Shorted cigarette lightyer installing USB ports

[runnyeggsham]

I am new at wiring. I wired the backup camera and new Pioneer touch screen. It worked. So, I proceeded to wire the extra USB port that I bought from Amazon. Anyway, i put in 2 tap splices on the wires leading to the cigarette power outlet (12v outlet) on the center console. But, I thought black was ground and the white wire was power. I tapped the power outlet for my USB plug there (has a built in fuse). But no power was coming from it. So, I turnefd on engine again, tested for power directly at the connector plug that connects to the cigarette power outlet. Multimeter didnt show any power. I had it checked by my friend who knows how to use it. He said that white is usually neutral...meaning I screwed up for sure. The darn black wire was the ground for sure.

I checked the kicker panel for both the cigarette lighter and the 2 power outlet fuses....none of them seem blown. Does anyone know why there isnt power going thru? I am going to check the rear power socket to see if they have power or not. Thanks in advance.

 

[kbecks13]

So you don't know if anything is actually shorted, it just no worky?

You probably have polarity wrong somewhere (wires are switched). Not sure why your friend mentioned white is neutral since that's for AC system and is just going to confuse things

 

[runnyeggsham]

Well we all went on a night run with the Jeep guys. So I pulled out the console to have him look at it. The fuses are good. We tested for power at the connector and no power was detected.

I don't know how you would check the wire to see if its fried somewhere. I guess I have to trace the wire if I have to replace it.

If that's the case, I may just get an add a circuit and hook up a new outlet and getting power from the accessory fuse. Tracing the wire may be more work.

What do you guys think? First time dealing with a possibly shorted wire. I am going to pull the power fuses tomorrow and replace each with a spare to see if its the fuse (I sincerely hope so).

I've removed the tap splices for now but it is still not powering up.

 

[riceandpho]

check all fuse in the engine bay and under drivers panel.



check 10 amp cig fuse or 15a power outlet fuse in driver kick. got a pic of what you did? white with black is ground. also check the 7.5a acc fuse. BR-R is positive W-B is negative.
brown red is positive and white black is negative.
test the 12v outlet for power, check the accessories you try to add, maybe it went bad when you wired it wrong.
must take out the fuse and visually see if theres a break, also verify with the key in acc or on position while checking those fuse.
if the fuse is bad change it, and test for voltage. if no power still, remove the drivers panel and remove the fuse block to get behind it for the dc skt relay it will be next the 4 pin plug at the roll of relays, swapped it out with the horn relay thats on the other side of the roll and test for power. that will confirm if the relay went bad.

 

[TowMeOut]

Yeah, I plugged in my old adapter for my GPS unit a week ago and popped the fuse for the power outlet in the center console. I went back and forth because I was "sure" it was the "Cig" fuse since it's in the space for the cigarette lighter and ashtray. Duh....nope it's the 15a PWR Outlet fuse.

The front and rear are on the same circuit. I know for sure since I used to back-feed power from a jump starter in the rear through to the outlet in the front. I could charge stuff while the truck was turned off but it kept the jumpstarter topped off when I drive (I've since added a charge controller so I won't drain the jumpstarter). So....if you've got power in the back and not in the front you've definitely got a broken wire going to the front outlet.

Those tap-splice are a really bad idea in most cases. I've never had anything but bad luck, especially with really small wires. They tend to cut instead of splice unless you have exactly the right size. There's a small chance your splice hacked most of the way through the wires. So, you might get continuity when you try and check it with a meter but there's not enough copper left to carry more than a few miliamps of current.

The USB ports have a voltage regulator and several other pieces (including LEDs) so they are very polarity dependent (won't work at all if connected backwards). It's unlikely you fried it but possible.

I don't have the wiring diagram handy but you could have easily broken that ground wire on the power connector. Most likely it just disappears into the dash and to a ground point below the radio or behind the AC/controls. You can check to see if you've got power by connecting a meter or test light from what should be the + positive to another ground point (seat bolt, door latch, etc) and see what you get.

 

[earthrealm]

[MENTION=157994]TowMeOut[/MENTION], your description of your jumpstarter has geiven me an idea, could you post a link of the type of ump started you have with a ciagr port end?....or you made some modifications to it

 

[TowMeOut]

I've gone through a couple of different ones over the years but they're all the cheapo Harbor Freight one. I think from now on I'll pay for the "insurance" and just swap them out once a year. The whole thing costs just barely more than the replacement 18Ah battery.

I don't have a link but I used a short cable with power plugs (male ) on both ends. It was an Amazon purchase like maybe $10. Problem or benefit is the front/rear power outlets are on the same circuit so when the truck is off the front is powered from the rear (or vice versa). Since the power outlets are isolated by a relay when the truck is off there's little chance of running both your main and this jumpstarter down unless you leave the key in the On/Acc position for some reason.

Since I'd wired a dual USB charging port into this circuit I found it pretty handy for charging items with the vehicle off. However, I ended up disabling this "feature" due to safety concerns. A phone charging in a hot car unattended might result in a fire so I've scrapped that setup. I added a charge controller in line too (cheap amazon solar version, 10A) and an additional battery. The auxiliary battery lives behind my toolbox as the "batt" connection to the controller.

A cable from the rear power port is the input (solar panel) connection and the jumpstarter is on the load side. Unfortunately, this doesn't really prevent overcharging of the jumpstarter so I'm considering what to do next. I use this setup on weekend trips for charging the plethora of gadgets the kids bring along, running some camp lights, or jump starting the bonehead's vehicle next to me who left his vehicle on to charge their phone and ran their battery flat.

 

[runnyeggsham]

Thanks gang. It turned out to be an easy fix. I went on a night run with the Jeep guys last night and didnt have time to do a thorough check. The fuses looked good through the naked eye, a quick charge check with the multimeter yielded no charge so I was worried I fried the wire somewhere, especially since my friend said he could smell burnt plastic, which I could not smell. I tested the fuses this morning just to be sure. The power outlet fuse must have a small crack in it. There was no charge going thru it. Swapped in a new one and power was restored. Relief.

 

[runnyeggsham]

check all fuse in the engine bay and under drivers panel.



check 10 amp cig fuse or 15a power outlet fuse in driver kick. got a pic of what you did? white with black is ground. also check the 7.5a acc fuse. BR-R is positive W-B is negative.
brown red is positive and white black is negative.
test the 12v outlet for power, check the accessories you try to add, maybe it went bad when you wired it wrong.
must take out the fuse and visually see if theres a break, also verify with the key in acc or on position while checking those fuse.
if the fuse is bad change it, and test for voltage. if no power still, remove the drivers panel and remove the fuse block to get behind it for the dc skt relay it will be next the 4 pin plug at the roll of relays, swapped it out with the horn relay thats on the other side of the roll and test for power. that will confirm if the relay went bad.

Good advice. The wire leads change color from the outlet to the connector. They also seem to change polarity from connector to connector.

 

[runnyeggsham]

Yeah, I plugged in my old adapter for my GPS unit a week ago and popped the fuse for the power outlet in the center console. I went back and forth because I was "sure" it was the "Cig" fuse since it's in the space for the cigarette lighter and ashtray. Duh....nope it's the 15a PWR Outlet fuse.

The front and rear are on the same circuit. I know for sure since I used to back-feed power from a jump starter in the rear through to the outlet in the front. I could charge stuff while the truck was turned off but it kept the jumpstarter topped off when I drive (I've since added a charge controller so I won't drain the jumpstarter). So....if you've got power in the back and not in the front you've definitely got a broken wire going to the front outlet.

Those tap-splice are a really bad idea in most cases. I've never had anything but bad luck, especially with really small wires. They tend to cut instead of splice unless you have exactly the right size. There's a small chance your splice hacked most of the way through the wires. So, you might get continuity when you try and check it with a meter but there's not enough copper left to carry more than a few miliamps of current.

The USB ports have a voltage regulator and several other pieces (including LEDs) so they are very polarity dependent (won't work at all if connected backwards). It's unlikely you fried it but possible.

I don't have the wiring diagram handy but you could have easily broken that ground wire on the power connector. Most likely it just disappears into the dash and to a ground point below the radio or behind the AC/controls. You can check to see if you've got power by connecting a meter or test light from what should be the + positive to another ground point (seat bolt, door latch, etc) and see what you get.

You are right. I used a bigger tap splice because the opening seemed to small and would cut through the wire. The one I used only knicked the top. I saw it when I removed it. On another splice I done before it did cut through so now I try to match the tap splice before I crimp. I couldnt think of an easier way to splice 2 wires without cutting and stripping.

 

[riceandpho]

Some may disagree with me, but I've been using t taps. As long you strip the wires a little and have the correct size tap. It still makes a good connection. If you are the hardcore type, strip and solder directly on the wire. Also make sure the circuit you use will not overload, that's when you should just run a dedicated wire.

 

[iBison]

I didn't read all the responses but I believe there is a fusible link on the power wire to the lighter or on the lighter.