12v outlet/cigarette lighter not working

[Jason Staggs]

Sup dudes and dudettes I've had this problem where i go to plug in something (phone charger, gps, led lights, etc.) into my 12v outlet on my radio bezel and it does nothing at all same goes for the one hidden behind that little door in the passenger footwell. For my lights I used the ground for the actual 12v plug behind the bezel its a butt connector essentially and it works fine so its not grounds so I'm assuming its a hot issue does anyone know what fuse(s) are connected to the 12v/cigarette lighter. Keep in mind NEITHER of them work and I only have those two. All replies are appreciated thanks a ton guys and gals



I swear if it's a fuse

 

[Spuddy]

Yes, fuse #17 is the cigar lighter. But, there is a separate fuse for the Auxiliary Power Socket: fuse #22, 20 amps.

 

[Jason Staggs]

Thank you so much I'll get out tomorrow with a test light and check out the fuses and again THANK YOU

 

[Jason Staggs]

What commonly happens with these beautifully engineered trash can on 4 wheels is when you push in anything into these "12V outlets" to the left of the radio the thin plastic housing that holds the outlet breaks, pushing your outlet & finger or thumb into this now sharp edged hole.
Yet another surprising "Ohh" from gullible Ford owners wondering if they should more carefully walk on eggshells in life because now they think he/she might now be too bullish with their fragile car.
To those who personalize their Ford the obsession even turns into an acute psychological case causing the owner to now speak kind words to this inanimate obstruction of a clear conscience.
The plastic facade of this dash is DESIGNED to become brittle in the hot sun , being thin to begin with, and break the 12V outlet housing leaving you to now think you simply have bad luck.
The 12V outlet itself is designed to ultimately become loose and have spotty contacts giving you the impression that if you don't walk on eggshells around the vehicle then she simply will just quit working altogether leaving you on the side of the road with all the other Ford owners.
Solution: quite behaving with the typical Ford owner mentality and upgrade to an up to date 12V electrical supply.
Keep us updated & remember to stay positive!

Actually you aren't wrong about the breaking around the actual outlet there are two fractures that are about an inch long and go towards the wheel what i can only assume is from the previous owners brutish effort to plug something into it (the previous owner was rough on this poor thing but I'm still giving her some tlc after about a year or so) and as for upgrading to an up to date 12v systm I don"t know what you mean exactly do you mean run all new wires bring it in for an electrics check up or just get a newer vehicle which i don't plan on any time soon I expect a more condescending reply in about 12-14 business days

 

[Spuddy]

Jason, you can get a PDF copy of your owner's manual and maintenance schedule here:

https://owner.ford.com/content/ford...l?type=ymm&year=1999&make=Ford&model=Explorer

 

[J_C]

Actually you aren't wrong about the breaking around the actual outlet there are two fractures that are about an inch long and go towards the wheel what i can only assume is from the previous owners brutish effort to plug something into it.

You can rough up the back around the crack, clean the area and fortify it with epoxy. If the crack extends to an area where clearance with the dash or lighter outlet, etc is an issue, use an epoxy that sets to a granular (sandable) state like JBWeld, then you can sand or file it down as needed.

Make sure the crack is together tight enough that epoxy doesn't seep through and make a mess on the other side, or temporarily seal and hold the crack together with clear/scotch packing tape on the front side until the epoxy sets. If would be even stronger if you laid in fiberglass cloth, but that could be overkill and would work better with a thinner fiberglass resin instead of JBWeld.

 

[Jason Staggs]

Ok folks I replaced fuse 17 earlier today I plugged in my LEDs and voila they turned on Thanks to everyone who helped and I hope this thread can help anyone else who has the same problem