Weird 4WD problem - FM Transmitter

[Holidazed]

I have a Belkin FM Transmitter plugged into my cigarette lighter that connects to my ipod...and it has a very strange issue when I use 4WD.

When the ipod is playing and I switch from 2WD to 4-Auto it's fine, but when I switch back to 2WD the sound cut out completely!

The light on the transmitter is still on, so I am not losing power to the cigarette lighter. I tried turning the radio on and off, turning the ipod on/of...nothing works. The only way I can get the sound to come back on is to unplug the fm transmitter and plug it back into the cigarette lighter. Kinda dangerous to do while driving.

Anyone have any ideas why this is happening and how to fix it?

here is the transmitter I am using:

[SixGuns]

I've found that the contact points on the FM transmitters are monumentally sh*tty. I used to have the same problem with my old Wal Mart special trans..it would constantly be losing connection, still be on, but not working until I unplugged it and put 'er back in. So I went away from it, mostly because of that, but partially 'cause my Pathy doesn't get real good reception...went over to the old-fashioned tapedeck plug in (Usually, the only thing that finds its way in there in an old Skynyrd tape that was left in my old Mustang when I bought it....lol), and aside from the death-racket of a tape, so long as you crank it, which I usually do, you don't hear it, and the sound quality is far superior...I dunno, just an idea. As far as the 4wd, that's strange...I would imagine the wiring for the cig. lighter and the 4x4 indicators run through the same harness into the engine bay...maybe you have a short between the 2...I dunno, sounds odd...Is that the ONLY thing that happens when you select 4x2? Any other small tell-tale signs of a short or ground? And have you tried it with anything else plugged into the lighter socket? Like a navigator or something? Cell phone charger, anything..If it's all good, plug your transmitter into the 12v socket in the center console and see if it does it then.

[bmlawless]

I don't think it's anything major. My guess would be that a voltage spike caused by switching the 4WD system off is disrupting the operation of the transmitter. About the only thing you can do is put a filter on the power outlet. One designed for car stereos should be able to handle the high current of the power outlet.

How often are you switching in and out of Auto? The whole purpose of the feature is to avoid switching in and out of 4WD often.

[Holidazed]

sixguns:

I tried plugging the transmitter into the outlet in the center console and it worked fine when switching in and out of 4wd. i also tried plugging my cell phone charger into the outlet on the dash and there was no interuption in the charging when switching the 4wd. so it just seems to be the transmitter that is effected.

bmlawless:

you're right, it isnt a major deal, just a bit strange and can be annoying at times. I don't switch from 2wd to 4wd auto too often but in the winter I drive up to the mountains to go snowboarding a couple times a week and often encounter snowy conditions so I switch back and forth a couple of times then. I can live with the problem, I am just curious why it is happening and what a cheap solution could be.