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Adding Rear window defroster????

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Purple87SS

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Mar 16, 2005
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The rear window in my WE4 has the defrost lines so it had to of been replaced with a rear defrost window, beacuse I don't that option(on the dash or RPO sticker).

What would I need to do to make the rear window functional?

Thanks
 
Someone here has to of done this before!?

Were all the cars pre-wired for the rear defroster from the factory, so then when it came time to put in rear window they just put in a plain window with no defroster lines and no switch on the dash? Behind the dash I see where the switch should be.

What do I neeed to do to get my rear window defroster to work, living in NJ you kinda need it with the rain and snow and crappy weather.


Help guys...
 
id say if the wiring is there, hook it up. get a defroster switch off ebay and try it. it will either work or burn the car down :wink:
 
IIRC the main power harness leading from the connector at the fuse block, back to the window is a seperate harness so it probally isn't there. The easy way to tell is to remove the drivers side sill plate and look through the black plastic conduit for the wire that runs along the rocker panel. I think it is purple but you should look in the shop manual to make sure. If it is there than plug and play as the connector for the switch should be already on the instrument panel harness too. Do you know what parts you will need to have to hook it up?
 
The purple wire that feeds the rear defroster is up in the headliner.

You may be able to see it/ feel it if you remove the plastic trim plate above the drivers window and move the headliner out a bit, you may need to remove a few other plastic trim pieces to see it but it's near this area and runs the full length along the drivers roofline.

On the glass in the top drivers side area there should be a pad on the window where the purple wire was spot welded or tacked onto it.

You can silver solder the wire onto this spot with a large iron and good solder or a very small butane torch.

You need the ground wire as well probably on the other side of the window on a pad also on the glass.

Switch assembly can be gotten from any Regal I believe.

Wiring to the switch includes a gray wire for indicator illumination from the lights cluster, orange black factory power wire from the pwr accy circuit breaker, and a pink/blk wire from the st blt/acc fuse.

5 wires to the switch 4 of them heavy gauge for power.

Not for the wiring novice unless the wiring is already there but it is doable even if it isn't.

Factory service manual is your best bet for most of your wiring info. and problems.
 
Cool thanks for the info.

When i removed the dash bexel i can clearly see where the switch would be in a optioned car. So it is possible the wires from the fuse block are already in place. Now I just need to check to see if the purple wire is ran to the back window. The car is origianally a FL car so Im guessing thats why it didnt have a rear defroster. Ill look for the wiring and let you guys know.

Thanks again!!!! :cool:
 
My brother has a totaled '86 Limited that we bought for parts that has RR defog. His T-type does not have it and we don't plan to swap it over to his car. If you need the factory stuff let me know and I can hook you up. The catch is that the dash bezel we have has wood grain. You'll have to 'customize' yours if you want the switch in the factory location.

Jim
 
You dont have to customize your original bezel. All the GN bezels are the same exact same base, they just have different inserts on them. All you have to do is get a replacement bezel insert from Kirban Performance or buickgn.com that is made with what you need. They have the ones that are just the defroster switch opening, and then ones that are also the defroster switch and also the passenger side remote mirror openings if thats what your car has. They are great reproduction pieces that are near identical to factory.
 
hey my85:
I have the originl bezel with no hole for the defroster, do I just cut the hole in the proper place and then place this over top so it looks stock? How do these stay? Double sided tape or some type of adhesive
From Kirban Online catalog:

Part #6970
Reproduction Right Side Applique Insert with Rear Defog option only
 
You have to remove your old insert and below that the hole should already be cut in the bezel frame for the defroster switch. Look at it from the back side and youll see what I mean. There will be a rectangular opining that has been covered up by the insert on the other side. Simply remove your old insert and get the new one that instals with double sided tape that should be included.
 
Well since this thread was started my defogger happened to die in the WE4 after 18 years. I'm blaming the thread starter. :p ;)

Anywhoo I did the required testing to see what was wrong and it ended up being the dash switch/timer/relay.

Part number 25515822 available for $30 plus shipping from GM Parts Direct.

List was $51.

Anywhoo the connector with the wires should be locked into the dash most likely if the option is pre-wired. The switch just plugs into the connector and is held in by two screws with plastic ears into the dash plastic.

The connector can be popped out the front with a small flat screwdriver since I had to do that to look at the wires for the color codes.

I don't think that the connector and wiring would be floating inside the dash area in a non-optioned car one would think the white connector with wires would be in place snapped into the back part of the dash just no switch installed and the bezel covering it all up.

My problem with the switch was actually internal to the unit.

It doesn't come apart but was plastic welded together and had a nice cheesy thin seam. I used an X-acto knife to get it apart.

The circuit board is simply captured by the plastic cover and case, real simple to put back together with plastic trim glue. :)

I had a loose ie. broken solder connection where the high output relay was soldered onto the board. I resoldered the connection and the thing works perfectly again.

Just a simple timer circuit actually but something you can check out if yours ever stops working.

Beats spending $30 plus $12 shipping. :p
 
salvageV6 said:
My problem with the switch was actually internal to the unit.

It doesn't come apart but was plastic welded together and had a nice cheesy thin seam. I used an X-acto knife to get it apart.

The circuit board is simply captured by the plastic cover and case, real simple to put back together with plastic trim glue. :)

I had a loose ie. broken solder connection where the high output relay was soldered onto the board. I resoldered the connection and the thing works perfectly again.

Just a simple timer circuit actually but something you can check out if yours ever stops working.

Beats spending $30 plus $12 shipping. :p
I just had one of mine go out so Ill have to give this a try.
 
The rocker switch itself also has some copper tabs on the circuit board that can be cleaned and checked for operation with an ohm meter.

With mine I could hear the relay click when the switch was pressed but it wasn't "latching on" since the relay contact supplied no power with the broken connection, that power is needed to latch the circuit and start the timer.

The relay is an open case style so you can inspect and clean/burnish the contact on that as well if necessary. Mine looked like new however so I didn't touch them.

Easy to check pins D and E with an ohm meter when closing the relay contacts by hand.

The rocker will also pop off the circuit board area it has two black round tabs that go into the board where the lights are soldered onto it.

You could actually change the lamps on it if you really had to and could find something suitable to use, like a grain of wheat type lamp from radio shack.

If you take the switch off you can check the cleanliness of the activation copper tab part of it, if necessary, it's much easier to test the on/off activation of the switch with the ohm meter first to see if any of that is necessary.

It isn't all that complicated to check out. :) :cool:
 
Repairing a faulty solder

The instructions to open the switch with an exacto and re-solder the connection worked flawlessly however I am typing this reply with one finger as I severed the other three off in the process.:biggrin:
 
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