Hi all,
My 'new' M reg 1.6 LX Escort has a heated rear windscreen which doesnt seem to be doing anything.
Looking at the Haynes manual i have deduced that;
There is a fuse in the fusebox, but it is 10A rather than the specified 25A, however it hasn't blown, which makes me think that the current isnt even getting that far.
I can hear the relay click when i switch the dashboard switch on, which according to Haynes means that's ok?
The next step is the main fuses in the engine compartment. It says there are 5 in my car, but only three are present in mine, each with a cable running off it to somewhereorother. The one involved with the heated rear windscreen doesnt seem to be present, and even if i put it in its slot there is no cable obvious to take the current away!
Is the Haynes manual wrong about this, or is it possible that the fuse is somehow linked to one of the cables on the other fuses?
This is the first problem i have found with my Escort and so a swift and easy solution would be a confidence boost for inevitable future niggles!
|
|
I can't remember if the contacts for the heated rear screen are on the lip of the tailgate or if the wiring comes through the bodywork into the tailgate, but would be well worth your while checking the connections at the rear of the car if the fuses seem to be present and correct.
|
In response to No Dosh, connection is made on the 'lip' of the tailgate.
When the boot is open, to the right of the catch on the bodywork there are 3 bronze connector plates, and on the underside of the boot lid itself there are 3 prongs which make contact when the lid is closed. If these arent making a clean connection then heater will not work, but then neither will the rear window wiper - a problem i had on my escort until i cleaned the contacts.
Incidently, my rear window de mister is very poor at the best of times, and i often have to point the middle heater/blower towards the back to give it a helping hand.
Just a suggestion, but if the wiper does work, check the actual elements that run across the window, if one is broke then that may be the reason why its not working.
|
|
|
|
|
On an earlier Escort I once worked on for a friend, the wires between the hatch and the top of the "C" pillar had broken, caused by years of opening and closing the tailgate, thus snapping the wires. The rear wash/wipe was intermittant as well.
|
the power for the hrw passes thro contact pads on rear panel & coresponding spring loaded pins on tailgate.also check also operation of rear wiper &rear fog lamp,if these do not operate correctly you may have an earth fault on tailgate (clean up tailgate hinge pins)
|
Thanks everyone, i had a good look at the tailgate contacts yesterday actually - they don't look fantastically clean i must say, and on the contact plate only one of the three plates will depress when pushed. My dad and i thought about trying to clean these up a bit, but as it was near freezing yesterday decided to check here first!
The rear wiper works though, so would this rule out the contacts here or could it be a case of partial contact ie. not enough wattage reaching the heated window to make a difference?
|
Over the years I've had problems with the tailgate contacts on an an Escort bought new in '94. A green plastic pan scourer is good for cleaning them, use moistened until the contacts are clean and shiny. I then dry and coat the contacts with a thin smear of vaseline. Only one of the contact pads is sprung loaded and is used as a switch for the boot light.
The hinge pins can be sucessfully cleaned with an aerosol electronics contact cleaner. When the hinges don't earth the tailgate properly there can be strange effects such as the illumination of the fog light switch as well as the heated window switch when using the screen heater is used.
The heated screen take quite a lot of current and when the contacts are dirty the resistance created is sufficient to heat and melt the plastic housing of the sprung contact pins. When this has happened it will usually be found that one of the pins does not spring out properly when pressed in. Repacement is the only remedy which is quite easy but rather expensive at about £15.
|
|
I cannot thank you enough- I had been scouring the internet for answers to my Escorts rear window wiper not working. I read your post and found and cleaned these contacts and hey ho! the wiper works again. I had just picked up a motor from the scrappy so you've saved me replacing it. I must say this made my day as I am a total novice who usually only gets as far as oil, water, tyres.....thanks again.
|
|
|
|
