cigarette lighter question...
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 818
Likes: 29
From: Nashua NH
cigarette lighter question...
I hadn't driven the car for a few days and when I went to start it yesterday, the battery was completely dead. 
It seems like too soon for it to have died on its own. I got to thinking about what could have caused it and came up with the following: I have one of those cigarette lighter adapters for my I-pod. I had taken the I-pod out to put back in my other car but left the adapter in the cigarette lighter. Could that have drained the battery? Even though there was not an I-Pod attached, asking for power. 
Inquiring minds want to know...
Jim S.
It seems like too soon for it to have died on its own. I got to thinking about what could have caused it and came up with the following: I have one of those cigarette lighter adapters for my I-pod. I had taken the I-pod out to put back in my other car but left the adapter in the cigarette lighter. Could that have drained the battery? Even though there was not an I-Pod attached, asking for power. Inquiring minds want to know...
Jim S.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 24,460
Likes: 7
From: sw Ohio
I unplugged my cig lighter until I fixed the power drain it was causing. If you have something plugged into the cig lighter yes it will drain. Its basically a switch and when you stick something down in it your switching it on.
Think about it, the lighter doesnt draw power and heat itself up, it gets it from the cig switch. Oh and its hot at all times.
Think about it, the lighter doesnt draw power and heat itself up, it gets it from the cig switch. Oh and its hot at all times.
Last edited by Demonic85; Apr 26, 2009 at 11:51 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,075
Likes: 109
From: Longmont Co
No, it should not drain the battery if the Ipod is not plugged in. The only way would be if the charger had some sort of a ground issue, which you should have noticed when charging the Ipod. Unless you maybe somehow let the end of the charger touch metal when you left it? Otherwise you do not have a circuit.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,324
Likes: 5
From: Charlotte NC
Most every adapter, whether a 120v for the home or 12v in the car is using power, whether they are plugged into their respective device or not. I wouldn't leave anything plugged into a cig lighter.
If you want to be sure, just connect a meter inline at the negative terminal on your battery and measure the milliamps being drawn. Next, plug in your adapter and measure it...bet it goes up. Do tis with the key out and doors closed to avoid other draws.
If you want to be sure, just connect a meter inline at the negative terminal on your battery and measure the milliamps being drawn. Next, plug in your adapter and measure it...bet it goes up. Do tis with the key out and doors closed to avoid other draws.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Coquitlam BC, Canada
I believe that it wouldn't. I leave my GPS plugged into my cigarette lighter and the battery doesn't die. Although the GPS is turned off. You may just have a dying battery that is on its last life. Try filling up the battery and giving it a trickle charge for a few days.
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