Hi all,
My Escort Ghia X's heated front windscreen only works intermittently on the passenger half. The driver's side always works but with a few lines missing so I assume there are some minor scratches on the inside that have broken a few elements. Nonetheless it de-ices the driver's half in 30 seconds flat. The passenger half however will work fine for two weeks at a time then refuse to work for a few days.
The Haynes manual shows two positive feeds to the heated windscreen, therefore I'm assuming the passenger side's intermittent operation is more likely due to a poor connection somewhere than to a fault with the screen itself.
Before I start pulling bits of trim off, where do the wires connect to the 'screen? Are they at the top inside the roof lining, the side behind the pillar trim or at the base behind the dashboard? I've fixed half a dozen niggly problems on the car and I'd really like to get on top of this one too.
Many thanks for your help,
Dave TD.
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Thanks PU, no it doesn't really help lol...
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The wiring for the hfs can be found in the engine bay at the rear of the plastic bulkhead,in the corners by the bonnet hinges.(left and right).The wiring usually follows the lines of the plastic windscreen mouldings/finishers.Failure of the hfs circuits is usually a fault with the screen itself as the wiring corrodes at the base of the glass.hth
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In another link I found in the archives (but didn't post in fear of embarrassment again) was from Screwllose who mentioned that intermittent failure was due to the tabs linking the screen to the wiring harness becoming fragile and ultimately breaking off.
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Thanks, I can picture that happening actually. It looks like it's probably the original 'screen as it has some gravel rash and wiper scoring, car mileage is only 88,000. I'll take the side trim off next weekend then and see if it wants bodging with a soldering iron. If that's not possible then (assuming it passes its MoT next month) I might see if the insurance will replace the 'screen as a safety issue. (I had this on a Toyota three years ago, screen was fine but sealant had dried out and was leaking all round and insurance paid for replacement with no hesitation.)
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Err
Mine would develop a crack..........
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Cough.
Oh, you mean where I've been forced to de-ice it with the heater after the electric elements packed up? ;-)
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I've heard instances of centre punches coming out of nowhere and putting a nasty spider-legged stone chip right in the drivers line of sight.
Edited by mfarrow on 18/01/2009 at 21:49
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Thanks, I'll have to keep an eye out for those ;-)
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