lexluthor5

I have a 2004 Lexus RX330 and the cigarette lighter stopped working.

Up until recently, when something was plugged in there, it had to be jiggled around a little to get it to work. The other day it stopped working entirely.

Any suggestions on things I can check myself before I have to take it into a shop?

tfischer

Mine stopped working once, while on the road, and I found out because my iPod was dead when I arrived in North Carolina.
First, check the fuse.
Secondly, check the lighter assembly. It's a little tricky to get to, but when you know the tricks, it's much easier than it first appears. For directions, search here for directions on how to remove the radio, and just follow the first two or maybe three steps. It could be that a connection is not tight or a wire has become dislodged.

salimshah

First determine if the outlet is dead or still works with jiggling. You can try switching the load ,,, enen the cigg-lighter.

If it is dead, trace and check the fuse.

Most likely it is a looose connection and the culprit can be the accessory insert. Make syre the side springs (which pick the gnd) are clean and puffed up. The next item would be the tip, it should have a free moving spring. You may like yo spray contact cleaner on a rag and ream the socket.

Salim

lexluthor5

The outlet is definitely dead.

I pulled the fuse. Is there a way to see if it's blown? I haven't had a chance to get to the auto parts store or lexus for a replacement to try yet.

The power plug in the trunk does still work for whatever it's worth. Is that one on the same fuse? I wasn't sure. There's one fuse that says Cig lighter and one that says Power Outlet.

Which fuse does the power outlet in the cig ligher position use?

lexluthor5

It was the fuse. All fixed!

Thanks!

blkbuz

Exactly the same thing happened to me with my cigarette/power plug. Got my kids to bend in there and check the fuse and it looks burnt out. Off we went with the tiny fuse to Canadian Tire and and Auto parts store. NO luck. Do I have to go to Lexus for that little fuse? Is that size only used for Lexus? Can I get that anywhere else as the Lexus dealership is a bit of a drive away. Happy Easter

salimshah

Go to an auto parts store.

There should be a spare or two.

Just get the right amperage.

Salim

blkbuz

I noticed there were spares in the fuse box under the hood but these are the real tiny one in the driver's side fuse panel by the pedals. We tried 2 places to get a replacement but nothing that small. Are these real small ones just used by Lexus? Thanks,

tfischer

I don't know exactly what you mean by "real small ones," but I do know that auto fuses with the colored plastic center part now come in two sizes, and my impression is that the larger ones are not being used on newer cars. I went to replace a fuse a few months ago and found that my fuses (from a while ago) were all too big, and new cars uses the smaller size. Autozone had both sizes in all amp ratings. They even have the auto fuses in glass cylinders with metal caps.
I cannot imagine Lexus (or any manufacturer) using a proprietary fuse design that is not readily available to owners. For a part that costs a dollar that would make no sense.

blkbuz

If you remove a fuse from the drivers side fuse box down by the brake pedal you will see what I mean. The fuse for the cigarette lighter is no bigger than your finger nail. Not the same as the 15 blue ones that are used in the fuse box under the hood for which spares are given. Both stores I went to yesterday didn't have this same size and said I needed to go to Lexus. My question is can I get these anywhere else (other dealership?) as the Lexus dealership is a bit far away.

sappy

I have a problem with the other lighter/power outlets. The one on the floor in front of the console stopped working, and the one in the back seems to be out as well. I checked the "Power Outlet #2" fuse under the hood, and it's fine, but when the car is on there is no current on either side of it, which seems to indicate that it's not getting any power at all. I haven't yet located the second fuse box, but will check that out this afternoon. The fuses wouldn't be connected in series though, would they?

tfischer

No. Fuses are not connected in series.
If the fuse is good, there could be a connection problem with the socket assembly itself, which is pretty simple and inexpensive to replace.
Use a tester to see if the contacts inside the socket are hot.

salimshah

Most of the time yes, but no hard and fast rule. The distribution system is a like a tree, with trunk, branches and leaves. There may be a reason to have a series of fuses. But an blown fuse in the trunk-of-the-tree will be noticed long before a one blown in the leaf. The main fuses are typically installed with nut and bolts to handle large current demand while the one the leaves can be the simple squeeze fit (blade type).

Also auto manufacturers use fusible wires. The cigarette lighter may have that at the very end. [the last link that attaches the lighter].

Salim