do i REALLY have to go to a mechanic

I recently purchased an ipod receiver/charger for my stratus. for the
past few months, my pioneer stereo/cd player has been acting up
sometimes it would work sometimes it wouldn't. i diagnosed that
problem as an internal connection malfunction between the body of the
stereo and the detachable faceplate. the stereo worked, so i plugged
the ipod receiver into the cigarette lighter, just as the manufacturer
instructed. somehow, the lighter shaft came loose and caused the
receiver to turn counter clockwise until it hit the cupholder. i
removed the panelling to try to tighten the shaft, but when i
unplugged the wire from the back of the hotplate of the lighter, there
was a spark and a puff of smoke. i did blow a fuse, and replacing the
fuse only caused it to blow immediately again. all websites i checked
said to go to a mechanic for electrical work, but its just the
cigarette lighter and the horn. is this something that i can fix
myself without being an electrician, or am i overstepping my boundary
as a diy-er. if i replace the fuse without plugging the lighter back
in, the horn works fine and no blown fuses. is this possible?

 

I am afraid you won't like the answer I am about to give you...

since you have already displayed your inexperience by working on electrical
components of your vehicle without disconnecting the battery, you should
*MOST DEFINITELY* take your car to a reputable mechanic.

Since you apparently have very little knowledge and experience with working
in the dash, you will most definitely do more harm than good.

Honu

 

I do work such as you are tackling, but I'm an electronics/electrical
trained person.
From your discussion I suggest you see a mechanic with electrical
training, else you may cause more serious damage.

 

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HTH.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

thanks for responding so quickly, i was afraid of that answer, too,
but i guess i realize the outcome was inevitable... thanks again

 

A reputable auto-electric place should be your best bet, lower labor rates
and quicker diagnosis.

 

Of course you can fix it yourself. Direct current is as simple as it can
be, and honestly, mechanics don't like to work on that kind of stuff anyway.

 

I don't agree with him, but I'm better at it than a reputable mechanic, so
that figures into my thinking. I would much rather fix it myself than have
some reputable mechanic screw it up for $80 an hour.