Cigarette lighter woes

[SonicHedgeHog]

My battery has gone flat because my optimate wouldn't charge it through the cigarette lighter. The design of the lighter is such that the optimate adaptor plugs into a cylinder which itself sits in another cylinder. These two cylinders have become separated. Is there any way to reconnect these two cylinders without taking the door trim off? I don't think there is because while it is possible to line them up and push one towards the other all that happens is the cylinder that is still inside the door gets pushed around inside the trim.

If I have to take the door trim off could someone please tell me how to do it?

Thanks

[Johno]

Door trim off job.

Remove speaker grille, remove screws to remove speaker.

Stick with with new second elbow intoo hole and feel in front of speaker aperture for 10mm bolt, undo.

Remove arm and re-insert towards rear of door, remove second bolt near window motor.

Feel accomplished and then realise there's another bolt even furthe up the door past the motor. All are into the arm support which seperates from the flat of the trim the speaker is mounted too.

Then remove the reflector and undo the screw behind it.

Then you can remove the trim. Beware of the wiring to the cigar lighter and carefully unhook from top of door. Rest of trim will be screwed to door, but you should be able to avoid removing that unless yoou want to be shocked at the crap window runner arrangement and will inevitably get drawn into sorting it out which will take 8 x as long as the initial project -ubricate all window runners and re-assemble.

Useful to keep to hand a magnet on an extentsion to pick up washers and bolts you'll drop in the bottom of the door as you do it.

Expect arm to look like you've fed it into a tree shredder by the end.

[SonicHedgeHog]

Really appreciate such a detailed reply. A job for a dry day me thinks.

Thank you.

[T5GRF]

Sonic, to make life easier you could (if you are dangerous with the spanners like me) get your local garage to wire into the battery the optimate cable with connector block and either leave this in the passenger footwell or better still the boot. I never found using my Optimate with the Cig lighter very reliable!

[sunwharf]

I had same issue and took the hard wired lead route. I bought an extension cable for my Accumate and it runs under the passenger carpet emerging just behind the seat, all I have to do is pull the velcro hood strip up and pop through the lead.

Nick

[Hedgehopper]

You might be able to remove the socket by removing just the speaker grille and putting your hand inside to push it out. Haven't tried this short-cut but worth a try.

I wired a power point (similar to cig. lighter socket) into the back of the glove box and hard wired it to the battery. This is also useful for plugging in the mobile 'phone.

[RichB]

Yeah, I don't think you have to remove the entire panel. When on a Racing Green driving tour mine dropped out as I plugged the Garmin into it, took Woody about 10 mins to fix it through the speaker hole.

[SonicHedgeHog]

Thanks guys, I was going to see how little dismantling I can get away with. The proximity of the lighter to the speaker suggests there is hope.

As suggested I am going to connect the charger direct to the the battery. I would have done it already, but just getting to the battery is a mission. There is a stack of wires and junction boxes sitting on top of the carpeted surround that the battery sits in. I was reluctant to start moving all that stuff around for fear of breaking a connection. Looks like I have no choice...might need a new hammer to do the job properly.