Hey all! I just bought this '95 SL1 and the guy that had it before me had replaced the defroster switch along with the rest of the radio mount. However, he didn't connect the defroster. How does this thing get connected? I live in Maine and today was the first snowfall. I gotta be able to see behind me. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Pop the two pins out of the radio bezel --low and towards the firewall but once you get your head and a flashlight down there you will see them. Pop the center pins out using a flat blade screwdriver SIDE-ON, not front on. If he just replaced stuff there they should be easy to pop out. You can also get your finger behind the fastener and push in the center while lifting up side on w the screwdriver.

That whole bezel swings up from the bottom, and the wiring to the three pod switches is then visible. If you want you can remove the three pod switch so you don't have to keep getting pissed off at the bezel scraping your hands.

If he didn't plug the connector into the switch, it'll "not be there". Which means it's in there somewhere in the space between the top of the radio and the floor underneath.

If he actually pulled the 3 pod switch, I guess he didn't care about defrost.
He might have been pulling a sound system out, put the stock one back in, and pinned the wiring behind the radio for all we know.

The radio mount itself is steel and there would be no reason to be messing with it again unless he had pulled it for a custom audio system and was now reinstalling it to stock. The radio is held in by 2 screws and these funky slide locks. You slide the radio in and then 1 tab on each side clicks into place to secure it. So if removing you must depress those tabs.

If the wires are connected to the switch but the light doesn't come on on the switch, check the fuse for the rear defrost -- simplest answer is usually the right one.

There may also be a short that is blowing the fuse if that is what you find.

If the light on the switch is on but no defrosting is going on, check the connections at either end of the rear glass and look for cut marks through the heating lines on the inside of the window.

Let us know what you find. I can dig up probable wire colors if you need me to

 

Before I moved to FL, if my rear defroster crapped out and I couldn't fix it, I just used an ice scraper. LOL Good luck with it. If the wires in the grid are broken, there are repair kits available, but I don't know if they really work. Never tried one.

 

I got everything apart and cold not see the wiring harness for the defrost. I guess I have to dig deeper. Wish me luck.

 

If you have not already, pull the radio ---two screws and the squeeze clips.
Finding the wiring absent is actually easier than troubleshooting the electrical aspects --- UNLESS it is removed because there IS an electrical problem. More likely he missed reconnecting it. You now know the shape of the connector you're looking for so you should find it pretty quickly.

Have you checked the fuse? If it is blown it may give you insight into what you're possibly getting into....

 

I agree with derf. I don't know how many times over the years I removed radios, a/c heater control boxes and various other switches from behind the dash and forgot to plug something back in. It's frustrating, but not so complex that it's a big deal. Good luck with it and let's hope it's that simple.

 

Any luck?