Attack of the cigarette lighter

[26ounce]

Last night I was driving the Z when I noticed a light coming from under the dash. It was light inside the cigarette lighter socket, I'd pulled my mobile phone charger out of it earlier. The light was kind of bugging me so I got the lighter coil bit and stuck it back in the socket thus eliminating the light.

I guess I pushed it back in too far because I inadvertantly pushed the lighter into the on position. Imagine my surprise 30 seconds later when the newly heated lighter flicked back. Maybe the spring was too tight on the lighter or the clip was worn down, but either way the lighter flicked right out of its socket straight onto my left leg (I was wearing shorts, and my car is RHD). I just glimpsed the red glow of it as it bounced off my leg then disappeared onto the carpet underneath me. I had no idea where it landed, or if a trail of smoke would soon start wisping up between my legs.

Anyway, fishing around for a hot lighter under your legs is not fun, it is even less fun on a busy road. I was lucky and no damage was done. If you get the chance it might be worth checking your lighter for this problem.

[halz]

Heh, heh... you painted very good picture. Well done on not losing control of your Z - that's the sort of minor event that major prangs can be made of!

[Datzun76]

Since I am a smoker I have had that happen in my z on more than one occasion. My lighter is not the actual lighter made for the car so maybe that has something to do with it popping out. I am really surpised nobody else has experienced this problem with their z.

[1 Bravo 6]

:stupid: :stupid: :stupid:

It's happened to me a few times. Can be rather a lot of fun when it bounces off your knee and onto the seat, right between your legs.

As the old Jerry Lee Lewis song says,

"GOODNESS, GRACIAS. GREAT BALLS OF FIRE".

Rick.

1974 Bronze 260 Zed Sports Coupe

[24OZ]

My cigarrette lighter has always operated like that.

You soon develop a nack of catching it in your left hand (my car is RHD).

[2ManyZs]

It isn't that it never happened to anyone else, we just never told anyone.......especially those of us who ended up burning a hole in the seat or our pants.....

[Datzun76]

Yeah I see every Z owner finds this out sooner or later. I guess nobody checked this on the assembly line when the cars were made.

[GunnerRob]

I don't mean to get off course here, but I've got to share this one.

Back in the early seventies, on hot day, my brother and I and a few friends were sitting around in the living room smoking joints. My brother was wearing only a loose fitting pair of Levi's (at that time in his life he didn't wear underwear) and when he had just about finished taking a "hit" the big long "cherry" fell off into his pants! I never saw him move so fast in all my life!!!

[EScanlon]

Although it may seem ludicrous to repair the lighter assy, it is in fact easy.

The lighter assembly is comprised of 3 parts.

The Holder has two parts, the inner sleeve, which surrounds the lighter itself when it's inserted; and the outer sleeve which clamps the inner sleeve to the dash or bracket. The outer sleeve is attached to the inner sleeve either by a nut at the back which screws onto the inner sleeve, or by the outer sleeve having threads.

The outer sleeve exists in two variations, one has a light bulb holder that attaches to it, and the other does not. Typically, the sleeve with the light bulb is used on the dash, and the one without is used in the console next to the fuse box on early Z's. Both of these have a wire soldered or riveted to the side to provide ground. Although it may be grounded by contact with the metal hardware that holds it to the dash or bracket, it is a very good idea to provide a direct ground for it, due to the high resistance / current the lighter draws. There's a reason why it has it's own fuse.

The inner sleeve is the one that holds the lighter both before, during and after heating. (I know kind of obvious) The inner sleeve has a U shaped clip at the bottom which grips the resistance coil housing on the lighter and keeps it held until the coil heats up and causes the U shaped clip to expand and release the lighter. There are also 2 to 3 pressure tabs that grip the lighter along it's sleeve. The U clip is the positive electrical connection for the lighter. The body of the inner sleeve, via contact with the outer sleeve provides the ground.

The lighter itself, although addressed as a single part, is actually two, the knob and the lighter heating element and sleeve. To repair the lighter itself you simply buy a new heating element or knob. The sleeve is part of the heating element. The sleeve has a spring which allows the resistance coil to extend outwards to contact the U clip on the inner sleeve. Additionally the sleeve also has a groove along it's circumference for the pressure tabs on the inner sleeve to grip.

Over time, the typical failure of these lighters is either the heating coil burns out or the inner sleeve's U clip or pressure tabs loose their spring and no longer hold the lighter. To repair the heating coil you buy a new element. To repair the U clip, as long as it's not broken, you bend the wings on the clip in so that they will grip the heating coil. Just be careful of this as it is possible to bend them in too tightly, which will result in the lighter NOT popping out. The last one, the pressure tabs are the ones that grip the lighter sleeve so that the lighter doesn't fly out of the holder. To repair these, again you re-bend them in so that they grip the sleeve more firmly. Although it is difficult to over bend these, it will make it harder to remove the lighter if you over bend.

The repair you need to make is to tweak those pressure tabs into the center of the inner sleeve so that they grip the lighter more firmly than they currently are doing. You can do this with the lighter in position as long as you make sure NOT to touch the U clip at the bottom. If you do, you will definitely short out the lighter with all the ensuing problems of an electrical short circuit.

Sorry for the length of this, especially for so simple an item as a cigar lighter, but hope this helps you guys.

Enrique

[thefastestz]

I don't even smoke and that happened to me before on the highway.

It dawned on me that when i bought my car i never checked if the lighter worked.

Well I found out when it fell on me and the floor. Scary!!!

[ZmeFly]

but with coffee

:classic: i was just at dunkin donuts and bought a fresh coffee for the drive to work. nothing out of the norm. not till i made a sharper then usual left

what happens the freshly and very hot cup of coffee pops its top and coffee and i mean HOT coffee:o all over the family jewels and inner thighs.

i almost hit a gaurd rail the pain was unbearable!!

im off to the side of the road it was cold and my nutZ are steaming out in the cool cool morning air.

im sure i was a site to see that morningROFL

what happened in the end is i bought myself cup holders and had to deal with i guess second degree burns between my legs very very red and swelling few small minute blisters

[tanny]

Should have sued Dunkn Doughnuts for that too hot coffee. Swelling isn't a bad thing if it's the right spot.