What’s the deal here (2007 Chrysler Town and Country)? The power outlet in the center console quit. There’s no voltage coming to the wires connected to it. The under-hood fuse is fine, and the rear power outlet works. I usually have that fuse in the place where it is powered only with ignition on. I
moved it to the other, always-powered position, and the power outlet still gets no power.The owners manual and Haynes manual give the above description of the circuit. That sure piques my DIY interest! Haynes mentions “fuses, relays and circuit breakers in various locations under the dash.”
Seriously, can only a dealer turn the power back on? Where is the mysterious “self resetting fuse” for the 12V power outlet, and how can I make it reset itself?
That TIPM issue seems to be for 2010 and newer Chrysler vehicles with engines different from mine. The problem in my 2007 van seems to be the “self resetting fuse” mentioned in my owners manual and the Haynes manual for 2003-2007 Chrysler minivans. My questions are: where is that “fuse” and how can I fix it without taking it to an authorized dealer?
From the 2007 Chrysler Town and Country owners manual:
"The Heated Mirrors, Lower Instrument Panel Power Outlet and Removable Floor Console... are fused with self-resetting fuses that are only serviceable by an authorized dealer. The power seats are fused by a 30 Amp circuit breaker located under the driver's seat. The Power Windows are fused by a 25 Amp circuit breaker located under the instrument panel near the steering column. If you experience temporary or permanent loss of these systems see your authorized dealer for service."
It doesn’t say where the “self-resetting fuse” for the power outlet is located.
Haynes says"… there are a number of fuses, relays and circuit breakers in various locations under the dash."
Anyone know where it is, and how it can be reset without going to an authorized dealer?
I’d be curious if you could get to the wiring connection at the back of the power outlet and tested whether there was power there. If the connection was faulty or the outlet had somehow failed, you would have an answer to your problem. This could be a wiring problem or a connection problem rather than a circuit breaker or fuse problem.
Automatic reset circuit breakers are not new to automobiles. But hiding them from the car owners is a real problem. And getting a complete and detailed wiring diagram on an automobile is becoming difficult. While class action lawsuits are mostly “lawyer lottos” I would throw my name into such a lawsuit if faced with such an outrageous situation.
Through the mid 90s I found that Mitchell Manuals offered the best wiring diagrams on late model cars and trucks but the company went the digital route with Mitchell on Demand. It’s been several years since I last used MOD but it was a good source then. I am not aware of any DIY data from Mitchell. A shop that specialized in eletrical work would likely have access to wiring diagrams and location diagrams. At this point professional help appears necessary.
The power outlet circuit is protected by a PTC device. This is a solid state type circuit protector and should return to normal after the short is corrected and the PTC cools.
PTCs increase resistance as temperature increases due to increased flow. Designed to limit unsafe currents while allowing constant safe current levels, resistance will “reset” automatically when the fault is removed and temperature returns to a safe levels.
If you have the removable center console check the socket inside for debris (coins). Also remove the console and inspect the contacts in the floor.
I would suspect the circuit breaker is inside the power distribution panel under the hood. For locating things like this there is no better source of information than the factory service manuals. You can find them usually on Ebay for a reasonable price, besides the normal outlets for the manuals.
You could simply run in another fuse protected hot lead from the under-hood junction box to the power socket…Disconnect the faulty hot lead so as not to back-feed it…
It turned out to a blown fuse right there n the under-hood fuse box. It was labeled IP IGN.
Time will tell if it will blow again. That seems to be a common problem when plugging in or unplugging something from these power outlet / cigar lighters. I have been using a Coleman 12V cooler, sometimes plugging it in to this outlet that runs only with ignition on, and a secondary one I installed it under it, always hot.
I would assume a 12 volt cooler would draw a fair amount of current so that may have been the cause of the blown fuse.
You might look at the tag on the unit or the pamphlet and see how much current it’s pulling.
I vaguely (very vaguely) seem to recall someone a number of years ago who was having trouble with blown fuses and it was due to a portable coffee maker. I looked up that coffeemaker online and it was drawing a lot of juice according to the specs.
The cooler in question probably uses a Peltier solid-state cooling unit and not a compressor like a ‘normal’ refrigerator. Pretty much just that and one or two small fans. So it probably isn’t really pulling that much current I would guess.
Thermoelectric coolers run in the range of 4-8A @12Vdc depending on the size and features. Perhaps there are other appliances hanging off this same power bus??
Or maybe it IS a conventional fridge- conjures up images of the cars with the window air conditioners duct taped in the passenger door
Yes, it’s a thermoelectric cooler designed for use in cars and doesn’t draw anywhere near the 20A the circuit can supply - unless there’s something wrong with it. So far so good. I have sometimes run the battery down by leaving the cooler running all night, so it is a significant power draw. I have a 110V - 12V converter I use sometimes.
I think when plugging in and unplugging these things there is sometimes a very brief short circuit and that’s what blew the fuse.
I still wonder about the location of the “self-resetting fuses only serviceable by an authorized dealer” as described in the manual and in Haynes. One may be built into the socket itself - a blue fitting that the wires plug into. But in this case it was a simple matter of a fuse right there in the fuse box that blew - albeit one with a cryptic name, and that did not quite match up with the circuit diagrams I had.
Lesson: check the fuses, all the fuses, before delving further into electrical problems.
The cigar lighter is powered by fuse #5 in the IPM (Integrated power module), that information is in the owners manual.
The power outlet below the cigar lighter is powered by PTC #7 (13Amp) also located in the IPM, I’m don’t know if it is visible by removing the cover on the box.
