2002 power point not working

Bark624

Bark624

Active Member
Last seen
Joined
May 20, 2017
Thunderbird Year
2002
I recently purchased one of those BT fm transmitters to connect my phone. The thing works great when plugged into the cigarette lighter but gets no power when plugged into the power point. I would rather have it in the power point because it is kinda in the way when plugged into the cigarette lighter. As a test I also tried to use my phone charger in the power point. No good. Anybody have any suggestions? Could it simply be a fuse or is there another reason my power point doesn't seem to be working?
 

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I recently purchased one of those BT fm transmitters to connect my phone. The thing works great when plugged into the cigarette lighter but gets no power when plugged into the power point. I would rather have it in the power point because it is kinda in the way when plugged into the cigarette lighter. As a test I also tried to use my phone charger in the power point. No good. Anybody have any suggestions? Could it simply be a fuse or is there another reason my power point doesn't seem to be working?

Get a test light with a sharp probe. Put the probe into the CENTER bottom of the power point being careful not to touch the outside of the receptacle and the center at the same time (would short it out). Ground the alligator clip somewhere under the dash. If the light illuminates, the power point is good and probably the center point positive is rusted and needs to be cleaned to establish a good connection. If your test light doesn't illuminate, then it is a fuse, or possibly the plug has slipped off the back of the power point. That means you would have to access the plug and reconnect the plug, or replace the fuse. If someone knows if the power point and cigarette lighter plug are on the same fuse, maybe they will say so. If they are on the same fuse, then the power point is unplugged, or the wiring is shorted out somewhere.

Good luck.
 
I added a power point by opening up the center console in my 2005...
I then attached two conductor cord to the power behind the lighter and ran the cable via the console/carpet junction to the passenger footwell. I attached a second 12 v socket (looks like cigarette lighter socket) and la voila!, a constantly on 12 v power point that is NOT in the way of the center console.
I bought a volt meter to stick in the socket on the center console from Wal-Mart. That shows charge/discharge on liquid crystal display and red, yellow and green lights to monitor my battery and charging. I had three sequential dying-in-the-box batteries strand me. (Including the third day of ownership/ mileage less that 100 mi) I needed to monitor the charging system to nail that issue. The monitor is not in the way.
Problem resolved, new batteries last 5-7 years.
 
Sorry, I have 2005 wiring diagrams. However, if you have an owner's manual, check it for a listing of the location and loads on the fuses. It should indicate whether the lighter and power point have separate fuses.

On my 2005, neither the lighter nor the power point worked, but both had clean contacts for the accessory plugs, and some gray dust inside. Further troubleshooting found blown fuses (I think two) and revealed the gray dust was the remains of steel wool that someone used to "clean" the sockets. I bet it was quite a show when the fine strands of steel burned up until the fuse blew!
 
After consulting the manual I found the fuse for the power point. Position #8 in the front distribution box in the engine compartment. 20A. Power point up and running!0721191943.jpg
 
And after reading the title of this thread I was going to suggest he reload the whole Microsoft Office suite. :)
 
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