Snow? yikes It was 80 here today in Boston. Put your finger on the relay have someone turn the defrost off and on the relay should open and close. If nothing happens switch the relay with one like it in the fuse box and try that to either confirm or eliminate the relay.

 

........or one of he electric resitance grid connector tabs has broken off the rear window or is disconnected.

Repair kits at parts stores. PITA

 

I went thru this in my 2000 a couple of years ago. The place where the electrical circuit makes contact with the grid itself separated due to age causing the solder contact point oxidizing and corroding. I used the "special metal conducting" glue to put it together and although it worked for about a month it eventually failed. I went to a specialist and he said he could solder it back on but the risk of the glass shattering was very high due to the solder heat gun. So I said $^%# it and found a auto glass company that does good work cheap and they put in a brand new back window for $330, you can't beat that.

 

I had a rear grid failure on my '13 Tahoe due to a power tab that broke away from the glass at the grid (this is a functional/operable rear hatch = lots of movement.

Took a chance after reading mixed reviews on a Permatex rear defroster repair kit ($18) and my repair held for the remaining five years I owned that truck. IMO the lackluster results from using the kit were due to people not following the directions.

 

Thanks, I'll go out and check it after the Broncos game but I can't imagine not having rear defrost on a fuse with the current it draws. I get why they have a relay, but a fuse may keep the window grid from burning itself out.

 

I should have went out while it was snowing, today it's 40 degrees and I can't tell if switching the relay makes it work or not?

 

To the best of my ability, it looks like the trouble is from the fuse box to the connections at the rear window. How do I get to the wires that hook to the window? I'm assuming I have to take the rear frame panels off, do I just pull them? Are there screws somewhere? Is there a trick to it so I can get them back on?

I measure infinite when I go from the pin on the relay (under rear seat fuse block) that should go to the grid on the window to ground so I'm assuming something happened when they had to remove the tint on my rear window twice. Once because it had a bubble. The second time because they didn't clean it well before they put the new tint on. I can't really measure on the grid itself because of the tint, any tips if I end up getting into the grid? I first want to test where it connects to the window since that should give me the final story on why the rear defrost isn't working.

 

pull the trim covers, do you have 12 volts there? if not it could be the switch itself even if the light comes on...if so then there may be a bad connection where the wires land on the glass. grid resistance /continuity can be measured for each "line" there is not a specific ohm reading you just are looking for continuity

 

I found some instructions that had me check for 12v on the coil side of the relay when it's turned on and off and that's working. I can hear the relay clicking but I switched it with the ELC relay just to be sure. I checked for B+ voltage on the one pin, but I get infinite when checking from the other pin to ground. So I'm just trying to figure out how it hooks to the rear window. Do you know which trim cover to pull (driver or pass)? I'm not the handiest with tools so want to do as little damage as possible.

 

If I remember right the trim pulls off. I would get a plastic trim tool behind and at each clip pry it off slowly then look for and breaks in wiring.

 

I guess what I was really asking is do the clips break like on the front A pillars. I remember having to buy new clips when they ran the hands free mic to where the dome light is. I was hoping to avoid hanging panels, I like to keep her looking neat.

 

The defroster grids have 2 electrical connections - ground at 1 side, 12V at the other. Sometimes one of the connector tabs pulls off the window grid wire termination. Repair kits at parts stores.

automobile rear window defroster grid images - Google Search

 

Had my car in the shop the last few days as they looked into my rear window defroster. They found the grid on the rear window isn't hooked up. Apparently, the guys who did the tent unhooked it to get the tint onto the window and must not have hooked it back up. According to them, it connects dead center in the window and they think the wire is lose in the headliner. But they told me to take it back to the window tint guys and have them hook it back up.

Is the headliner hard to pull down? I plan to take it back to the tent guys but if this is something I can fix then it would save me a lot of headaches. I didn't part with the tint guys on good terms since it took them three tries to get my rear window tinted right. They were tired of seeing me and I was sure tired of taking my car back to them.

 

The boss wasn't at the tint shop when I got there (not feeling that jerk), and it took the one guy there less that 30 seconds to reconnect my rear window grid. He swiped his hand under the headliner, pulled out the wire and plugged her right in. Now I can't wait for it to get cold so I can make sure it's working.

 

Got snow for Christmas and the rear defroster did work. Funny, the dealer told me that connector in the top, center of the back window was the radio antenna but luckily it made the rear defroster work when the tint shop plugged it in.

 

Turned out the tab where you plug on the wires wasn't make solid connection. I'm proud of myself for finding it with my multi meter. It not only had intermittent resistance but the voltage to the grid was 8 to 12. But I actually fixed it myself with this stuff https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HBGKWE?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

You guys might make a mechanic out of me yet! Thanks

 

You should be proud of yourself. I don't care how many fingers you have or don't or how many years you've been on this earth. Doing and learning is imperative. Nice job and keep it up!!!