do i REALLY have to go to a mechanic

I recently purchased an ipod receiver/charger for my stratus. for the past few months, my pioneer stereo/cd player has been acting up sometimes it would work sometimes it wouldn't. i diagnosed that problem as an internal connection malfunction between the body of the stereo and the detachable faceplate. the stereo worked, so i plugged the ipod receiver into the cigarette lighter, just as the manufacturer instructed. somehow, the lighter shaft came loose and caused the receiver to turn counter clockwise until it hit the cupholder. i removed the panelling to try to tighten the shaft, but when i unplugged the wire from the back of the hotplate of the lighter, there was a spark and a puff of smoke. i did blow a fuse, and replacing the fuse only caused it to blow immediately again. all websites i checked said to go to a mechanic for electrical work, but its just the cigarette lighter and the horn. is this something that i can fix myself without being an electrician, or am i overstepping my boundary as a diy-er. if i replace the fuse without plugging the lighter back in, the horn works fine and no blown fuses. is this possible?

Reply to
sclknight
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I am afraid you won't like the answer I am about to give you...

since you have already displayed your inexperience by working on electrical components of your vehicle without disconnecting the battery, you should

*MOST DEFINITELY* take your car to a reputable mechanic.

Since you apparently have very little knowledge and experience with working in the dash, you will most definitely do more harm than good.

Honu

Reply to
Hertz_Donut

I do work such as you are tackling, but I'm an electronics/electrical trained person. From your discussion I suggest you see a mechanic with electrical training, else you may cause more serious damage.

Reply to
who

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HTH.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

thanks for responding so quickly, i was afraid of that answer, too, but i guess i realize the outcome was inevitable... thanks again

Reply to
sclknight

Reply to
Phillip Mcracken

Of course you can fix it yourself. Direct current is as simple as it can be, and honestly, mechanics don't like to work on that kind of stuff anyway.

Reply to
Joe

I don't agree with him, but I'm better at it than a reputable mechanic, so that figures into my thinking. I would much rather fix it myself than have some reputable mechanic screw it up for $80 an hour.

Reply to
Joe

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