1997 850 10A cig lighter not enough for appliances?

[Osprey]

Hi. Thanks for reading and sorry if the title isn't clear.

I just received a 12V tire inflator, the kind that plugs into the cigarette lighter. I looked up its specs and it's rated at 15A max and 11A average (at 32 PSI), but I see that my 1997 850's cigarette lighter circuit is guarded by a 10A fuse. I imagine that that means that I'll at least eventually blow the fuse if I try to use the inflator.

In my brief research, 15A appliances (or whatever you call them) seem to be common, as most cars have at least 15A cigarette lighters. I even read a few minutes ago that Volvo moved to 15A ones in 1998, the year after my model. So, what do other 850 owners do to work around this problem, not just with inflators, but any such appliances that draw power from the cigarette lighter?

I realize that a simple workaround is to buy an adapter (like this one) to connect the inflator directly to the battery, instead, and completely bypass the cigarette lighter circut. I do intent to buy one to use with the inflator, but I'm wondering about in the meantime. I'm also a little worried that I might blow the fuse when using other appliances or devices.

My main question is: can I simply replace the 10A fuse with a 15A fuse to fix the problem or is that a really bad idea? Has anyone else done that? It doesn't sound so safe to me, but I don't know if the circuit can handle more than 10A and it was just kind of arbitrarily given a 10A fuse because they couldn't imagine in the mid-90s anyone needing more power from a lighter. I also saw a thread (here) where someone said that he and his Volvo mechanic swapped out a 10A engine sensor fuse for a 15A one, which made me wonder, since a mechanic ought to know what's safe or not.

If that's not a solution, is there one, or do we 850 owners have to live without using our cigarette lighters for anything (including inflators) needing more than 10A?

Thanks a lot,
-Jon

[QuirkySwede]

since a mechanic ought to know what's safe or not.

Then why do shops have first aid kits?

FUSE: Cheap and easily replaceable electrical component that protects a more expensive and harder to replace component and or related wiring (and what ever it could damage by failing).

Look up "ampacity." A light bulb filament is just a "fuse" or "wire" that hasn't blown (due to lack of oxygen). Think about that...

For your tire pump, dozens of places sell these:
https://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-Battery-C ... B00065L2D8
or this
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=3889591#
or make your own. Just keep the polarity right (center usually +). Better for these to fail than your dash wiring.

[joe_pinehill]

Don't change the rating on the fuze.

[cn90]

For around the house use, a small air compressor ($50-$60) is much much better than the 12V version.
Example is Pancake air compressor for $59:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-gallon-1 ... 95275.html

When I travel far away from home, I carry the foot pump, the double-barrel type. It can pump a low-pressure tire very well, using your foot.
https://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-Double-Ba ... B0030RSFK2

PS: Stick to factory fuse rating, do NOT ever increase the fuse rating, it can increase the risk of wire damage.

[Osprey]

Then why do shops have first aid kits?

FUSE: Cheap and easily replaceable electrical component that protects a more expensive and harder to replace component and or related wiring (and what ever it could damage by failing).

Look up "ampacity." A light bulb filament is just a "fuse" or "wire" that hasn't blown (due to lack of oxygen). Think about that...

Is this the standard welcome for new users... to try to make them feel dumb for registering and asking a question? I do know what a fuse is, but if you really felt that quoting the definition was helpful, you could've done so without the oversized, red lettering, as well as saying to look something up and "think about that." Like your fellow posters above, just give advice without the condescension, huh.

As for the battery clamps, yes, I mentioned that I intend to buy one. I even linked to the same one that you did.

Don't change the rating on the fuze.

Yeah, I wasn't going to unless someone told me otherwise. Thanks for the reply.

For around the house use, a small air compressor ($50-$60) is much much better than the 12V version.
Example is Pancake air compressor for $59:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-gallon-1 ... 95275.html

When I travel far away from home, I carry the foot pump, the double-barrel type. It can pump a low-pressure tire very well, using your foot.
https://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-Double-Ba ... B0030RSFK2

PS: Stick to factory fuse rating, do NOT ever increase the fuse rating, it can increase the risk of wire damage.

Yeah, ideally, I'd like a 120v one, but I have to park on the street and also would like having something that's available on trips, so I went with the 12v. I didn't realize that foot pumps were actually options for car tires. I'll keep that Schwinn in mind for the future, especially since it's so affordable. Thanks.

So, anyways, I guess that we 850 owners just have to be very careful about what we plug into the cigarette lighters. That's the answer that I expected, but it was worth asking, just in case.

[difflock54]

Out of interest, after reading this post thru I checked the cigarette plug outlet point fuse rating specified for my 2002 V40.
It is supposed to be a 20A.
i just now checked in the fusebox to check and that is the fuse size currently fitted. It was as specified in the owner manual.
Accessories like GPS's, air compresors, chargers etc also have an individual fuse fitted in their end plug connectors which engage into the cig' outlet. These fuses may be individually rated at a lessor loading to the one in the vehicles compartment fusebox.

[BEJinFbk]

Then why do shops have first aid kits?

FUSE: Cheap and easily replaceable electrical component that protects a more expensive and harder to replace component and or related wiring (and what ever it could damage by failing).

Look up "ampacity." A light bulb filament is just a "fuse" or "wire" that hasn't blown (due to lack of oxygen). Think about that...

Is this the standard welcome for new users... to try to make them feel dumb for registering and asking a question? I do know what a fuse is, but if you really felt that quoting the definition was helpful, you could've done so without the oversized, red lettering, as well as saying to look something up and "think about that." Like your fellow posters above, just give advice without the condescension, huh.

What did you read? A friendly fellow with a quirky sense of humor
( I mean, C'mon! It's in his handle! ) answers your question In Depth
and then provides several links in an effort to help you out is a Bad Guy?
Really? Obviously the useful info was some kinda jab...
Give the Swede some love, man!

As far as the initial question goes, 10 amps is a bit wimpy. The under hood clamp
deal is a simple option, but if you'd like something inside the cabin, there are options.

There's a 30 amp accessory connector under the dash that a guy could use as a power
point. From there you could mount something up front, maybe under the seat. Or run
a line into the back and install a cig jack in the rear. I had a 99 V70 for a while that
actually had a high current factory installed power outlet in the rear left panel, right
next to the tailgate. Hella convenient! I think Volvo called it a "Cooler Box Outlet".
An enterprising person could probably scare on up at the JY...

And in solidarity with EVERYONE else on the page:
Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, EVER upsize a fuse!

In Closing - Please remember that we're all here to help each other,
smile, clink beer mugs with the Swede and carry on...

[QuirkySwede]

Is this the standard welcome for new users...

Well, I'll admit...
I was hoping by "appliances" you were thinking a blender for margaritas, refrigerator for beer, and were going to visit each of us to show it off! And +1 BEJinFbk!

So let me re-visit your question in a way that many people read it:

"My main question is: can I simply replace the 10A fuse with a 15A fuse to fix the problem or is that a really bad idea?"


Please pick from the following answers:
A. Don't.
B. Don't, please.
C. Don't, and here's why...
D. Let me provide you with some leads and perspective which will not only allow you to figure this out yourself, but be able to applied to other situations, many of which view that as beneficially preferable ala "learning to fish" or just "learning."


I would be asking, "Besides the fuse, what is this LOWEST ampacity (calculated via material, strands, type of current, etc.) at any point of the whole cigarette lighter circuit, AND what degree of degradation occurs after 17 years, AND what FoS does Volvo use?" but that would take much more work and research to answer properly.

Service Sign: "Cheap, fast, and good: pick any two." Hey, they left out "friendly!"

On a windy day...
Neighbor: The trash guy left the can tipped over and didn't flip the lid closed.
Me: He took away your trash, right?

Asking a "dumb" question does NOT make someone a "dumb" person, nor change the nature of the question.
We've ALL been there, right? I have.
And most prefer to keep re-visits to a minimum, right? I do.

Books for sale (left out of stock, see right):

[Osprey]

What did you read? A friendly fellow with a quirky sense of humor
( I mean, C'mon! It's in his handle! ) answers your question In Depth
and then provides several links in an effort to help you out is a Bad Guy?
Really? Obviously the useful info was some kinda jab...
Give the Swede some love, man!

Actually, no, he didn't really answer the question. The two posters after him answered the question. He sidestepped it to try a teach a lesson by shouting a definition and effectively saying "what do you think?" That's not "friendly," "quirky" or "humorous." It's patronizing. I've contributed on tech forums for almost two decades and I've seen his kind many times before. They don't respond to questions in order to help the person so much as to show off their knowledge of the subject and treat the other as a student, rather than make him feel like an equal. You think that I just "misread" him, but his follow-up suggests that I read him correctly:

So let me re-visit your question in a way that many people read it:

"My main question is: can I simply replace the 10A fuse with a 15A fuse to fix the problem or is that a really bad idea?"


Please pick from the following answers:
A. Don't.
B. Don't, please.
C. Don't, and here's why...
D. Let me provide you with some leads and perspective which will not only allow you to figure this out yourself, but be able to applied to other situations, many of which view that as beneficially preferable ala "learning to fish" or just "learning."

Note the excessive hyperlinks--not to be helpful, but to be patronizing--as well as the incredibly condescending "quiz." He isn't just "quirky"; he seems to be a little full of himself and wants people to respect his expertise and learn from his wisdom. You don't earn respect by treating others with disrespect, though, nor is it an effective way to be helpful. Maybe it's not conscious or intentional, but that still doesn't make it excusable.

The other three of you showed how it's possible to respond to the same question with more respect and helpfulness. I knew that my main question was a dumb one, but I trusted that the folks on a site like this were professional and secure enough to not take advantage of it to make themselves feel smarter at my expense. I suppose that they mostly are, and I thank the rest of you for that.

Anyways...

As far as the initial question goes, 10 amps is a bit wimpy. The under hood clamp
deal is a simple option, but if you'd like something inside the cabin, there are options.

There's a 30 amp accessory connector under the dash that a guy could use as a power
point. From there you could mount something up front, maybe under the seat. Or run
a line into the back and install a cig jack in the rear. I had a 99 V70 for a while that
actually had a high current factory installed power outlet in the rear left panel, right
next to the tailgate. Hella convenient! I think Volvo called it a "Cooler Box Outlet".
An enterprising person could probably scare on up at the JY...

Thanks for the suggestions, BEJinFbk. Those are the kinds of workarounds that I was hoping to hear about. I'll probably just go with the battery clamp like I'd planned, but it's good to hear that there are some other options. Thanks.

[precopster]

Boys go to your rooms!! No supper and no TV.