Changing cig lighter socket to be switched by ignition

Setting fire to things is possible, but generally not very easy.

It should be easy, for anyone with a clue - assuming access can be gotten to the back of the lighter.

You'd need to fit a relay (of about 25-30A rating) and switch the relay from the ignition switch 'accessories'/'posn-1' output. I can't really see the point in doing this though, and personally I wouldn't want some monkey in amongst my wiring doing a job like this, however simple it may be.

JB

In a Peugeot there are two positions for the fuse for the cig/power socket. Accessory position only or always on. Check that your Fiesta doesn't have the same option.

I discovered this excellent idea after changing my radio fuse and putting it in the `wrong` position resulting in the radio always being `on` instead of switching off with the ignition.

Jim

Would this information be in the owners manual or would I have to look elsewhere?

Why? The maximum current a ciggy lighter socket can reliably carry is only

Neither does the OP. He wants his regular garage to do it.

Chris

Agreed, but if you simply try to feed the lighter from another circuit swtiched by the ignition switch, an extra 10A load may cause problems with that wiring, hence fit a relay and utilise the existing feed for the lighter as the high current feed to the relay.

^^^^^^^^^^^ Why do you think I mentioned "monkeys" doing it. An autoelectrician would probably be a safer bet.

JB

This would indeed be a damn good reason for having the lighter on a circuit switched by the ignition. I didn't think that one through.

JB

OK. So why would the relay need to be "of about 25-30A rating"?

In point of fact, most reasonably recent cars would be capable of supplying an extra 10A from the existing ignition-switched circuit. They usually come with all sorts of options available but not fitted. The wiring is sized for worst-case, so invariably there will be spare capacity.

:-)

In my experience, most small independents "know a man who can", and use a mobile auto electrician for this sort of thing. Doesn't usually come cheap though....

Chris

The easiest way is to fit a relay in the feed to the socket switched by the ignition 'on' supply.

But this requires basic wiring skills to make a safe job of.

In the case of the Pug it is in the handbook - in the pictogram of the fuse board it quite clearly shows the two positions of both the radio fuse and the cig. lighter. It is possible if this two position set up exists in your Fiesta it has been switched in error after a blown fuse?

Jim

Thus proving you know diddly squat about how a relay works.

Because he's trying to post about a component without actually having the faintest idea how it works.

Very easy to do. DO NOT get the garage to do it. An auto electrician should do it for very little money. All it involves is a relay, a wire to a feed which is only live with the ignition on in order to turn on the relay, a wire running to an earth and snipping the wires to the cig lighter socket and connecting them to the "switch" part of the relay. No more than 30 minutes work depending on how hard it is to get to the back of the cig lighter socket.

Or that you didn't read it properly.

He said: don't just connect the lighter to an existing switched feed, connect the coil of the relay to the switched feed and use the relay to switch the existing lighter feed.

What's the problem with that?

(Quite happy to take this one to Ascii Art if you want...)

Ford's don't have this feature (well the Ford Ranger does, but it's really a Mazda).

Most practical option is to wire in a relay.

moray