Fag lighter socket.

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cavmad
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Fag lighter socket.

Post by cavmad »

It would appear the fag lighter doesn`t work on my estate (have tried ones that I know to work so lighter part not the problem). As I have a whole spare unit in my other BX can someone please tell me what sort of job it is to swap them over?
Is it a dashboard out jobby or can I carefully prise the old one out with small screw drivers and then unclip the wires?
Thanks in advance.
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Terry Brooks
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Post by Terry Brooks »

Hi Cav,the socket is loose on my TZD ......but it only seems to want to come out about 1" and then it seems that the wires are holding it in .....the said socket didnt work when i bought the car but use of switchcleaner and fiddling with the contacts with a sharp plastic spike got it working again ...sorry not to be of more help but I dont wanna make my own ciggy lighter so it dont work.
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Post by Vanny »

Dead easy but you need to pull off the WHOLE heater console panel!


To get the panle off then do the following;

1)pull the speed,temp and direction knobs off (be careful not to break them)
2) undo the screws behind the speed and direction knobs
3) Prise out the two sets of directional blower vents, recover the funny shaped springy bit (the bit that will fly past your head at mach 11)
4) In the outer edges of the housing for the blower vents you will now find two rectangular holes (8mmx25mm ish), inside which is a piece of metal. This forms a retainer spring. Put a flat headed screw driver into the hole behind the matal flap and twist to release the catch.

thats it! Be wary that the cables to the fag lighter will still be attached AND LIVE, but can easily be unplugged!



Get one off one of the working cars and just swap them back over!
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cavmad
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Post by cavmad »

Thanks Gents! I`m actually hoping to give up smoking this week but have another device that requires a fag lighter socket to work coming shortly :wink:
I`ll be trying your tip tomorrow thanks Vanny on the `old` estate-that way if I wreck it it won`t matter!
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Post by jeremy »

Having done all the work you will then find that Citroen drivers smoke something larger than everyone else! The plugs are larger than standard! - so you may have to purchase a new one anyway or make up a sleeve.

Interestingly the lighter in my BX (came with it) is actually a 24 volt one that doesn't really work as it doesn't get hot enough - but perhaps there is a commercial adaptor or something.

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Post by Vanny »

Plugs are larger?
Your not getting confused with the aux power Bosch Socket at the back of the handbrake console?


I've never had ANY problem with any normal lighter socket attachment (snooper, heater, laptop inverter, phone charger etc), certainly didnt find any need to 'make up a sleeve'.



You'll be fine Billy, it shoudl be pretty easy. Just check the socket for corrosion inside before bothering to swap it!
st gilles

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Post by st gilles »

Sounds very basic I know but check (with a torch) that there isn't a little piece of plastic or the like in the bottom of the lighter socket. As I've had a few cars where the socket didn't appear to work and it was only by chance that I found a tiny piece of debris at the end and that was enough to stop the contact being made. Also worth checking fuse and/or the contacts with a circuit tester.
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Post by jeremy »

I'm sure I tried an odd but new one I had lying around and found it was smaller.

I know the auxillary socket in the back of the console is entirely different.

ZX is the same.

I'll measure the thing later this afternoon

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Post by Oscar »

What IS that socket at the back of the centre console? What's it for? Has anyone ever used it?

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Post by jeremy »

The large socket in the back of the centre console is in fact a power socket and I've used it to power my camping fridge successfully when operating in its travelling mode which is in fact about 1/2 power and is meant for sustaining a temperature rather than cooling the thing down rapidly. The fridge is rated at 72 watts on the 12 volt supply and so as its drawing 6 amps I don't leave it on for more than a couple of hours and as a pessimist I have a Jump Start battery pack as well (which I use for tent lighting)

The lead supplied with the fridge fits this socket one an adaptor has been removed. The socket seems to be a continental device rather than a common one here and Vanny states above that the plug is made by Bosch. I've seen the plugs (and sockets) in a yacht chandlers (quite pricey!)

The other 2 are standard 1/4 inch jack plugs and I've dealt with them above. Just think - get some headphones and your passenger can listen to their choice of music while you chat away into your hands free bluetooth phone!

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Post by mat_fenwick »

jeremy wrote:Having done all the work you will then find that Citroen drivers smoke something larger than everyone else! The plugs are larger than standard! - so you may have to purchase a new one anyway or make up a sleeve.

jeremy
I think what Jeremy means is that the cigarette lighter bit won't or may not fit in a socket from a different car as it is slightly larger than normal.
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cavmad
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Post by cavmad »

Oddly enough the one in the `old` estate used to be a bitch to get out after having lit but I require the socket only for a snooper and maybe a charger for my mobile.
Having said that what are the chances of getting my BX to go fast enough to make anything flash? It`s all I can do to see the last remaining dashboard bulb lighting up!
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Post by tom »

Then you have no excuse Billy. Go to the BX DIY site from the club site and learn how to rebulb a dash. While you are fixing the fag lighter, you can do the bulb and those of the heater controls.
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Post by jeremy »

[img][img]http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/7590/dsc000018bs.th.jpg[/img][/img]

On the right is the lighter from my BX and on the left is a standard accessory shop lighter replacement that used to fit a Mini.

The first thing you notice is that the Mini lighter has a retaining groove part way doen its body whereas the BX one has a flare at the hot end, an indentation for about 7.5 mm then goes back to full width. The dimensions are:

Mini Diameter body
handle end 20.71mm
hot end 20.71mm

BX
handle end 22 mm (approx)
hot end 21.8mm

(the approx measurement is that there are retaining 'springs' formed from the body)

jeremy
Last edited by jeremy on Wed Jan 04, 2006 11:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by ken newbold »

Might as well add my twopenneth :lol:

The fag lighter will come out without removing the console provided the wires are long enough. Pull the silver centre section out about 3/4 of its length then the whole lot including the clear plastic surround pulls out. I've done this on Tim's car today.

I've also found a differance in fag lighter sizes, that seems to be why my compressor and phone charger never seem to fit quite right.
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