Rear defroster not working anymore

JohnS.

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A few months ago, I noticed my rear defroster wasn't working. I didn't think anything of it because I don't really need it but now with the snow, it's starting to become a necessity.

I checked the fuses / relays / whatever there was and nothing seemed wrong. Could it be the actual wires in the glass? I don't have a voltmeter or whatever to check current going through the wires but is there anything else I can check?
 

lewis_lsi

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they do say u shouldnt clean ur rear screen roughly coz it ruins the wiring inside. could be that, but they do take alot. maybe get the ECU hoocked up 2 a computer at a garage or somthing, i gota do the same this friday coz my heater fan aint working.
 


jon julian

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samething happening to me right now with the snow, turns out the wires got snipped before the Rear windshield. so im s**t outta luck.
 


JohnS.

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so the button lights up right?
Damn I haven't been on CC and actually replied to threads in FOREVER (other than off topic).

But yes the buttons light up. The little amber rectangle comes on when I push the button. It just doesn't do the "defrost" part.

I checked everything I could visually and nothing seems wrong.
 

str8venom99

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check the tabs on the rear window (where the grids get thick on the sides) sometimes they break off or come disconnected
 

Russ518

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I am hoping someone can help me with this problem also!...I have been sitting here for the last 2 or 3 days searching threads, trying to fing some sort of lead on what my prob might be!!??
I have a 2000 EX and the Rear defroster button lights up when i push it, but I hear no click from the relay, and I have no power to the connections on the glass! Fuse is good under dash #16 or 17,...both are ok,...the 30 amp under hood is good,........so I am stumped!...I also replaced the relay with no luck!...I am getting 12 volts on one of the terminals on the relay socket,...but when I press the button,.........nothing on the other 3 to trip it and send power to the grid!...........

does anyone have a full schematic of this harness so I can start tracing wires?........I dont seem to have a short,...cuz i am working with a powerprobe and it will show bad connections or grounded power circuits!
I am a noob on the forum,...but love my new Civvy,.........and as soon as I track this problem down I have a huge sound system ready to install,............but gotta fix the bugs first right?.............oh yeah,........my power mirrors dont work either!.........when i shoot power to them tho,.......they only seem to go in one direction......out........no in , up or , down!
if anyone can help me out, or have had a gremlin like this on the rear defrost wiring,.....PLEASE let me know!??
when I get her put back together,.I will start a build thread!.........LMAO
 

Russ518

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and yeah peeps,..I know this thread is ancient,...but this is how far back I have been searching for answers!!!...lol...............wanted to do a search before being a classic noob and bugging everyone!

but I am desperate now!!lol............so please,.if ya can,....help a brother out !......
Gonna be out in the garage trying to figure this out,..but will check back later,.........thanks in advance for any insight ya can give me!.............Russ
 

steve.21

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Mine does not work either because the previous owner put some crappy tint on the wrong way, so when i took it to the shop to have it taken off and good tint put on they said how they had to take the defroster wires off to get the tint off. So in short words, if the car has had tint taken off, the wires may have came off with the tint.
 

Russ518

New Member
I checked the grid with a multi meter and all the lines have continuity,..so I dont see that being the problem,...but thanks for the reply!..I have the next 4 days off for the holiday,...so I am gonna try and figure this out by then! I have almost the entire interior minus the dash ripped out,...so I can trace wires for shorts etc!...but I am thinking it is somewhere in the dash or something??
the previous owner had put a stereo and alarm in because there are a bunch of spots where he spliced into the wires,...and did a shitty job at that!!...lol..so I removed all the splits and covered the exposed wires back up to avoid any other shorts to ground or power, where there shouldnt be,...but I am still looking for where the mirrors and r.defrost wires run , inside the dash and fuse boxes!...
 

Russ518

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lmao!!...I will take some pics and try and post them up here later so ya'll can see what I am dealing with!
 

Russ518

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OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHH -HA!!...Finally after all day yesterday, of going back and forth between the garage and the laptop........I figured out why my defroster does NOT WORK!!

Long story short, The car was a theft/recovery and the owner I am guessing, tried to repair the theft damage(wiring) himself!!!
He subsequently replaced the dash/cluster wiring harness with a used 98 harness instead of a 2000 year harness, and the differences are that, as most of you prob know already,...the climate controls between those years is totally different!!!
So THAT IS WHY I am not getting power to the relay!! The path into the fuse block under the dash is mixed between fuses #16 and #17!!

So NOW I need to shop for a CORRECT harness!!

ANYBODY HAVE ONE TO SELL???I am gonna post up in the classifieds here in a lil bit!...just figured I would ask!
 


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