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amperage rating (fuse?) for power port/cigarette lighter

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by plunk10, Mar 8, 2017.

  1. plunk10

    plunk10 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2016
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    Location:
    East coast
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Curious what the fuse is rated at for the power ports in the front and back. I don't have an owners manual, and don't want to guess which fuse covers the 2 power ports in the car. I have a 2013 Prius v Five.

    Looking to buy a portable air compressor, mainly for my truck, but I want it to also work on the Prius without blowing the fuse. From what I'm reading on the internet, the older Prius (non-v) only has a 10 amp fuse.

    Thanks!
     
  2. tanasit

    tanasit Member

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2012
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    Location:
    Philadelphia
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    First, it is not a good idea to connect the air compressor to the power port (cigarette lighter), in most case you will blow the fuse as I did several times.
    It is 15 amp stock but I replaced them with 30 Amp now.
    I connect directly to the 12 V battery terminal in stead.
     
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV


    Isn't there a blue/white label on the inside of your power port cover flap, giving a power maximum? If it says 120 watts, that works out to 10 amps at 12 volts. If you have two power ports, they are probably fused separately.

    Replacing the fuse with a larger one as tanasit did is not a good idea. My dad once bought a used car where the previous owner had done that, and then left it to me to find why a bunch of stuff didn't work. I ended up pulling the carpet and finding the whole length of wire harness from dash to trunk melted into one stiff stick. Wondered why, then found the 30 amp fuse the previous owner had installed in place of a 15.

    When I pulled that old wire harness out of the car and bent it, little flakes of all the different happy insulation colors sifted down onto the driveway.

    You can get compressorinflators that will run in a 10 amp budget, but you'll fall asleep waiting for them to inflate a tire.

    An option is to get a higher-capacity compressor and wire it in. But you want to carry yours between the Prius and the truck.

    You could take the same idea, and add a circuit with adequate fuse and wire sizing, terminated with, say, 30 amp Powerpole connectors, do the same in the truck, and on the end of the compressor cord, and then you're set.

    -Chap