Well Hello

[WhiteGhostII]

Hello, this is my 1st post but I have been a long time lurker ever since I got my 08 Aura.

A little back story. Over the summer it was decided that my 92 Grand Prix SE needed to be put to rest after many faithful years in my family. Random tidbit and backstory on my username, it was called the white ghost out of irony because it was white but not very quiet or sneaky like you would expect a ghost to be. So it was replaced with a white 2008 Aura which oddly enough is deserving of the title. Honestly when I first started it I didn't realize it was running right away. I got the car at 62,xxx miles which is pretty high for an 08, which we are chalking up to the fact that it must have been a salesmans car. The car itself looks new and is pristine. It now has a little over 64,000 on it and I am working on outfitting it with lights and sirens for firefighting. This is when I hit a snag.

My cigarette lighters no longer work. I think they must have shorted out or blown a fuse some how. I would check the owners manual for a fuse layout but the car did not come with one, could someone scan the page for me or lead me to an online resource? If this is not the issue could anyone think of some other ways to trouble shoot?

[Phaeton Driver]

WELCOME
I don't have my manula with me at the moment but can tell you there is a fuse panel in the engine compartment next to the battery and one in the trunk drivers side just behind the wheel well. The power for the acc plug should be under the hood. It is probably one of the large ones that look like relays.

Lights and sirens?
Are you a volunteer fireman?

[gregh2000]

There is also a fuse box by the passenger's feet. There are 3 fuse boxes. Try this link for the manual.

http://content.gmownercenter.yahoo.c...ura_owners.pdf

If that doesn't work you can register on the gm owner center site and get it there.

[Phaeton Driver]

Originally Posted by gregh2000

There is also a fuse box by the passenger's feet. There are 3 fuse boxes. Try this link for the manual.

http://content.gmownercenter.yahoo.c...ura_owners.pdf

If that doesn't work you can register on the gm owner center site and get it there.

Really, by the passengers feet? I didn't know that.
Thanks

[gregh2000]

If you are wiring in extra lights and stuff I have read that there is a switched power wire behind the fuse panel in the trunk. People say you have to take the panel off to get to it though. Not sure what you are trying to do I just know most wires are hot all the time and the gm lan thing turns stuff on and off as needed. I guess you could tap the sunroof or power seat circuits too, lol. Just depends on if you are going to run a cable to the battery and use a relay to turn stuff on and off or if you are wiring it to that circuit.

[gregh2000]

Yeah the passenger feet one is on the center console side you have to rip the panel off, it is held on by super strong velcro and some metal clips. In there is where the car's computer is at too.

[Badman]

Well check the fuse but I would also check to see if it plugged in. example when I took out my radio to install the iSimple for ipod control, upon reassembling the dash I forgot to plug the dc outlet back in. so I had to use the one in the center console until I got off my butt to take the shifter trim back apart to plug in back in. or it could be the fuse.

[WhiteGhostII]

I have a siren and a light that I need to use teh cigarette lighters for at the moment. Eventually I will be wiring the siren to a switch of the car's wiring, along with LED lights hooked up to a wigwag module as soon as I have the time to map it out and go buy the lights i want

Yes I am a volunteer firefighter in Ohio, hoping to make part time in my department

[svenster]

Fuse 20 in the trunk.

[Phaeton Driver]

Originally Posted by svenster

Fuse 20 in the trunk.

That's DUMB!
Run power to the trunk to power a power outlet in the dash. Dumbest place in the car to put that fuse.
I'm not saying Svenster is wrong, it probably is where the idiots at GM engineering put it, it's just plain stupid.

[AuraDrvr89]

Welcome to the site! Good luck with your high-mileage Aura. I'm sure it will be a great car! Good luck, and enjoy!

[oachalon]

phaeton, its not just a gm thing. A lot of manufacturers put all the accessories on a seperate fuse box in the trunk. There is usually a fuse box under hood for engine and powertrain, abs, fuse panel in dash or console for bcm and main interior items, and then panel in trunk for accessories (amplifiers, powered seats, 12v accessory, etc).

As an electrical engineer it makes sense to me and actually probably cheaper in the long run. 3 smaller fuse boxes is probably cheaper than 1 big one and you can run wiring a little differently and save money. So many electronics in cars these days that one fuse box doesnt cover it.

[Phaeton Driver]

Originally Posted by oachalon

phaeton, its not just a gm thing. A lot of manufacturers put all the accessories on a seperate fuse box in the trunk. There is usually a fuse box under hood for engine and powertrain, abs, fuse panel in dash or console for bcm and main interior items, and then panel in trunk for accessories (amplifiers, powered seats, 12v accessory, etc).

As an electrical engineer it makes sense to me and actually probably cheaper in the long run. 3 smaller fuse boxes is probably cheaper than 1 big one and you can run wiring a little differently and save money. So many electronics in cars these days that one fuse box doesnt cover it.

I am an electronics engineer and it makes no sense to me to run the heavy gauge wires all the way from the battery to the trunk to a fuse panel then run heavy gauge wiring back to the dashboard to power a heavy draw power plug. 20 amps @ 13.8V is a lot. Any time you have a high power requirement, you should keep the leads as large as possible and as short as possible to reduce line losses.

So one engineers idea to simplify one thing is in opposition to another engineers need to keep power loses at a minimum. I guess wire is still cheap.

[oachalon]

I agree with you in some ways, the thicker and shorter the wire the less loss you have and the less chance of a problem, but the back fuse panel is not just running the power adapters. I have not the seen the schematic for the wiring, but you can save wire by putting the fuse panel back there. i am pretty sure gm runs the taillights, backup lights, trunk release, redefrost, xm, keyless entry, amplifier, etc off of the back fuse panel which is all in the rear, so you have decreased wire lengths. I also noticed that the fuel pump runs off of it. GM would already need to run a decent awg wire back there for the fuel pump, so why not put a little thicker gauge wire to a fuse panel in the back to run the accessories and decrease cost. In the end they probably decreased the copper used and the cost.

The single thicker gauge wire to the fuse box could possibly be cheaper than the 30 smaller awg wires they would have needed to run in the back for all of those items.

I know when pricing out wiring harnesses, the smaller awg wire in some ways can be more expensive. This setup is simplified to me.

Car companies are always looking to save money, so my guess was it was more cost effective to run it this way.

You are correct on one engineers way to do something is a completely different way than another engineers. Thats why when you put us together we can usually get some pretty amazing things done, or you get a bunch of a**hole engineers yelling at each other.

[WhiteGhostII]

Originally Posted by svenster

Fuse 20 in the trunk.

Thank you very much!!

[WhiteGhostII]

Update, checked fuse 20 it was clearly broken. Now when it comes to wiring in extra lights, mainly LED's and a Siren where is a good sport ot hook them up and ground them. The LED's will be going to a wig-wag module then to a switch, and the siren will be run on a switch as well. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Phaeton Driver]

Originally Posted by WhiteGhostII

Update, checked fuse 20 it was clearly broken. Now when it comes to wiring in extra lights, mainly LED's and a Siren where is a good sport ot hook them up and ground them. The LED's will be going to a wig-wag module then to a switch, and the siren will be run on a switch as well. Any advice would be appreciated.

I would be looking at the Molex connectors in the center console area under the radio. Using a multi-meter you should be able to find a larrge (heavy gauge) wire in there. Use a Crimp-on wire splice to tape the power. I would probably look for that leed that goes to the accessory plug as it should be HOT all the time. I would also add an inline fuse holder at the splice to protect everything else from your equipment. Also find a good chassis ground as close as possible to your equipment module to minimize any circuit noise on the power line that might mess with the computers. You might want to consider a LINE FILTER to block any noise on the power lead.

Some alternating switching circuitry can generate high, short durration, voltage spikes back on the power lead and this can reek havok with computers.