Earth cable going to cigarette lighter

[UKPhilTR7]

Earth cable going to cigarette lighter

I am in the process of replacing my cigerette lighter to a nice smaller green one. So as a result it has two leads going to the bulb, a live and an earth. So with the earth that is currently connected to the old lighter case, there are two earth cables going into one female connector (as below).

I was thinking of taking the two earths out of the old female connector and using one for the new lighter and one for the new lighter buld.

Is there any reason why I should not split the two earths up or is this actually a split in one earth cable itself?

[jimbray]

hi the reason they used two earth cables instead of one is probably down to cost (thicker the cable the higher the cost) .i would leave the two on cigar lighter and splice into any other earth cable for illumination earth.
p.s the current required by the cigar lighter is quite high hence the two cables.
hope this make sense
Jim

[sonscar]

The spliced cable could also be daisy chained to somewhere else so splitting it may remove the earth from another component,but maybe not.Be careful as electric is sometimes good at finding it's own way with poor results.Steve.

[jimbray]

i never said remove any other earth cable i said splice or ( connect) into any earth cable.

[Howard_B]

I am certain that the two black earth cables are not required to take the current because the supply to the lighter is a single wire. I believe that it is used a a suitable location to joint two earth wires together.

[jimbray]

both the black cables are required,if you look closely at the original photo you can see one is thicker than the other the thin cable is negative (earth) from another circuit probably the panel lights on centre consul, it gets its earth through the larger cable.leave both black cables as they are and connect earth for bulb to any earth cable convenient, including the two above.BUT make sure the original black cables are still connected together. Hope this helps i have tried to put it into layman's terms.
p.s. i have been an auto-electrician for over 30 years.
Jim

[UKPhilTR7]

Cheers guys, to be on the safe side it looks like it may be better to take an earth feed from another place for the lighter bulb, save anything happening to the lighter itself.