Operation

Battery voltage is applied at all times to the cigar lighter through a 20 amp (LIGHTER) fuse (located in the instrument panel fuse block). When the cigar lighter knob assembly is fully seated, it closes a switch which allows current to flow through the heating element. Current flows through the circuit to the winding inside the cigar lighter, to the lighter shell, to ground. Once the element reaches its heating temperature, a bi-metal latch releases and opens the switch, current stops flowing and the knob assembly will return to its original position.