The Simplest Steps to Fixing Your Car Cigarette Lighter

Your GPRS won't power up, or you want to charge. Unfortunately, your car cigarette lighter is not working. It might not appear to be a severe car issue, but it can be an inconvenience. There are many reasons for a faulty car cigarette lighter. Whatever causes might be, I'll show you how to easily locate the fault and how to fix them easily and quickly.

Check for detritus

One of the first steps to take when planning on fixing a car cigarette lighter is to check the lighter for the presence of any debris or objects which can range from dirt bits of paper to whatever can get stuck inside.

The presence of detritus can easily spoil the lighter by shorting the fuse or just preventing contact. All you need is a flashlight and a toothpick.  And then you can shine the beam of light inside the lighter to check for any object or debris and use the toothpick to see if you can easily remove it. When trying to remove the debris if any make sure to be careful, you should not go around trying to force it out.

Testing the fuse

You need to locate the lighter's fuse, it may be in the engine compartment or passenger’s compartment. Check the car manual for help to search for the lighter's fuse. To test the fuse, you would need a multimeter.

Turn the multimeter on, and make sure it is in the continuity test mode. And then place the black wire on one side and the red wire on the other side of the fuse. All you have to do now is to listen whether the multimeter makes a sound. If it doesn't beep, it may be that the fuse is faulty and needs replacing. But if it beeps that means it is working properly, you can easily get a new fuse with the proper power ratings from an electronics store.

Inspect the lighter

If after testing the fuse and checking it for any debris, the car cigarette lighter is still not functioning properly, which means that the car cigarette lighter may well be the source of the problem. To inspect the lighter, pull it out of the socket and check for any detritus or burned area. If you see any sign of burns, this could mean that the lighter has short-circuited. If so, you would need to swap it with a new one. If you find any debris in the socket area, you can easily clean it and try the lighter once more.

A faulty car cigarette lighter can easily be the source of inconvenience to a car owner. But with the various ways to easily check for faults and fix them now,  you can easily do it yourself without having to call a car mechanic. For more cigarette lighters, please click here.