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12V "cigarette lighter" outlet problem

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by PriusRos, Oct 30, 2009.

  1. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    The front 12V outlet on my 2010 had problems from the start. When I picked up my new car from the dealer and plugged in my Garmin, it didn't come on. I told the salesman I needed to get it fixed. I then tried the plug to my cell phone charger and it seemed to work. When I plugged the Garmin back in, it worked. We figured that the Garmin plug is very tight and wasn't seated properly.

    Anyway, a couple of weeks ago the outlet went out completely while I was using an air compressor to fill the tires. I took it to the dealer (not the one where I bought it) and they said it was a fuse and replaced it.

    Has anybody else been having problems with the 12V outlet? In particular, is seems that the Garmin and some other plugs fit very tightly and they're especially hard to pull out. I'm thinking that some damage can be caused just by the action of pushing and pulling the plugs in and out. Is there some way of mitigating this friction?
     
  2. Bobsprius

    Bobsprius BobPrius

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    PriusRos,

    I have not used them often. But what I did in my last Hybrid was because of a similar issue in the Civic, was to get a spare power cord and leave it in place. I found that to be the easier solution than to keep plugging and unplugging the power cord. It seemed in the Civic that it would keep blowing the fuse most of the time. That got old.

    As for your compressor it could be rated higher than the circuit or right at max, thus causing the fuse to blow in that case.

    Bob
     
  3. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    I plugged a Master Flow compressor in once. I got one or two tires topped off before the fuse blew. Compressor went to a friend with a Neon & Buick.
     
  4. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Just goes to show you can't pull 16 amps out of a 15 amp circuit!!!!
     
  5. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    The Toyota service department also said that the compressor might be rated higher than the outlet. But why would 12V outlets in cars be built to different standards and not all be designed to accommodate devices that are meant to be plugged into these outlets? I used the same compressor on my 2006 many times without incident.
     
  6. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I would re-word this as --
    Q: Why do some products deliberately exceed the design standards for these outlets?
    A: Because they can, without penalty.
     
  7. garygid

    garygid Senior Member - Blizzard Pearl

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    What is the 2010 Prius 12v outlet's fuse rating?
    Is that one fuse for both outlets, or two fuses, one for each outlet?

    Also, what is the horn circuit fused for?
    I have not found the fuse specified as serving the horn.
    Thanks
     
  8. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    It must be a separate fuse for each outlet since the one in the center console was still working when the front one went out.
     
  9. RodJo

    RodJo Member

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    All the fuses are all listed in your manual. Just go to the index and look up "fuses" and it will direct you to page 462.

    Once you take the time to turn to the fuse section, you should see that the 12V outlets are separately fused at 15A each (fuses 1 and 3 in the instrument panel) and the horn is listed on fuse 19 in the engine compartment, which is a 40A circuit.
     
  10. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    Today I looked at the cardboard box that the compressor came in, the user guide, and the device itself -- and unable to find anything about a rating. All it says is that it is 12V. This is a name brand - Sears Craftsman, so I would imagine it would meet standards. But what do I know?:eek:
     
  11. a64pilot

    a64pilot Active Member

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    I'm going to guess that back in the day when they were cigarette lighters there was plenty of amps available to run compressors etc. Now that they are aux power receptacles, I'm assuming the available amps are lower.
    If I'm correct an "old" car with a cigarette lighter would run your compressor no problem.
     
  12. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    I didn't have a problem running it on my 2006 Prius. Recently, I visited my daughter and she has my 1996 Infiniti. We filled her tires with no problem. She also has a 2008 Nissan Z-something and it worked fine.

    I don't know whether the compressor blew the fuse on my 2010 Prius or whether, as I suspect, there was already a problem with the outlet. In fact it wasn't working properly the day I picked up the car --my Garmin didn't work -- but then it did start to work so I didn't get it seen to immediately.
     
  13. alan1572

    alan1572 Junior Member

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    Whilst attempting to put air in a tyre I smelt one of those electrical smells when you know something ain't right, the air compressor plug had melted in the socket and obviously turned of the compressor off, I have checked all the fuses and some how all the fuses are fine but I've also lost all volume from the audio system, everything else works fine, is there a relay that may be gone,any ideas?
    Sorry to post this a couple of times but I need to get it sorted
     
  14. alan1572

    alan1572 Junior Member

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    Deleted double post
     
  15. rrg

    rrg Active Member

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    The compressor is the exact reason I did the hatch 12v socket mod, next to the 12v start battery. Click Here
     
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I've got a decent quality full-size bicycle pump, and find it can bring a car tire up through say 5 psi with about 30-40 strokes. It's got a dial gauge built-in, so you can see your progress. I've even used it with totally flat tires after a plug repair.

    Just saying, as an alternative to these electrical compressors: saves your battery, and very bulletproof.
     
    fuzzy1 likes this.
  17. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    My usual bicycle pumps takes 7 strokes per 1 psi, on this Prius and several previous nonhybrids. Compared to my 12V compressor, the hand pump is faster, easier on my ears, and easier to put away (no cord to be coiled into a too-small compartment).

    Unfortunately its gauge is way off, so I still must detach its hose to check pressure with another gauge. But by counting strokes, I can hit the desired pressure on the first try the great majority of the time.
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Mine is a schwinn. Not bad, except pushing the connector onto the valve is a bear. The pressure gauge is pretty good, and I just make a point to overshoot a bit.