LexusPia

On my 2000 GS, the cigarette lighter socket in the ash tray quit working (no power) but fuse is fine. Dealer mechanic said the contacts on the socket are bad (guessing due to corrosion) and the whole socket assembly needs replacing. Has anyone with similar problem replaced this socket before? If so, appreciate any tutorial on how to remove the ashtray and socket assembly to do this repair. I searched the entire CL forum and didn't find anything on this topic for 2GS. Many thanks.

jriggs

remove coin holder from ash tray

pull on ash tray it will pop out (helps if the shifter isn't in park)

remove electrical connections

push out socket


Takes about 2 minutes

LexusPia

jriggs, your instruction was super helpful since it took me a mere 15 secs to pull that ash tray assembly out, much easier than I had expected. Will order socket to replace the old one. Still can't believe dealer wants to charge me $95 labor plus parts for this simple job. Many thanks for your help.

vlogs300

i have the same problem too..i plug in my phone car charger. light turns on for the charger but my phone doesnt charge when i plug it in..how much does a new socket cost? i need to get a new one..

BigManne

iTrader: (3)

Once you get it out. Test the plug with a voltmeter. That will tell you if it is the actual outlet or wiring .

LexusPia

If your charger lite comes on when you plug it in the cig liter socket which means the cig liter socket has power. In my case it is totally dead. Before you go and spend money on a new socket, suggest you plug your charger in the center arm rest storage aux power socket to see whether it works or not. Better still, push the cig liter into the ashtray socket to see whether it works or not. If it does, you have an issue with your charger. You can also use a tester to see whether you have power going to the socket.

A new socket assembly which includes a new liter retails for $90 MSRP but you can get it from Sewellparts.com for half price being a CL member. Hope this helps.

LexusPia

Went ahead and installed the new socket assembly received from Sewell Parts. Took a bit longer like maybe 40 mins since I wanted to make sure everything was done correctly. I also tested the new unit to make sure there was power before assembly. The metal sleeve that screwed onto the back of the lighter socket was extremely tight so that took awhile for me to loosen it. Other than that everything went in smoothly and there was power. I was trying to think of a reason why this old unit would burn out and the only thing I could think of was I did use a 12volt air compressor awhile back to pump up my tires. The air compressor quit after about 15 mins use and totally went dead and I never checked the cig lighter for power until recently. My conclusion was the air compressor somehow must've shorted out the cig lighter socket but what's puzzling is the fuse is still good.