Lighter has been dead since I bought the car. I checked fuses, all good. Is there an inline fuse for this? Does anyone know where the power from this comes from? Any advice appreciated.

I need the plug for cell phone charging, etc.

The car is an '83 300sd.

I'm not sure about an SD, but on a 123, the ash tray can be removed and the frame that holds the ash tray in has electrical contacts on it to power the lighter. On mine, these contacts were unplugged. The frame is removed by removing two screws and there is a plug on the left side behind the frame that gives power to the contacts.

Hope this helps.

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1985 300TD-euro 352,000 mi
1974 240D (1?)52,000 mi - has a new home now

Same thing happend to mine. Figure the PO knocked the spade plug off while rewiring for an aftermarket radio. The little ash tray light even worked when I reconnected the lead .

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'83 300DTurbo http://badges.fuelly.com/images/smallsig-us/318559.png

Broadband: more lies faster.

X3

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

I thought mine was dead too...then I found that the contacts on the left side of tray need to be "massaged" by rotating the tray in/out/in/out a few times to "clean up" the contacts...

AAMOF, when I first started the procedure, I had the lighter pressed in and the contacts "sparked" a bit...pulled the lighter out a little, then finished the procedure...everything works fine now...I use the lighter socket for my GPS unit while I'm traveling...

Good luck...

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M. G. Burg
'10 - Dakota SXT - Daily Ride / ≈ 172.5K
.'76 - 450SLC - 107.024.12 / < .89.20 K
..'77 - 280E - 123.033.12 / > 128.20 K
...'67 - El Camino - 283ci / > 207.00 K
....'75 - Yamaha - 650XS / < 21.00 K
.....'87 - G20 Sportvan / > 206.00 K
......'85 - 4WINNS 160 I.O. / 140hp
.......'74 - Honda CT70 / Real 125
.
“I didn’t really say everything I said.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ Yogi Berra ~

I do not smoke, ny car does instead....

Actually, the lighter element is missing. I would like to get a replacement though.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

on my sd the only one that works is the rear passenger side socket. My friend has the same problem.

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1981 300SD 512k OM603

there is a two prong spade connector in the back of the ashtray. Remove the inset of the tray, and beneath it you'll find two phillips head screws. Remove those and slide the whole tray out. Tighten up the connector, reinsert the light, and reverse the procedure.
sliding the ashtray out will pull off the connector if it isn't tight enough.

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'79 300D, Ivory "Gunther" ......going
'81 300SD, Metallic Blue Silver, The Grey Ghost.....going
'87 300D Turbo ...gone
'05 CDI.... gone

After you fix the wiring, be aware the lighter only gets power with the ignition switch on (MB design). If you want to charge the phone while parked, you'll need to do some wiring modifications.

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Charles
1983 300D, bought new, 215k+ miles, donated to Purple Hearts veterans charity but I have parts for sale: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=296386

Plug was in and there is no power even with key turned on. The fuse has power. Is there a junction box or something that this goes into?
I tried following the wire but it goes into a bundle.

Do you have a volt meter? Can you check for voltage at the power wire using a different ground? You might have a bad ground somewhere along the way.

If the hot wire is hot leaving the fuse box and not hot at the ash tray, at that point it would be easier to run another wire from the battery with an in-line fuse to the connector on the back of the ash tray. Then you get power all the time While you're at it, you can run a new ground to make sure you'll get a complete circuit.

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1985 300TD-euro 352,000 mi
1974 240D (1?)52,000 mi - has a new home now

I was thinking of replacing my ash tray with two or three cigar lighter sockets to power some of the many things I carry around like GPS, cell phones, etc. The lighter in my 300TD works, but the two that are in my SEC do not.

Any idea how many of these sockets that circuit could power? I probably would not have them all on at the sametime, but I'd like to leave them plugged in. Has anybody ever put one of these inside the glove box or somewhere else out of sight?

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

best bet is to run a separate fused lead for them, then you dont need to worry about straining the old factory wiring.

I ran a 10Ga power wire back to the spare tire well to power the reverse light relay, and also it powers a cigarette lighter plug back there, so I can charge stuff in the back, or run an inverter, and the kids can run the DVD player w/out cords running up to the front.

I also have a second outlet up front which is always powered. I mounted it to the pass.. side of the tunnel. maybe not purdy enough for some folks, but it works great for me. this is something I have done on all my cars for a long time.

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

I have used a voltmeter and there is no power at the plug. I'll probably just run a new fused wire to it. It's just strange that there is power at the fuse and not at the plug. The wire is bundled under the dash so you wouldn't think it would break.
Maybe I'll just tap into the emergency blinker switch.

No idea what the max is, but I have what amounts to a cigarette lighter power strip plugged into mine. 3 lighter plugs plus a USB plug for iPod charging. Normally I run the GPS in #1, the satellite radio in #2, and the FM transmitter for iPod/sat r. in #3. Alternately, the GPS gets unplugged (or the radio) to make room for the radar detector. I think I checked the amp ratings on all of those devices one time and decided that none of them would overload the circuit.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL