I have a 73 450sl. Cigar lighter not working. Checked fuse, it's O.K. Ash tray seems loose in console, but I don't think that's the problem. I wanted to use my GPS, and it didn't light up. Took ash tray out and saw where the plate is for the connection. Put my gps plug on it directly to see if it's getting electricity, nothing.
So, how would I troubleshoot this problem? I hate to think I have to go underneath dash to look for loose wires. Ugh. I'm getting too old for that type of gymnastics. Ed
I don't know how you tried to connect the GPS with the ashtray removed but... mine didn't work either (at first). I discovered that the ashtray wasn't seating properly and the contacts weren't, therefore, touching. The wood faceplate was not installed correctly (it had somehow twisted) and would not let the thing go in right. So, I removed the wood and reinstalled it correctly, and presto, the ashtray then could be seated properly, the contacts contacted and everything worked. To make a long boring story short: I would check to ensure that your ashtray is getting seated properly and the contacts are touching before I did anything else.
Cheers, Ned
I discovered that the ashtray wasn't seating properly and the contacts weren't, therefore, touching. The wood faceplate was not installed correctly (it had somehow twisted) and would not let the thing go in right. So, I removed the wood and reinstalled it correctly, and presto, the ashtray then could be seated properly, the contacts contacted and everything worked. To make a long boring story short: I would check to ensure that your ashtray is getting seated properly and the contacts are touching before I did anything else.
Cheers, Ned
An old thread but I just fixed my cigar lighter the same way. My wood facia had been glued back on 1/10 inch lower than it should be which caused the frame to not sit right and thus lose electrical contact. I refitted the wood facia so that it fitted snugly up under the chrome metal top trim and all is well.
Yes, it's not seating properly. Will try to wedge it in tighter. O.K. O.K. Rowdie, I'll try to do my profile. But if I can't somehow do it, here's a quick rundown of me. 77 years old. Retired from Marlin Firearms. Working parttime as a page in our local library. I also have a 47 Plymouth coupe (which is a lot simpler and easier to work on than the 450sl). My wife was always bugging me about not having a car herself to show at car shows. But she needed a car with auto transmission, power steering (a must) and power brakes. So, we saw this 73 at a cruise nite, and she wanted it. Women, ugh! Ed
Are the two wires (in the cigar lighter plug) both 12V? I tried a 12V test light on both wires, grounded to the screw holes that hold the ashtray frame. I got nothing. I checked the fuse. It's good. I hope someone with some experience with this will share their wisdom. I'm tired already of searching the internet for answers. I hate to get into the wiring diagram, knowledge of which I have none.
Pull the as tray out and check for voltage at the contacts. Inside the ash try there is a 12V wire for the lighter and another one for the little bulb. Ground goes through the frame which is less than optimal design.
One wire is 12v and the other is ground and provides the ground for the ashtray frame.
The screws holding the frame are not grounded. If using a test light you need to use a good known ground point, ie car bodywork or chassis.
The 12V wire should be switched right? What about the ashtray light? Is it always on, or only with the headlamps switched on?
I thought of putting the test light probe into one side of the connector and the other end into the other side of the connector. If one is hot and the other ground, I should see the test light illuminate. But I was worried that I would hook it up backwards and blow the fuse! As you can see, I’m no sparky!
I’ll try it again with the ignition on, and find a known good ground. It just occurred to me that I didn’t confirm that the light actually works! I’ll do that too.
That's right, the 12v wire is switched, ie only powered when ignition is on. The small bulb in there gets its power from the same wire. Both cigar lighter and bulb are only powered when ashtray is open (cigar lighter needs to be pushed in of course).
From memory I think the brown wire is ground.
I got it working today! Maybe it always did, but I didn't follow through before. When the cigar lighter didn't work, I tried a USB adapter but maybe it didn't work because I didn't have the key turned on. I don't remember.
Anyway, I tested my tester first. Then I ran a wire up to the engine compartment, and attached one end to the cruise control module bracket. I then attached the other end to the alligator clip on the test light. I turned on the key to the second tab, then inserted the pointer of the test light into the top hole of the cigar lighter connector. Voila! I then connected the ashtray to the power, and used my test light again to confirm it was working. It was. So I pushed in the cigar lighter, but it did not work. I plugged in a USB adapter, and it lit up. I plugged in my iphone to the USB adapter, and it showed that it was charging.
That's really all I was interested in. I don't smoke, and even if I did I would never smoke in my car! I don't know about the little light though. I'll look for evidence that it is working after I get everything back together. When I had it all in my hand with the iphone charging, I could not see that the light was on.
I got it working today! Maybe it always did, but I didn't follow through before. When the cigar lighter didn't work, I tried a USB adapter but maybe it didn't work because I didn't have the key turned on. I don't remember.
Anyway, I tested my tester first. Then I ran a wire up to the engine compartment, and attached one end to the cruise control module bracket. I then attached the other end to the alligator clip on the test light. I turned on the key to the second tab, then inserted the pointer of the test light into the top hole of the cigar lighter connector. Voila! I then connected the ashtray to the power, and used my test light again to confirm it was working. It was. So I pushed in the cigar lighter, but it did not work. I plugged in a USB adapter, and it lit up. I plugged in my iphone to the USB adapter, and it showed that it was charging.
That's really all I was interested in. I don't smoke, and even if I did I would never smoke in my car! I don't know about the little light though. I'll look for evidence that it is working after I get everything back together. When I had it all in my hand with the iphone charging, I could not see that the light was on.
The light is only there for if you were a smoker you'd know where to put the 'hot' lighter back whilst night driving.
I also only use mine for a usb socket. I got a nice low profile one that is lit and allows the ashtray to be closed when not in use.
For anybody having issues with a loose American cigarette adapter that doesn’t make good contact, I sent an email to the German company that sells this on US Amazon site and he believes the plug to be the appropriate larger size for our cars. Of course you would still have the issue of the four new sockets it gives you being too big, but it might be easier to alter them on the gadget rather than mess with the ones in the car. You would also have the big plug if you wanted to cut it off and rig up something custom. He was initially unaware there were different sizes, so you might want to email him through Amazon to see if he will measure the plug for you to confirm. He answered my questions promptly. I don’t have the car around right now to see if it has this loose plug issue so I haven’t pursued this fix yet.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Mercedes-Benz Forum
7.6M posts
693.6K members
Since 1999
BenzWorld.org forum is one of the largest Mercedes-Benz owner websites offering the most comprehensive collection of Mercedes-Benz information anywhere in the world. The site includes MB Forums, News, Galleries, Publications, Classifieds, Events and much more!