12V outlet dead, fuse is okay

[alf]

Hi,

my wife's Impreza 2.5TS got a flat tire so I went to help her with the
DC/AC converted and a compressor. Was able to fix the flat but at the
end of the process the compressor stopped working. Initially I thought
it was the converted which got overloaded but it turned out the outlet
is not doing its job.

I checked the fuse and it is okay. It also protects remote mirrors which
still work.

Any insight what happened?

 

[Ed P]

Hi,

my wife's Impreza 2.5TS got a flat tire so I went to help her with the
DC/AC converted and a compressor. Was able to fix the flat but at the
end of the process the compressor stopped working. Initially I thought
it was the converted which got overloaded but it turned out the outlet
is not doing its job.

I checked the fuse and it is okay. It also protects remote mirrors which
still work.

Any insight what happened?

Well, it could be the outlet itself. On my '96 use of the cigarette
lighter has ruined the dash outlet; a test light shows voltage present
but it won't work a 12volt air compressor. Unfortunately, the power
outlets in question are not very robust.

Does the cigarette lighter, if you have one, or any other accessory work
in the outlet? You might buy a 12-volt test light at a auto parts store
or tool store and test it with that. A test light has a light bulb in a
handle with an ice-pick-like probe on one end and a wire with clip
connector on the other. You attach the clip to a ground and probe the
suspected circuit with the probe. For a ground you might try an
unpainted bolt in the door jam, the dome light switch in the door jam,
or even the ignition lock on the steering column. Be careful that the
probe does not touch the side of the power outlet as you probe the hot
terminal inside the outlet.

Ed P

 

[mulder]

Hi,

my wife's Impreza 2.5TS got a flat tire so I went to help her with the
DC/AC converted and a compressor. Was able to fix the flat but at the
end of the process the compressor stopped working. Initially I thought
it was the converted which got overloaded but it turned out the outlet
is not doing its job.

I checked the fuse and it is okay. It also protects remote mirrors which
still work.

Any insight what happened?

There is a thermal fuse built into the outlet itself, to protect it
from overheating. That fuse probably blew while you were using the
compressor because the outlet got too hot.
The fuse can be seen if you remove the outlet from the console, it's
on the back side. Not much you can do with it though, a replacement
isn't readily available. Yes you can attempt to bypass it with a wire
but the outlet will then be unprotected against future overheating.
The proper fix is a new outlet.

 

[alf]

Hi,

my wife's Impreza 2.5TS got a flat tire so I went to help her with the
DC/AC converted and a compressor. Was able to fix the flat but at the
end of the process the compressor stopped working. Initially I thought
it was the converted which got overloaded but it turned out the outlet
is not doing its job.

I checked the fuse and it is okay. It also protects remote mirrors which
still work.

Any insight what happened?

thx all for hints. will post what went wrong when get some time to check it.

Andy