Heated windshield not working..........

[HaroldC]

So we've had a few days of snow thus far and got a nasty storm last night that ended with a little freezing rain. It would have been great to have my heated windshield work, but alas I ended up chipping away at the ice with my scraper.

I know it doesn't work, even though the signs are there that it does:
-light on switch works when depressed
-relay clicks when switch depressed (by steering column)
-idle speed changes when depressed, due to increased alternator load

I'm not sure where to start looking, but I don't know if being a '95 makes any difference. TIA!

[deadboy1977]

I had the same problem not long ago.

Thoroughly check the windshield - any small chip/crack etc can break one of the wires in the glass. If just one is bad it will not work.

Secondly rmove the relay (its black and white) under the glovebox and clean the connector and spades with contact cleaner.

See if that works, it did for me.

[HaroldC]

Originally Posted by deadboy1977

Thoroughly check the windshield - any small chip/crack etc can break one of the wires in the glass. If just one is bad it will not work.

Secondly rmove the relay (its black and white) under the glovebox and clean the connector and spades with contact cleaner.

Now that I think about it, I have a little groove in the windshield where the PO used the passenger side wiper without a wiper blade on it. It never occurred to me to check if it broke the circuit.

I thought the relay was on the driver's side, underneath the instrument cluster. That's at least where I heard the click coming from.

Thanks!

[TerryS]

The NiCr heating wire is in between the two layers of safety glass, so unless your 'goove' is worn very deep, I doubt that's the problem.
There are two common reasons why I have found them not working, one being the timer relay itself, the other being the oil pressure switch (so you can't drain the battery if the engine is not running)
If you're certain the engine is responding to an actual, high current load, it sounds as though it IS working. Two things you can check for: See if you get +14 or so volts AT the actual connectors on the glass. If I remember correctly, the RR windshield, like that on the 110, is divided, into two circuits. The center connector is common to both sides, and the outside, L&R feed each half.
The other thing to check is that you are seeing a low resistance between the center and each outside connector, of around 3-5 ohms.
Oh, if it were only so simple as to put a nice big toggle switch between the battery and the glass.

[HaroldC]

Originally Posted by TerryS

The NiCr heating wire is in between the two layers of safety glass, so unless your 'goove' is worn very deep, I doubt that's the problem.
There are two common reasons why I have found them not working, one being the timer relay itself, the other being the oil pressure switch (so you can't drain the battery if the engine is not running)
If you're certain the engine is responding to an actual, high current load, it sounds as though it IS working. Two things you can check for: See if you get +14 or so volts AT the actual connectors on the glass. If I remember correctly, the RR windshield, like that on the 110, is divided, into two circuits. The center connector is common to both sides, and the outside, L&R feed each half.
The other thing to check is that you are seeing a low resistance between the center and each outside connector, of around 3-5 ohms.
Oh, if it were only so simple as to put a nice big toggle switch between the battery and the glass.

Awesome! I'll check the connections with a voltmeter, when it's warm enough to stand being outside for more than a few minutes. (It was 8 degrees F this morning in Portland)

[stevo-II]

I thought the voltage senstive part of the circuit actually turns off the lighted switch if the voltage is too low - If I kick mine heated windshield "on" on a really cold morning or when the battery is a bit low, the lighted switch will turn itself off almost immediately unless I apply a bit of throttle or let the system charge for a couple minutes - then it latches properly and heats for about 5-10 minutes, then kicks off automatically. Also, I have several chips/cracks in mine and several vertical areas of the winshield that do not heat properly, but the majority of it still works fine - its a parallel circuit - now if one of the main strips breaks at the top or bottoms, then you are screwed.

Steve

ps, the heated windshield is one of the best things ever - and I live in Texas where it doesn't snow or ice much, but when it does, I snicker at all the poor folks trying to scrape or wait for the heater to warm up enough to work - just kick it "on", give it a few minutes, and off you go!!!!