rear defrost missing terminal

[mjigga99]

So it's cold as hell now, and the rear defrost on my 97 gsx isn't working. The lower terminal and wire on the passenger side is missing. The copper prong is still there and intact. Can I splice current from one of the other two terminals?

 

[Locke]

So it's cold as hell now, and the rear defrost on my 97 gsx isn't working. The lower terminal and wire on the passenger side is missing. The copper prong is still there and intact. Can I splice current from one of the other two terminals?

Are you talking about on the glass itself? No, you need to take off the trim and find the missing wire. The other wires are for the other side of the glass heater/defroster circuit, and the in-glass antenna.

 

[mjigga99]

I have all the trim peeled off the hatch, but no wire. The driver side of the hatch has one terminal connected to the defrost grid halfway up the side off the glass, with the wires leading into the loom including the rear wiper and brake light wires. The passenger side has one wire leading to a terminal connected to the grid at the top of the glass. On the same side there is one prong , symetrical with the lone terminal on the driver side, without the terminal or a wire present. I'm gonna try to test the other terminals for resistance and splice the winner into the bare prong the passenger side of the grid.

 

[mjigga99]

All I had to do was ground the prong on the passenger side to complete the circuit across the glass. This powered the lower majority of the grid across the window, but the upper portion that looks kinda scattered still has no power. The upper grid has a single terminal leading to a white wire coming from the passenger side of the hatch. The wire has two wires in one, like an outer an inner wire in one, but neither has power. Maybe powering the outer part of the wire and grounding the inner might work. I tried to peel back the ceiling liner to follow the white wire but didn't want to tear my car apart w/o looking at a wiring diagram first. Anyone know the origin of the white wire??

 

[Locke]

The upper most part on the rear glass is an antenna, don't power it.

 

[mjigga99]

Roger that...thanks Locke