Speedthrill

So car is stored for my cold Canadian winter. I have a Ctek 3300 battery charger / tender. Went out and got the cigarette lighter adaptor, as seemed the best way to go. Was surprised my car even had a cigarette lighter but it does. What I didn't do is check to see if the cigarette lighter actually worked. Plugged in my Ctek....and lighter adaptor and not showing anything on the battery status. Tried switching car to accessory mode and pushed in the lighter to see if works and not doing anything.

Am I missing something? Does car need to be running for lighter to work? Or it's just not hooked up but for some reason actually has the lighter....which makes no sense. And wasted money on the stupid adaptor for Ctek.

Guess I'll be pulling out the battery and doing the old fashioned way.

RocketDawg

Mine works with the engine off through the cigarette lighter.

Are you sure the wall plug where you have the Ctek plugged in works? The ones in the garage are almost certainly ground fault ... perhaps it needs resetting? Have you checked to see if the cigarette lighter works (using the lighter)?

You can also try the lighter plug that's inside your console. I used the one in the ash tray though.

AORoads

After doing what Rocket did above (ck the lighter socket--also, sometimes you may need a new fuse, or fuse could be loose), you should know there are at least two, maybe three different Ctek 3300s.

If you're on a wall outlet that is "switched" by a light switch, every time you turn it off, it turns off the unit. And the unit has to be re-started. That means, pressing the big round button on the left twice to get the bulb lit under the car icon. Read the manual to see the differences betw. icons for your car battery.

When you disconnect the Ctek from the lighter, if you actually unplug the unit so it doesn't stay "hot," or turn off the wall light switch, you'll have to go thru the above again.

Speedthrill

Thanks guys. The wall outlet is live....something else plugged into it. When I plug in the Ctek....I get the power on it...can press the mode button to be under the car icon. But when plugged into lighter socket with adaptor....it's not showing anything under the battery sections....like half full, full, etc.

Thinking must not be power to the lighter socket. Might have to look at fuses, etc. But it's cold as **** in my garage and didn't want to deal with doing an investigation. lol.

Worst case...pull battery.

BobBass

Sorry you're having problems. My CTEK works perfectly connected to the cig lighter/12V socket under the armrest of my '09 coupe.

Grimlock13

I would try plugging in a phone charger or something into the cig lighter and see if that works.

It could still be a defective ctek charger (If you have never used it before with clamps/rings) or even the new lighter adapter could have a bad wire/connection in it.


Mine works fine in the lighter socket on the dash.

Speedthrill

Charger works fine...used it last winter. Maybe I'll try socket in console...didn't notice there was one in there.

Speedthrill

Update. Plugged into lighter socket in my center console and charging fine. Guess the one in the ashtray isn't hooked up or fuse perhaps.

Grimlock13

Not 100% sure, but I thought the two of them are on the same fuse.

The center console could have been removed at one point and the problem is at the connector to that "lighter" plug.

At least you got it to work for now

FortMorganAl

Sounds like a blown fuse. The CIGAR lighter (not cigarette ) has a separate fuse from the Aux power socket. Both are 20A and located in the fuse panel at the passenger's feet. You're looking for the one labeled LTR.

Scooterzee

Ladies and gentlemen... Don't you all drive your vett or are they just garage jewellery on battery tenders? The worst thing you can do to a vehicle is let it sit for extended periods of time.

cclive

Driving the Vette???....now that's just crazy talk....

mikeCsix

Canadian winters are too cold to drive much of anything. One of my winter trips to Calgary was at -40. That was when I learned -40, C or F, are equal.

Scooterzee

I can imagine. That's why I live in Texas. Been to Calgary in July and was cool then.

billyboy47

Hook it right up to the battery like I did. I just plug it in when I need to by opening the hood, it's that simple.

ncvette_1FUNRIDE

I always use the accessory plug in the console.

Sounds like someone disconnected the cigarette lighter when they took the console cover off (easy to forget to plug the connector back in) or you have blown fuse.

SpryGeezer

Drive? OMG! OMG! No way! I push mine around in the driveway on moving dollies, but only if the weather is nice and the UV index isn't too high.

billyboy47

Never drive mine in rain or snow, don't have to.

Grimlock13

It's 16* right now and snowing. Whiteout conditions.

I couldn't pull the vette out of my garage right now.

KCSODogboy

Of course I have driven mine, my wife wouldn't let me hire a hauler to get it home!