Hey everyone...

A couple of weeks ago, my cigarette lighter stopped working...changed the fuse, took out the center column to make sure plugs were plugged, wires were still good...So, now I'm stumped! b4 I take it to the dealer, what else can I troubleshoot?

 

First off, you said you changed the fuse. Was the fuse blown? Did the new fuse blow when you tried to use the lighter again? If the new fuse has not blown and your lighter still does not work, then check to see if it's just your lighter element that's not working. Does your cell phone charger work from the lighter socket? Lighter elements always get damaged, and will end up not working and blowing fuses. In this case, just get a new lighter element (the part that lights your cigar)....
Once you've determined that nothing works from the socket, then you should test the circuit. You checked to see if the 2 plugs were plugged in, but you have to also check to see if the wiring is good. You need 2 things to make the lighter socket work. Power and ground. You checked the fuses, make sure the 15amp fuse #9 is good. Do you have a test light? If so, hook up the test light and make sure that the center of the lighter socket has power. If there is no battery voltage to the center of the lighter socket, then you have an open circuit (broken or disconnected wiring) from fuse #9 to the lighter. IF there is power to the socket, then check to see if there is ground to the base of the socket. If not, then you have an open circuit (broken or disconnected wiring) from the socket to the body ground. The body ground for this system should be at the right side kickpanel.
It's a very simple circuit. Of the 2 wires that plug into the lighter, one will have battery voltage, the other will be grounded....
On the brighter side, wiring problems are very rare. It's usually something that gets into the lighter base that shorts out and blows the fuses.
POSSIBILITIES: 1) Most likely cause would be the lighter element itself. Usually blows the fuse as soon as you push it in to heat it up.... 2) Debris inside your lighter socket (socket is mounted perfectly so crap can fall into it). I've found coins and tin foil and other conductive debris..... 3) Socket is shorting against the housing. Look inside the bottom of the socket. You will see the center is piece shaped like a circle with 2 tabs. This is the part of the lighter that provides battery power to the assembly. If you look closely, this said piece should not touch the sides of the housing. There should be a gap between this piece and anything else around it. Everything else around it is grounded. As soon as this center piece touches ground, the fuse will blow. This is also a common problem with cheap aftermarket cell phone chargers that have to be twisted and turned to get them to work. This twisting will cause the center piece to move and short circuit to ground and blow the fuse.....
Anyways, I hope this helps you and saves you a trip to the dealership. Please PM me and let me know if you have solved the problem and what was the cause.

 

Mine doesn't work either. Also the lights for the ashtray and the light around the cigarette lighter don't work. I made sure that everything is plugged in and the cigarette lighter fuse (#9) is good. Is there anything else I can check? The inter cooler sprayer works, but nothing else from the center console. Is there any other fuses I should check?

 

oh wow bumped fr the dead - the cigarette lighter did indeed work after checking it, just needed a fuse for my v1...