|
|
Doesn't turn on??
Today my escort 8500 x50 red was working fine as i drove to
school, but when i hooked it up in the car planning to drive home from
school, it never powered up. I plugged in my GPS recharger into the
lighter socket, and it worked fine. I tried restarting the car, and stuff
but it still didnt work. Is it the wire that is screwed up, or the detector?
Check the fuse for the cigarette lighter plug for the passport. Are you using the smart cord?
how do I check the fuse? and its the default cord that came with the detector.
you have to take out the screws that holds the piece together to replace the fuse.Originally Posted by Integral
does that look normal>?
The Fuse
Simple checks you can do is look at the plug part you push into the lighter socket for the detector. I sometimes drive a variety of different company vehicles in our fleet at work and find some of them have crappy lighter sockets and I physically have to twist and turn the plug around in the lighter socket to find a position that works. Make sure the end of your detector plug (the part that plugs into the lighter socket) is clean and shiny, and able to make a good connection in the socket. It makes a positive and a negative connection. It does this by one connection on the very tip or end of it, the other connection are the spring loaded looking pieces of metal on its sides. Both of these need to make good contact with the inside of your lighter socket to work. Make sure it feels tight when plugged in, if it feels loose you may have to disconnect your battery and get in there with a small flat screw driver and do some bending to make a tighter and good connection.
Make sure you don't have any dirt build up in the side of your detector where the power cord plugs in as well, on the metal parts (the plastic doesn't matter). Just a simple visual inspection with a little bit of common sense may solve your problem, rubbing alcohol works good enough as a cleaning solvent.
Other than this you'd need a voltage meter to be able to determine if the problem was in the cord or the detector yourself by plugging the cord in and checking for voltage at the other end of it. There's no way you can just look at it without a meter and know at that point if the problem is in one or the other.
The power cord and plug on either end of it would have a higher probability of being the point of failure, but a guess is good for nothing as to the problem being in the detector or the cord, only a meter can tell you this, unless you feel like touching your tongue on the end of the power cord and see if it shocks the crap out of you. Then you'd know the detector was the problem, you'd probably want to see a doctor for your burnt tongue, and you'd likely then have to worry about that fuse which the short across your tongue would likely then cause to blow.
This was the best hurried link I could find for you that shows what the lighter socket looks and works like electrically...
http://www.appropedia.org/Car_socket_12_volt
It's probably hard for you to tell in that bottom drawing, but the metal tip on the end of your lighter plug makes the 12 volt DC Positive (+) connection. The metal springy pieces on the side are for the 12 volt DC negative (-) or ground connection. Inside your lighter socket if you look carefully at it long enough and apply a minor degree of common sense you'll see what these parts have to make contact with for it to work.
smart cord
Also, the smart cord is covered under escorts warranty. They are very good about sending you a replacement. If you do it, do it before 2/1/08. They are having a price increase which is supposed to be "across the board".
Did you accidentally turn the wheel on the side of the detector and turn it off? Check that.
Re: smart cord
Thanks for the replies everyone. I've called escort and they told me to send them the proof of purchase, and then they will send me the cord.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks