Hey guys, my rear defroster gave out on me. I checked the fuse ( RR DEFOG) I think is what it is denoted as, and that's fine. So I went out and bought a little car heater that plugs into the 12v outlet, and that was fine until the 12v outlet, the one down by the passenger's foot, also gave out. The fuse is fine for that too. Might also be worth mentioning that I next plugged the heater into the 12v outlet by the steering wheel which worked for a little bit then blew that fuse. This doesn't make sense because that fuse is 20Amp and the heater itself has a 15amp fuse in the line. Not sure whats on the go but it is getting on my nerves. Any help would be appreciated.
Well, our cars are notorious for killing the lighter recepticale by the feet. Pull the console out and see what wires are burnt. Sounds like u just over loaded the wiring. The rear defrost could have a bad connection. With a test light you will need to turn the system on (with the button on ur HVAC controls) and clumb in back and with the light, touch the terminal. Does it light up? If so, everything to that point is good, just something in the lines themselfs across your rear window is bad. Oh, also does the little light come on when u turn the rear defroster on?? If not, then ur not getting power there, or ur button is just bad. You also say ur pluggin in a heater. Why?? Does ur heater not work?? Please elaborate on that. And stop using the plug in heaters. Those things will cause nothing but issues with ur electrcal bc they pull alot of power. Might not be over ur amps for ur fuse, but they can pull alot of voltage. Just because they make it to plug into a car, doesnt mean they will work on all of them. Post back with some more information, and Ill see if I can point u in the right direction. Goodluck.
Ok the light does come on when I push the button. It is very damp here the air has a lot of moisture so I have the heater plugged by the rear window to defrost/clear the fog from it. Otherwise I can't see out of it. I am unsure what a test light is, and HVAC controls. Thanks
Well, first off, a test light is just that, a little light in a screw driver looking thing that has a wire hanging off the rear of it with a wire clip that you clip to a good piece of metal (AKA Ground) and you touch the pointy tip to the metal piece sticking out of the connector and if it lights up u have power there, if it dont you make sure the wire clip off the light is to a good ground, if ur sure it is and it still dont light up, you have to find out why its not, and more likely then not in that situation its usually a broken wire somewhere.
Hvac controls are ur heating and AC controls. The knobs on ur dash to tell it if u want hot cold, and where to blow the air in ur car, and how fast you want it to come out. Not trying to sound like a smart a$$ but just breaking it down for you.
But I hate to say this buddy, but if you dont know basic mechanics, this maybe a little over your head. Either get a friend that can help that knows about cars, or take it to a shop. Not saying dont try it, but If you didnt know what a test light was then ur prolly gonna do nothing more then mess something up worse. Again, not to be a dick, but thats ur best option. Tracing electrical is alot of work. Sometimes its easy sometimes its hard. But you have to have basic knowledge of cars to do that. Especially on a rear defroster, those little crappers are tricky. It could be a bad ground on the other side, it could be the grid on the rear window has a open somewhere, could be its not getting power at all. Either way, if ur inclinded to do it urself, pick up a test light from any parts store, play with it for a little bit to learn it, then go and test the car like I said. Either way, good luck man.
Alright thanks again. Didn't realize those were the HVAC controls but obviously I know about them. I do know a fair bit about cars for just getting into them (I'm 17) but not so much about the electrical aspect. We have those light testers you speak of in school I might ask to borrow one. I will take apart the console and check out the wire that has probably burnt off like you described. I'm hoping this isn't an expensive fix.
Well, with the test light, you can find out tons. Dont worry we always start out somewhere so you will learn. The test light you can use to check and see if you have power at the lighter also by removing the connector on the back of it, and just making sure the wire is on ground and touching the tip to one of the wires. If it lights up, then you know ur recepticle is bad and replace as needed, if not, then you will have to do some tracing of wires and see what happens.
The rear defrosters are a PITA. Because so much can go wrong in a small space. If you are in a shop class, talk to your teacher, and maybe make a project out of it. Thats the best way to figure things out. Having someone who will watch you and make sure you dont mess something up and let you work on it, is the best way to learn. Goodluck tho, and keep going u will figure it out.
If you have an automotive program at your school, try talking to the instructor after school or something and see if he can't teach you a couple things that you could use for a ton of different things later. Mosto fo the time, once a person understands the basics of things, the complicated stuff really seems pretty simple.
Something else you can do with your defroster is be very careful not to pull the tabs off the glass, but remove the clips with the wires coming out of them from the glass and put the test light between the two when the rear defroster is energized. This will verify pretty much the entire system. If the light comes on, then you have a problem with the defroster grid itself and need to take it to an auto glass shop to get it fixed. If it is not that, then I am pretty sure there are enough people here that could help you chase down the problem pretty easily and get it fixed at a minimal expense to you. I sure hope it's not the glass though as they can get very expensive.
Some people have brain storms, others light drizzles. And then there are those that have droughts.
