3.2 Cigarette Lighter electrical question
 

I know very little about electrical issues and I need some expert advice: I was using a cigarette lighter volt meter with a homemade extension on the tip (to compensate for the depth of the cigarette lighter plug) when I slipped and the extension made contact with the interior metal sides of the lighter plug in some manner. It sparked and now the lighter and the fresh air blower (on the same fuse) are dead. However, when I went to check the fuse (which appears to be number 8 on the diagram) I do not find a blown fuse. In fact none of the fuses are blown - everything looks good.

The Car is an '88 3.2.

What did I do when I created the sparks and how do I troubleshoot and repair the circuit?

Do you still have the old style fuses? Sometimes it can be difficult to see where the strip melted. Replace it anyway and see if functions return. Anytime you have strange electrical problems, replace the fuses.

While you're at it, replace ALL the fuses, if they are 10 years old or more--or you don't have a clue how old they are. The metal strips on the fuse get old and corroded and distorted and eventually crack from temperature cycles, and if you don't wiggle them, you won't even see that they have cracked. Over on the MercedesList, we call that "The Marshall Plan" after our departed dear friend who originated it. MB also used those crappy fuses up until the 1990 or so.

Report back whether that fixed your problem.

And when you replace them all, buy some ceramic core and copper contact fuses. They are not carried on Pelican last I asked, and not at your local parts store. Most of the aftermarket ones are plastic cores, and junk.

Do a search for ceramic core bullet fuses. Or go to a VW or Mercedes dealership with a good parts department. Cheapest option is buy on-line. Likely a kit that will have a lifetime supply.

Thanks to you both. They are the old style fuses with plastic cores and on closer inspection the fuse had blown, which is good, because I was at a loss for any other explanation. I keep spares, so replacement was easy enough. I will look for ceramic core fuses now that I need to restock my supply. Much appreciation for this community and the help!

...or swap the whole fuse panel for a Classic Retrofit one, and use the new style fuses (plug-in).