2001 Outback fuse to cig lighter blows

[whinylilbitch]

One day, recently, I noticed that the cigarette lighter doesn't work,
so now I can't charge my cell phone! Yea Yea, I know.. but I have kids
and grandkids! I also notice that my heated seats don't heat, my
heated mirrors don't defrost, my electrical mirrors don't adjust, my
handy-dandy rear-view mirror doesn't adjust darker when cars approach
from the rear, and the compass doesn't work! Thank goodness I have a
decent sense of direction!

Sooooooooooo... I removed the coin drawer, which the former owner
didn't even know existed, found the culprit - a 20amp fuse, and
replaced it. Still nothing works I figured, the dork that I am, I
had installed an old, blown fuse! So I bought a cardboard and plastic
blister pack of a whopping TWO fuses.. wow.. what do they think, I'd
steal it?? Anyway, I put a brand-spanking new fuse in.. ya know, the
kind that light up as soon as it blows? Who'd've thunk that one up??
Well, you guessed it! I immediately owned a night light for my fuse
box!!! Such a deal!! Jealous??

Anyway, my son, with his expertise, said to disconnect the battery
before inserting my one, good fuse. He informed me, like I didn't know
this already but just forgot, that my fuse can blow just inserting it.


Tonight, I came home from work and since it was still light enough to
get under the hood, we disconnected...ok ok, HE disconntected the
battery, and I inserted the
'FuseThatImmediatelyBecameAnotherNightlight'.

Anyone have any suggestions on what would be a common cause? I believe
it to be the cigarette lighter, itself, but I can't figure out how to
get the dang thing out! There are no repair manuals for this 2001
Outback.. I guess they're not supposed to break! The light on the
lighter works, just not the lighter itself, and I had previously found
a piece of something inside it when I tried to insert my cell phone
charger. That's the beginning of the story, actually!

So, how do I remove the lighter??

Thanks!

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

One day, recently, I noticed that the cigarette lighter doesn't work,
so now I can't charge my cell phone! Yea Yea, I know.. but I have kids
and grandkids! I also notice that my heated seats don't heat, my
heated mirrors don't defrost, my electrical mirrors don't adjust, my
handy-dandy rear-view mirror doesn't adjust darker when cars approach
from the rear, and the compass doesn't work! Thank goodness I have a
decent sense of direction!

Sooooooooooo... I removed the coin drawer, which the former owner
didn't even know existed, found the culprit - a 20amp fuse, and
replaced it. Still nothing works I figured, the dork that I am, I
had installed an old, blown fuse! So I bought a cardboard and plastic
blister pack of a whopping TWO fuses.. wow.. what do they think, I'd
steal it?? Anyway, I put a brand-spanking new fuse in.. ya know, the
kind that light up as soon as it blows? Who'd've thunk that one up??
Well, you guessed it! I immediately owned a night light for my fuse
box!!! Such a deal!! Jealous??

Anyway, my son, with his expertise, said to disconnect the battery
before inserting my one, good fuse. He informed me, like I didn't know
this already but just forgot, that my fuse can blow just inserting it.


Tonight, I came home from work and since it was still light enough to
get under the hood, we disconnected...ok ok, HE disconntected the
battery, and I inserted the
'FuseThatImmediatelyBecameAnotherNightlight'.

Anyone have any suggestions on what would be a common cause? I believe
it to be the cigarette lighter, itself, but I can't figure out how to
get the dang thing out! There are no repair manuals for this 2001
Outback.. I guess they're not supposed to break! The light on the
lighter works, just not the lighter itself, and I had previously found
a piece of something inside it when I tried to insert my cell phone
charger. That's the beginning of the story, actually!

So, how do I remove the lighter??

Thanks!

dig around these threads at usmb;
http://www.ultimatesubaru.net/forum/search.php?searchid=251562

Carl
1 Lucky Texan

 

[Rick Courtright]

lighter works, just not the lighter itself, and I had previously found
a piece of something inside it when I tried to insert my cell phone
charger. That's the beginning of the story, actually!

Hi,

Recently underwent the same kind of fun: the end of the cell phone
charger had become unscrewed, came off when I inserted it in the lighter
socket and got stuck, shorting and blowing the fuse. Are you sure you
got everything out of the socket?

Rick

 

[johninKY]

Ny money is on the lighter. There is a nut on the backside that has to be
removed to get it out. Problem is getting to that nut. Another option is
if you can get to the rear of the lighter is to just unplug that puppy.