My electrical plug keeps blowing up! (okay not really, but help!)

[AmericanRecluse]

Electrical noob, please help me troubleshoot this. I have a 12v powerlet in the dash that I use to power a Tourmaster heated vest. My first plug fell apart (apparently) so I requested a new one from the dealer since I thought it was just defective. Tonight when I plugged in the new one (I use a powerlet to cigarette lighter adapter) I saw a white light flicker and heard a tiny pop. The power light died. When I pulled the assembly apart the plug had fallen apart just as the first.

So I assume this set-up is wrong and a new plug will eventually blast apart again. Some pics attached. The fuse in the plug didn't blow in either situation by the way, but the inline fuse close to the battery blew tonight. What am I doing wrong?




Thank you in advance!

 

[DirtFlier]

If I were you, I'd cut off the cigarette lighter male plug and replace it with a Powerlet male plug. Powerlet-to-Powerlet always works!

Cigarette lighter plugs are generally lousy in regards to a solid connection, especially on a bike that is exposed to the elements and vibration. For a ground, they have two wimpy spring loaded tabs on each side while a Powerlet has the entire upper portion to act as a ground plus the positive pin on a Powerlet fits into a very tight and secure brass tab. Cigarette lighter plugs are especially bad if you're powering an accessory that demands a fairly high amp load, such as an electric vest (4-6 amps).

By the way, when you say "Powerlet" are you using that as a generic name for a 12v receptacle or is it really a genuine Powerlet product?

 

[Miairhead]

What have you done to check the wiring so far? It must be a short that is causing the issue, does this happen with nothing is plugged in? I hope you have a test light and volt meter to do the necessary checks.

 

[RedLdr1]

Cigarette lighter plugs are generally lousy in regards to a solid connection, especially on a bike that is exposed to the elements and vibration.

+1 If you are not using Marine Grade parts you asking for trouble, even then it is a crap shoot with all the junk on the market. The white light flicker may have been an electrical arc caused by corrosion. Couple more questions: First what size, in Amperage, fuse is in the coiled adapter? Second, what size,in Amperage, is the inline fuse that blew? The lower rated fuse should always blow first, if they are the same rating either could go...

 

[AmericanRecluse]

By the way, when you say "Powerlet" are you using that as a generic name for a 12v receptacle or is it really a genuine Powerlet product?

Hmm, good question. I'm using the Motorcycle Larry handlebar clamp with power. I'll try buying an authentic Powerlet cable for direct connection and bypass the whole cigarette lighter adapter. Thanks so much for the help.

 

[AmericanRecluse]

Thanks, I didn't know this. I'll check the amperage rating of both when I get back to the garage.

 

[AmericanRecluse]

Chances are you have a short, possibly from the wire rubbing up against some other wire or the frame. In any case, it sounds like you're getting enough current through that it destroys the plug immediately.

This is making sense. Excuse my ignorance, but is a short just another word for exposed wire? I do see some under the handlebars and around the inline fuse by the battery (about 1/8"). If that's the case, should I wrap the exposed area with electrical tape? Thanks.

 

[AmericanRecluse]

Perfect! Thank you.

 

[DirtFlier]

If you bought the top clamp with Powerlet from MCL, it's a real Powerlet. The other factor might be the size of wire you're using but I think most of your problem is related to trying to use a cigarette lighter plug to power something with fairly high amp draw such as an electric vest. The wire should be at least 14 gauge.

By the way, the only dumb question is the one you should have asked but didn't! Everyone is pretty open and friendly on this forum so ask away.

 

[charlie b]

FWIW, when most of us say "exposed" wire we mean that you can see the copper (or silver) wire showing through broken or burned insulation.

The bare wire can touch something like the frame and cause a short circuit (that is a place where 12V from the positive side of the battery is fed directly to the neg side of the battery through the frame of the bike). A short circuit will draw a huge amount of current which blows the fuse (which is why the fuse is there).

If you have exposed wire then yes it needs to be covered back up with electrical tape or replaced with new wire. You should also find out why it lost the insulation. Did it wear on something or overheat and burn off?

If it wore off then taping it will not fix the problem. You also need to move it so it doesn't wear out again.

If it burned then it means you have too much current going through it and you need heavier wire.

 

[AmericanRecluse]

Solution added here for posterity: Instead of using the cigarette lighter adaptor, I bought a powerlet plug direct. As suggested in this thread, it worked like a charm. Thanks for your help folks.