Civic EG

Hello all,

A friend got me a Rally Heater Fan (Link) since my defrosters don't work too well (haven't troubleshot that yet).

First, does anyone have any faith in an item such as this? If it's a waste of money, I'll just return it and thank them for the thought.

Second, and the main reason for the post - what is the amperage/voltage available in a stock 1992 hatch cigarette lighter? The heater says it needs 12V/20A, and I don't want to blow anything if I decide to use it.

Any help is much appreciated

Everything in the car is 12V DC, except for the few things that are AC that you don't need to worry about.

Check the rating of the fuse for the cig lighter.

Hey Suspended - thank you for the information. I thought about checking the fuse, thanks for confirming that as a place to verify the amperage.

Cheers

I gave the fuse box a look-see today, and the cigarette lighter and radio are on the same line, which is rated for 15A.

Without knowing much about the whole electrical process, I would suppose that if the defroster draws a full 20A while running (and my radio is on) that I stand a fair chance of blowing the fuse? Or is there any kind of headroom, so to speak, where I could get away with a supposed 20A draw on a 15A line?

I really need to start learning more about wiring...

Run an inline fuse holder from the constant 12v option output on the under-dash fuse box, using 14 or 12 gauge wire, to the cigarette lighter replacing the original wire. Then replace the cig lighters ground with the same gauge wire. Use a 25A fuse.

Thanks, Suspended. That makes sense to me, will just be a matter of doing it