No radio, cigar lighter......

[inkjunkie]

99 Explorer. Fuses are good. Someone mentioned the GEM. Borrowed one form a friends truck, still no radio or lighter. How do you troubleshoot these electric circuits if they do indeed run thru the GEM??

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Since the lighter and radio are on the same fuse,
I'd take a good look at the fuse holder. Check one
side with a voltmeter for power (with key off),
then the other side for continuity with the center
terminal of the lighter.

This should confirm the problem is on one side
or the other of the fuse.

 

[inkjunkie]

Since the lighter and radio are on the same fuse,
I'd take a good look at the fuse holder. Check one
side with a voltmeter for power (with key off),
then the other side for continuity with the center
terminal of the lighter.

This should confirm the problem is on one side
or the other of the fuse.

Will check this. Just looked at some schematics. Noticed that both the lighter and the radio share a ground.....hmmmmm......

 

[inkjunkie]

Fuse #17 is the lighter..... live on one side........#20 is the 7.5 amp radio fuse....live on one side........#29 is a 25 amp fuse listed for the radio, guessing it was for a factory amp.....live on one side. Will check the other side of the fuses tomorrow.....it is 33* & raining.....down right chilly out there......

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Guess they weren't on the same fuse after all;
however, you've isolated the problem.

The radio has two power wires going to it, one
is switched and one is constant on. I can look
up the color codes if you need them. If the
wire continuities check OK, then it is indeed
a ground wire problem.

The ground wire to the lighter is the side terminal.
You could run a jumper ground to it and see if
the lighter then works. If you also connected the
original ground wire, it might fix the radio...?

 

[inkjunkie]

You could run a jumper ground to it and see if
the lighter then works. If you also connected the
original ground wire, it might fix the radio...?

This is the plan......

 

[inkjunkie]

It was the ground wire......

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Great!
Glad you got it fixed.