Make Your Own Reliable 12v Cooler

i don't think you need to worry about gett the same rating fan. as long as it's 12v that's all that matters. unless there's some type of power supply in the cooler or something.

as for direction of fan. the wires can hook up either way. the fan will still work. just in opposite direction. it's not gonna blow.

radiator fan out of a car, or even the fuel pump. or a simple light bulb. they all work whatever way the polarity. just the opposite direction. cept the light. it lights up either way.

 

I also had problem w/melting plug ends. I found issue with two things. FIRST, the 12v receptacle and plug where never designed for continuous use, at least not for the higher amp requirements. The SECOND makes the first obvious, use a magnet to verify that most (not all) plug ends and receptacles/sockets are magnetic, hence made of steel. This is where the problem lies, the high resistance/low conductivity of steel causes excessive heat and melting plastic and then shorting circuits. http://www.bluesea.com/articles/108 this link (easy to comprehend) shows that copper is the standard by which other materials are measured against. Copper then at 100% conductivity and steel at 5-15%. ie, steel is a very very poor choice for an electrical conductor. It is used though because it does work, (at least for most of our needs, cell phone chargers etc.) and is much less costly than copper. Even my 12v lunch box style heater/oven works, but I only use it for up to about 45 minutes, by which time the plug is so hot it is hard to get unplugged. I went shopping for receptacles/sockets with magnet in hand ......failed to find non magnetic, quality replacement sockets or plug ends. They may be available online, I guess I just gave up. After melting your 12v plug ......eliminate the steel hardware and hook your cooler up direct, (temporarily) I too used spade terminals, but had to file them to fit into the cig. lighter plug, I let it hang out of the dash so I could moniter it while driving......NO MORE HEAT, problem solved. Have fun....drive safe... Oh, and trust in JESUS.