ZX - Rear heated screen problems.

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Wed 13 Oct 2004 21:22
ZX - Rear heated screen problems. - PaulC2004
Any help appreciated as always.

Since I've had the car (2 months) the heated rear window has never worked. I have checked all the fuses and they look fine, all of the elements in the rear window also look fine, no cracks etc. I swapped the back bit of the switch with the fog light as the switch for the rear window looked burnt at the end. I suspect that it may have been switched on for a long period previously.

Can anyone advise please ? Could it have "burnt out"?

I'll need something to keep my hands warm when I'm pushing it this winter !!

Cheers
Paul
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Thu 14 Oct 2004 10:01
ZX - Rear heated screen problems. - MW
Probably the switch. These, like electric window switches can take a lot of power and the internal contacts can blacken and pit like contact breaker points.
If you can gentle dismantle the switch, noting the order of reassembly, and avoiding springs that fly out, you may be able to clean up the contacts. I have done this on various switches and it always works. Very cheap repair too.
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Thu 14 Oct 2004 10:11
ZX - Rear heated screen problems. - solara
Most rear heated windows nowadays are operated via a timer relay. eg toggle on/off by a single press, and automatically switches off after a predefined period. Might be your timer relay that is faulty. Also worth measuring the voltage at the demister element, to see if you get any voltage reading when switched on. A low voltage reading could indicate that the loom has a poor connection or break along the way. Happened to me on my 306, and had to re-run a whole new wire from relay to the demister.
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Thu 14 Oct 2004 11:06
ZX - Rear heated screen problems. - mfarrow
Hi

Yes, certainly worth a check of the wiring. How does the circuit get from the body to the boot lid? is it a wire in a black sheath that bends around all over the place when you put the lid down (like my Mk4 Escort!). If so I suspect the wire might be broken. Shouldn't be a difficult job.
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