1997 850 10A cig lighter not enough for appliances?

[abscate]

And Ill take the counterpoint on this one.

First - try the compressor and see if the fuse blows - my guess is it won't.

If it does, but the real draw is 11A, going up to a 15A could be done under the following conditions...

- You run the compressor for roughly one minute intervals or less (if you have to inflate all four tires, go to gas station or use the direct battery type connector.

- You FIRST check your wiring after running your compressor for two minutes for its temperature to see if it is overheating. Automotive wiring temperature rating ranges from 80C-125C depending on type.

- You check the rating on the accessory plug for its rating and upsize if it needed.

You document the change and put the 10A back if you sell the car.

[rspi]

Not sure what my pump draws but it has blown a couple of fuses in its power cord connector. I use it all the time but it is small.

As for the attitude, I don't expect professional responses most of the time or to be taken kindly on my first few post on most sites. I usually get brushed off with no response. It usually takes a few rude responses from a user to get my attention. I get into it with people from time to time but by far I just ignore them.

Most people that reply on these sites use them as their hobby and are very helpful. Some don't have a life and come because they can post comments that they would never say while face to face to someone. Then there are the few that come to try to make themselves feel smart. At any rate, on an open forum, it's a community of people with no faces or accountability. Expect for some to be less than helpful and when you don't get the response you expect blow it off.

The point that usually helps me the most is... if their user name doesn't have the word MODERATOR next to it, or the user doesn't have in excess of 1,000 post, don't let anything they post effect you. Take them with a grain of salt. (This is not to say that they don't know their stuff, just saying I don't see them as a representative of the community).

[cn90]

Back to the original question, I have a 12V air compressor that has been sitting in my garage for 20 years because, well, I hate it and have not been using it for 20 years! It is slow and consumes a lot of juice out of the battery, so you need to run the engine while using it.

As I already mentioned...

For those who don't have a house and are currently renting an apartment, a pancake air compressor will last for years, reasonably powerful. You simply "charge" inside the home to let's say 100 psi. Then unplug and bring the pancake air compressor (which is very light, about 20 lbs or so) to the street to inflate your car tire.

On long trip, the double-barrel foot pump is a hidden gem. You get 1 psi for every 10 strokes using your foot. It is much quicker than you think, 10 strokes take about 5 seconds to do. And the best part is: you get a good workout lol...
On the same topic, I always check my spare tire twice a year. Carry tire-repair it in the trunk and the double-barrel foot pump, which you will need if you have 2 flat tires at the same time!

[difflock54]

Given that Volvo has produced models such as my V40 (as I mentioned above) that is 'owner manual' specified to take a 20 amp fuse it may be possible to upsize the fuse safely, especially if the wiring size and configuration is similar?
Why not simply approach a qualified auto electrician experienced in Volvo electrics for an opinion and advise on any upgrade in fuse size safe for your model?
10 amp seems ridiculously low for the purposes a cig lighter/accessory outlet is expected to provide.

[precopster]

I'm going to stop using my cigarette lighter and just wire this unit under the passenger seat or near the rear battery and hard-wire it to the battery on my XC '01. I have so may AC chargers that run from 100-240V @ 50-60Hz to use and now my US based 110V (200W Wahler) will be replaced with this and a good power board.

I can run my Dremmel and even a 550W power drill as well as various AC compressors and tools.

I'm not in a flood region and my heater core is new so pretty safe from electrical shock.

[QuirkySwede]

Why not simply approach a qualified auto electrician experienced in Volvo electrics for an opinion and advise on any upgrade in fuse size safe for your model? 10 amp seems ridiculously low for the purposes a cig lighter/accessory outlet is expected to provide.

Agreed to have someone look up the circuit (gauge for the wiring for the full circuit and possibly connectors) if you're not going to do it yourself. At one point cigarette lighters were used just for, well, cigarette lighters. If Volvo made a change to the fuse rating, it stands to reason they went to a larger gauge at the same time for a company that prides itself on safety. S40 and 850 are different models with different harnesses.

Upping a fuse is like asking some other part of the circuit to fail first.

You document the change and put the 10A back if you sell the car.

I've run into scenarios where the someone ran a wire above it's ampacity* for a while or continuously (e.g. higher wattage bulbs), sometimes the owner, other times the previous owner (who didn't tell the new one). The failure was not sudden, but slowly melted the insulation until the conductor grounded out. If by "document" you mean tell the next owner, that's one thing, but if you mean just for your records so you know to switch it back so a prospective buyer is none the wiser and greeted with smoke or worse from the dash when they use it, well...

* immediate or progressive deterioration

[difflock54]

I fully agree with you QuirkySwede.
I definately do not recommend any fuse upsize unless its confirmed by a qualified, Volvo knowledgeable auto electrician.
It is good news to me to know mine is manufacturer set up for higher loads to service accessories as I use a multi outlet (x3) adaptor in my Cig' outlet also at times.
The fuse in each accessory end plug are all individually rated much lower than 20amp of course.

[BEJinFbk]

abscate - Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm sticking with my original statement:
Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, EVER upsize a fuse!
Regardless of any best intentions - Life Happens, Mistakes are Made and Feces Occurs.

I hear what you're saying, but I've dealt with too much melted harness to agree that it's worth it.
Overstepping factory design is a slippery slope and many owners simply wouldn't follow through
with the precautions that you've outlined. IMHO, It's just not a good idea to suggest it's "possible".
( Although, I have to admit, it's always fun to get out the IR thermometer
or go borrow a thermograph and play "Fun with Thermodynamics!" ).

In the time it would take to run through all of the work arounds that you've suggested,
a guy could just tag into the Accessory Connector with a fuse holder and an output
connector ( HD cig light jack, large gauge two pin molded, CPC, Whatever...) and
have something that's truly rated for the current and never be concerned again.

If you need to use higher draw accessories, just provide adequate infrastructure.
And Volvo really does make it MUCH easier than most. With the P80's underdash
Accessory Connector, the factory gives you 30+ amps and some other good stuff
Right There above your left foot! It's too cool not to take advantage of.

Here's what you'll need to make use of the Accessory Connector in an 850:

96 850 AccConn Diagram.pdf

(267.12 KiB) Downloaded 218 times

96 850 AccConn Locations.pdf

(471.58 KiB) Downloaded 555 times

96 850 Fuse Legend.pdf

(199.35 KiB) Downloaded 178 times

At the AccConn, you have access to:

Constant - 30 amps
Switched - 10 amps
HighBeam - Low current ( Example : for a relay coil ).
Rheostat - Very low current output from the dash dimmer.
Ground - Current unknown. Suggest picking up a chassis ground for large loads.

If you require a switched output for loads greater than 10 amps,
a relay can be used to switch the available 30 amp constant supply.

A correctly rated fuse for any drops from the AccConn should Always be installed.

I hope this helps - Stay Safe!

[difflock54]

I just noted on that fuse legend file that the cigarette lighter is shown rated at 15amp ?
Item 30 on the list.

item. 35 is for the cigarette lighter illumination and is rated at 10 amps.

[jimmy57]

Simply put: the largest fuse you can put in a circuit is limited by the smallest wire in that circuit. I have no idea if the total circuit protected by the lighter fuse is capable of 15A without a real risk of melting wire insulation somewhere before opening a 15A fuse.
I have one of the battery clip lighter socket adapter things and my Viair compressor works much better attached there compared to plugging it into the rear power outlet or cig lighter in my 2004 P2 wagon that has the larger fused circuits.
The voltage drop to those lighter sockets apparently knocks the current down enough that I can tell my compressor is laboring.