electrical system won't turn off.

[sevennus]

I'm not quite sure if this happens with every explorer, but if there is a way, I'd like mine to not:

When my 98 explorer xlt is turned off, the electrical plugs are still live, meaning the cigarette lighter still functions, and the 12 volt plugs still supply power to whatever is plugged into them. I have a friend who owns an older cherokee classic and his cigarette lighter doesnt work if the car is off. I'm wondering if this is just something that all explorers have in common, or if maybe there is a switch of a jumper somewhere that I can change, for I'd like to leave some stuff plugged into my 12 volt outlets, and not worry about them draining the battery when my car is off.

I'm not terribly ignorant to electrical modifications, so if I have to mod something, it wouldnt be out of the question.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jim

 

[iairj84]

Well depending on what it is thats plugged in you shouldnt have enough drain on the system to cause a dead battery, it all really depends on whats plugged in... a cell phone or something of that nature shouldnt drain the batter unless it is in there for more than a few days.

 

[96limitedX]

its ment to be like that...nothing out of the ordinary(sp?)

 

[Crankcase]

I have 3 cigarette lighters in my truck (and one under the hood!).The two extra ones are hooked up into live power, and the stock one is controlled by the key. You need a relay to make it do that. Lots of hassle just to stop a cell phone charger or something. As mentioned..most accessories won't kill the battery if left in for a day.

 

[gijoecam]

I'm not quite sure if this happens with every explorer, but if there is a way, I'd like mine to not:

When my 98 explorer xlt is turned off, the electrical plugs are still live, meaning the cigarette lighter still functions, and the 12 volt plugs still supply power to whatever is plugged into them. I have a friend who owns an older cherokee classic and his cigarette lighter doesnt work if the car is off. I'm wondering if this is just something that all explorers have in common, or if maybe there is a switch of a jumper somewhere that I can change, for I'd like to leave some stuff plugged into my 12 volt outlets, and not worry about them draining the battery when my car is off.

I'm not terribly ignorant to electrical modifications, so if I have to mod something, it wouldnt be out of the question.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jim

Like everyone said, yours is supposed to be like that. I have had vehicles with it both ways, and I honestly prefer it to stay on to charge my cell phone when necessary. You can always turn the radar detector off, but you can't turn the plug on to charge something.

Can it be modified? Sure! Piece of cake. Take a 12-volt relay and splice it in-line with the existing power wire. Then use a switched 12-volt source (like the stereo switched source since it's right there) to trigger the relay. Key on = plug on, key off = plug off. Simple, might take about an hour to do.

And you won't need to worry about excessive current either.... most standard 12 volt automotive relays are rated for 30A and the trigger coil usually draws around 0.3A.

-Joe