Low Power To 12 Volt Socket?

[Jack McGuire]

Hi guys,

just wandering whether anyone can help out here, i am now confused! XD

12 volt socket seems to not be giving out enough power for anything, the light on my phone charger / Tyre pump comes on when plugged in but there just doesnt seem to be enough power coming out to actually use them? the fuse has been checked, tested the charger / Tyre pump in my dads car, they work and the battery was replaced last weekend as well, so im a little stumped from there!

[Dee_82]

whats the voltage coming out of it? Electrical current isn't given, its taken, so if you have a 1 amp charger then it would draw 1 amp, nothing to do with the car.

the socket should be giving out 12V, or more likely 13-14V - the same as the battery / alternator. If your device was to draw about 15A then it would blow the fuse.

most common problems with chargers are that the adaptor is nackerd. Unless there is a low voltage on the aux socket its highly unlikely to be the car

[Stoney871]

Hi guys,

just wandering whether anyone can help out here, i am now confused! XD

12 volt socket seems to not be giving out enough power for anything, the light on my phone charger / Tyre pump comes on when plugged in but there just doesnt seem to be enough power coming out to actually use them? the fuse has been checked, tested the charger / Tyre pump in my dads car, they work and the battery was replaced last weekend as well, so im a little stumped from there!

You do mean when the engine is running don't you?

If not running then the voltage will draw down quickly under a heavy load like a tyre pump.

[Dee_82]

sorry, I just re read your post, if its low enough voltage to not power a charger then the car wouldn't start.

get a multi meter on that socket and see how many volts are at it. there could be an earth issue which can reduce the voltage

[Jack McGuire]

Hi guys, thanks for your replies. Yeah engine running when testing, battery is giving out the correct voltage, alternator is working and was tested when the battery was replaced.

Ill get the multi meter on the socket when im on lunch break and see what its giving out.

thanks!

[mjt]

Jack, I don't know how clued up you are on electrics so forgive me if I'm "teaching my Grandmother to suck eggs".

You really need to test the voltage with a load such as your charger/tyre pump connected. If you know anything about Ohms Law you'll realise that if your problem is caused by a high resistance somewhere in the supply to the socket then because the multimeter is designed to draw only a tiny current it won't cause any voltage drop so may well give a normal reading.

[Jack McGuire]

Yeah, port gives 12.4 volts without anything plugged in, will go back out when I've eaten something and plug the charger in and see what reading I get then, thanks!

[Jack McGuire]

I'll have to have a look later on now, what would be the best way to test it? plug the charger in then test the end of the micro USB charger? or is it a take the 12 volt port out job?

cheers.

[Dee_82]

plug in the pump and measure the voltage on the bottom , pull the aux powersocket out to access the pins

if you have another socket try using that as well. you will probably find the connector for a socket in the boot, right hand side, behind the liner, its a heavy wire with an orange connector on it, you might also have one in the arm reset and in the garage door under the heater controls, you will need to take some of the console off to get to them, just use the socket from the centre console.

was the 12v you recorded whilst the engine is on or off?

if there is a significant drop in voltage then its likely there is some resistance on the line. id have thought it unlikely to be a battery issue otherwise the car would have trouble starting, that draws a shed load more current than anything else your likely to plug in. it is however a separate circuit so its process of elimination time!

[Jack McGuire]

Ok, ill try that!

Yeah, I tried with the engine on, the red led on the charger lights up, does nothing though, pump lights come on, switching the pump on turns off its lights.

Yeah, i thought that, the battery is brand new, alternator checked, I did manage to check the error codes out and have one for steering angle sensor?? But yes, elimination time is upon me!

[Jack McGuire]

well... sorry to dig this up! Just thought I'd tie the story up :)

Got a new 12V Socket today, fitted it, still had the problem.... so I though i'd change the fuse, I had already done this before but I thought hey, whats the harm! Took the fuse from the fogs and popped them in and it worked! Awesome! so I began popping the new socket in, not realizing the screwdriver was resting beneath, I blew the fuse...  So now I have to get a fuse for the socket and the fogs but at least its working ahaha