*HELP* lighter fuse/radar detector problem

[zgusto]

Hi, new to the forum and just bought an 08 M45x.
My problem is I plugged my Valentine one radar detector in and it blows the fuse. Went to the dealer was told that the front console only takes lower amps and will blow everytime. I have DVD so I don't have one in my console and the one in the rear does not let the cord reach and I don't want a cord in my way all day.

What have others done to correct this?

I am going to buy a longer cord for a temp fix, but don't like that.
I can't hardwire, because I move this around a bunch of my cars.

Is there an adaptor that adjusts the amps so I can use the front plug without losing efficiency of my Valentine??

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[sergio1987]

this is the first time i hear something like this...There gotta be smth wrong with your electrical components. Every cigarette lighter in the world has the same voltage and amps. Try to put the actually cigarette lighter to heat up and see if it work ok. Try to put other devices in there, like your GPS and see the results. If everything is ok than obviously there is some short circuit in your V1 cable(not the device, just the cable). If it does burn other fuses than see how does your fuse in the fuse box looks like... I don't know, man...maybe you have a police officer ghost in your car that doesn't allow you to have a V1:))))) Just buy a Redline, it works perfect:)

[zgusto]

this is the first time i hear something like this...There gotta be smth wrong with your electrical components. Every cigarette lighter in the world has the same voltage and amps. Try to put the actually cigarette lighter to heat up and see if it work ok. Try to put other devices in there, like your GPS and see the results. If everything is ok than obviously there is some short circuit in your V1 cable(not the device, just the cable). If it does burn other fuses than see how does your fuse in the fuse box looks like... I don't know, man...maybe you have a police officer ghost in your car that doesn't allow you to have a V1:))))) Just buy a Redline, it works perfect:)

I agreee, I would think they are all the same. I use the same V1 in multiple cars from multiple years ....and no problems.....till my M.
Straight from the service advisers mouth. "The front lighter, is only designed for the amps of the little lighter and you will eventuallly blow a fuse using your radar detector" Nothing wrong with my radar detector, and according to Infiniti, that is just the way the FRONT one is..??...

No one else have this problem? I'm shocked!

[Double E]

A garbage explanation indeed.

What's the amperage rating of the fuse that keeps blowing? Can you verify that it is the correct rating according to the fitment diagram of the fuse box?
(If the fuse that's blowing is something like 5 or 2.5, it's probably the wrong fuse, but check the diagram to see what fuse SHOULD be in there.)

Next, if you look at the ciggy lighter cord that originally came with the V1, pull the fuse (probably need to unscrew the nose) and tell us the amp rating. If no OEM ciggy cord, get the V1 power draw spec from the OEM.

Next, does the fuse blow instantly, or does it take a little while of use to blow?

[The00Dustin]

That is NOT NECESSARILY a garbage explanation. I don't know how much a radar detector draws, but a cigarette lighter doesn't draw 20 amps. Manufacturers started doing this when they started adding power outlets. It has been a long time since the thread I'm about to mention saw the light of day, but there was a thread about air compressors and someone (possibly Antz) mentioned a really good one they got for a decent price. I did some research on it and there were all sorts of bad reviews because it blew a 15A fuse (where cigarette lighters used to ALL be 20A) when the compressor and its documentation doth clearly said all over the place that it could draw 18A. Besides, the OP said it DOES work in the outlet behind the console? That means the radar detector power supply isn't the culprit. If the cigarette lighter blows the fuse then the dealer needs to fix it, if not, then the OP needs a solution. OP, I don't mess with this sort of thing, but do some searching and you'll see posts about invisicord and posts about people running the wire down the column to the fusebox. I don't know if either of these are options for you, depends if the cigarette lighter adapter is actually a transformer or just a way to get 12V to the detector.

[The00Dustin]

Incidentally, putting a higher amperage fuse in is not a good solution, because if they put a lower amperage fuse in, it's because the wiring isn't made for the higher amperage. You could check the manual, though, in case someone else put a lower than original amperage fuse in after blowing it.

[zgusto]

Thanks to all that have posted. The fuse that is in there is the OE spec fuse replaced by Infiniti service today. The detector does indeed work in the back adapter and in all of my other current cars, leading me to believe that all is still well with my Valentine My experience is only the one time, it worked for a 10 minute drive...turned off car and came back an hour later and no juice. The tech at Infinfiti immedietly new that my detector had blown the fuse, he had seen it many times before.
So far my solution is I bought a longer cord with a coupler that i will try to hide neatly and plug the V1 in there....it's just such a beautiful interior, I hate the idea of jimmy rigged wires in there.....

Thanks again all and feel free to keep the ideas coming.

Best

John

[Ilya]

Aren't hardwired V1's removable? Doesn't the hard wire just plug into the back of the V1? I thought it looked like a phone jack or something?

[zgusto]

Aren't hardwired V1's removable? Doesn't the hard wire just plug into the back of the V1? I thought it looked like a phone jack or something?

The cord definetly looks like a phone jack however, I tried to get a similar 4wire phone cord to do my extension trick and NO GO. No power...back to the drawing board!
If I can hardwire it...
1. Where should I get it done (don't have time or want to mess with electrical)
2. where is the wire hangin all the time when the detector is not in use?

This is really bummin me out...I need to have my valnetine to drive (can't get any tickets) and I like moving it freely among my rides...

[antzrus]

So move up the amperage of your fuse. I cannot imagine your radar detector cooking your wiring. Just don't hook up any irons or hair dryers!

PS But then again I could be wrong...

[pedsemdoc]

zgusto,

you can avoid installation/messing with the fuse box hassles and get yourself an invisicord or similar product to gain power from your powered rear view mirror + you can use the cigarette lighter for lighting cigarettes-lol, charging your cellphone etc. I know, I know quite pricey (likely $15-25) for a piece of wiring that prolly cost them $0.04 to make, but such could be said for installation labor costs of various things in your car--eg. the in-cabin air filter. I have a Blendmount and Invisicord and have been very happy with the quality and ease of setting it up--worth all the clams i paid for them.

u can see what it might kinda look like if you went with that option looking at this thread: radar-detector-install-t527277.html

You'd have to put your V1 higher up on on the windshield closer to the mirror--but that's supposed to be better anyway for detecting, right?

Craig

[zgusto]

All right guys, thanks again for the help!

I think I have it solved. I went straight to the horses mouth.....Valentine. The tec assured me that it uses maybe .5 of an amp and that is not blowing it. He figured i had a short in the cord ( i did not since i have no problems anywhere else). So I bought a new phone cord and it's working like a champ so far...

The guy at the dealer mentioned other chargers and equipment as well so I think those things are blowing the fuse, in my case it must have been a bad wire.

Like the invisi line, however I think that would be blocked for rear coverage by my DVD player.

Anyway, sorry to waste bandwith with a wild goose chase started by bad info from the dealer...

As a payback, since i don't have any pics of the M yet, I will post a pic from something else in my collection.

Best,

John

Hey, do i need to host my pics, or can I upload them direct???

[The00Dustin]

Hey, do i need to host my pics, or can I upload them direct???

They need to be hosted elsewhere, most people use the free sites (imageshack, photobucket, etc).

[zgusto]

thanks, that is how I have done it on the Yenko and Pontiac sites..

[zgusto]

Ok, as promised, since My problem turned out to be lame (Thanks Infiniti tech dude)
Here is a shot of one of my favorites in my collection.
97 Acura NSX-T I have owned it for 13 seasons...

[Silvia2b]

I'm not an infinit tech, but i have more than 10 years installing aftermarket 12v products in automobiles. I sort of agree with the tech that adapters which draw power from a cigarette lighter are likely to draw excessive current or short. The reason is the adapters are a quick solution for connecting to the vehicles electrical system on a temporary basis. The issue is repeated connection and disconnection type connections overtime will become worn, when they aren't a good solid connection to begin with. These connnections are poor, the have high resistance due to a connection that is held in place with friction. This is particularly an issue with the coiled cords that pull on the adapter and it loses contact with the cigarette lighter and then reconnects. When it reconnects some devices particularly those which charge a device draw a bit more than 10amps but for a very short time as they cause an arc between the adapter and the cars socket.

Since the radar detectors draw little power as a transmission reception device which doesn't transmit or charge anything it should have less than 2amps depending on the manufacturer. Some new detectors which have a GPS features or database for red light and other fixed position control devices might draw a bit more.

Think about this the connectors for lighter are usually designed for use by cigarette lighter which is designed to disconnect when the springs heat up as a result of the expanding metal. When any adapter device heats up in the socket it will also fit poorly.