MGB: Cigarette Lighter Question - Strange?

I want to plug a portable XM Radio (or cell phone charger) into the cigarette lighter of my 1980 MGB, but when I do, I get no power.

First thought: Cigarette lighter must not be working or getting power

However, when I simply push it in to heat up the coil that would be used to light a cigarette, it works fine and gets red hot! So, it must have power.

Anyone know why 12V power adapters don't seem to work or had that problem themselves???

mine works with my GPS. Maybe it isn't seating good enough to make contact on the end???

Is your car pos or neg ground?

look at polarity, the heater coils works either way, your electronics don't. sleve is -, center is +

You probably just need to replace the socket, they can get grungy enough that they won't make contact with some power adapters.

Have you verified the adapter itself isn't at fault?

Gromit Wrote:

BR,

Try taking some fine grade sandpaper, wrat it around your pinky finger and brush out the inside of the lighter receptacle. Sounds to me me like you're simply not getting good electrical connection; as over time the metal oxidizes from repeated heating/cooling.

For best results you'll also need to clean off the center conductor down in the bottom of the receptacle with sandpaper - maybe use a pen or pencil to reach it if your finger isn't long enough.

Use something non-conductive to push paper in there so as not to short it out.

Thanks - I was going to try the sandpaper route, but I didn't know if there was something I was missing! I appreciate all the input!

I have seen some accessory plugs that were too long to fit fully into the lighter socket. The center post would make contact with the bottom of the socket but the curved spring on the side of the plug was far enough out of the socket that it didn't make a good contact with the socket wall.
Also some plugs have a fuse inside them. I have hade a few of those blow and spent forever trying to figure out why the device wasn't working.

Just want to let you know the sandpaper worked! XM is now on the MG!