I will run a power wire from the battery and ground with relay to run my three plug assecory. the only thing is the converter that is on the laptop car charger. I wanted to add it because my GPS is plugged in, when I charge my phone I have to unplug my GPS. Besides it gets in the way of the cup holder.

[drkshdw107]

hey thanks Drkshdw107, I will run a power wire from the battery and ground with relay to run my three plug assecory. the only thing is the converter that is on the laptop car charger. I wanted to add it because my GPS is plugged in, when I charge my phone I have to unplug my GPS. Besides it gets in the way of the cup holder.

Just make sure you add a fuse on the power side when you run it from the battery...if you need help setting up the relay, let me know...they are pretty easy...also...make sure you make a good ground...later

[BluAccord]

cig lighter

what I want is to have it go off when i switch off the car. just in case my wife forgets to unplug it. so i was thinking about maybe tapping into the fuse box under the dash. also where wud be a good place to put it? so it wont look tacky?

[drkshdw107]

well that circuit is already designed to turn off with the key...and if you take off the dash/console trim cover (all one piece...be careful) there is plenty of space behind there to hide stuff like that...do you know how a relay works? I can give you the basics if you need help

[BluAccord]

cig lighter

Im going to run a line from the battery. I dont think the fuse box can handle all three sockets being used at the same time. Do you think the fuse box will be the wrong way to go? I know that there is a fuse that will switch off when the key is turned off. I know i will hang it beside the glove box horizontally, or on the passenger beside the cig lighter on the inside of the panel. Think that will work?

[drkshdw107]

Im going to run a line from the battery. I dont think the fuse box can handle all three sockets being used at the same time. Do you think the fuse box will be the wrong way to go? I know that there is a fuse that will switch off when the key is turned off. I know i will hang it beside the glove box horizontally, or on the passenger beside the cig lighter on the inside of the panel. Think that will work?

Well...using the fuse box will look cleaner under the hood...but running a new circuit from the battery would be fine too...just make sure you add an inline fuse from the battery, and use a 14 gauge wire or bigger for that type of load.

If you want your cig. lighter to work with the key power like the stock circuit does...just use your stock power wire from the cig. lighter as the signal wire for the relay, then use the power wire from the battery as your supply power for the relay...here is how I would set up a standard 5-pin automotive relay:

pin 86 - cig. lighter 12v from stock wiring
pin 85 - ground
pin 30 - new 12v 14 gauge wire from battery or terminal from fuse box
pin 87 - new 14 gauge wire from relay to power side of cig. lighter.
pin 87a - not used.

lastly, if you are upgrading your power wires...you need to also upgrade your ground wire...just make sure you make a new, and good connection to ground.

and I just realized that there is a terminal or two in the fuse box with power wires you can tie to that comes straight from the battery...hope this helps...let me know if you need anything else...later