[joeaax1j]

Has anybody ever had a problem with very poor performance with their rear defogger? This is the first winter with my Insight and I've recently had some cold mornings where I've needed to run the defoggers. My front defogger works great. However, my rear defogger is VERY SLOW. On a 15 minute drive, it just barely begins the process of clearing up the window -- very far from completion. I've checked the fuse and it looks good. And the lines on the window look great. Any advice?

Thanks!
Bryan

 

[Ecoman]

Rear window

I would try using a good glass cleaner to remove any greasy deposits. Then check your power supply and ground terminals at the window connections.

Colin.

 

[joeaax1j]

Thanks for the tips. They all sound like good things to try!

-Bryan

 

[Scott]

My rear defogger is also very slow, has been since it was new.

 

[Dougie]

I wouldn't know, because I took the fuse out of mine a long time ago. According to the manual, it runs when you first start the car regardless of whether it's winter or summer, which seemed like a waste...

 

[joeaax1j]

I wouldn't know, because I took the fuse out of mine a long time ago. According to the manual, it runs when you first start the car regardless of whether it's winter or summer, which seemed like a waste...

That won't work for me. I need to be able to see out that window. Now, if there was some product that I could put on there that would prevent it from fogging up in the first place, that would be useful. Then I might consider pulling the fuse.

-Bryan

 

[flymuck]

http://www.amazon.com/Rain-X-Anti-Fog-3 ... B0002JN26I

 

[shifty35]

I'd bet they designed the rear defogger to be lower current than the "normal" car since the mini-12v system doesn't have a lot of juice.

I don't think the US models, at least my 2000, run the rear defogger at startup - I have to intentionally press the button if I want my window to actually clear.

 

[joecvt]

I don't think the US models, at least my 2000, run the rear defogger at startup - I have to intentionally press the button if I want my window to actually clear.

According to the owners manual: The rear window defogger turns on
automatically when you turn the ignition switch ON (II) if the outside
temperature is below 32°F (0°C), or if the engine is at ambient
temperature. The light in the button does not light.

I included the links for my 2003 model (first link) and the 2000 model (second link)

https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/om/IN0303/IN0303O00060A.pdf (click on page 66)

https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/om/IN0000/IN0000O00058A.pdf (click on page 63 - then continue to page 64 with the right arrow)

I guess the easiest way to check would be to connect a volt meter to the terminals on the rear window and see if there is voltage when you first start the car.

JoeCVT - Just your average CVT owner.

 

[blackcloud77]

Anyone get any resolution on this? I'm in FL so using my rear defogger only when it's humid in the morning and condensation collects on the outside of the window, but it doesn't work worth a crap. My last car was an 01 Civic (non hybrid) and its defogger has always worked great. I did some research on how these things work and ran through troubleshooting. Voltages were low everywhere along the lines, yet the lines looked perfect. Good 12v across the headers and wires. I really want to tint my Insight since the FL summer is almost here, but want to get this sorted out first.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Willie Williford]

"condensation collects on the outside of the window".

Why not use your rear wiper to remove the condensation?

Willie

 

[blackcloud77]

I'm sure I did exactly that without a working defogger. I suppose I'm still in the honeymoon phase and just want everything to work properly.

I found a ground strap (wire) on the top driver's side of the engine that's only got half its mechanical connection and what is still connected looks pretty questionable. Does anyone think this would contribute to or cause poor defogger performance?

 

[Cobb]

Bad grounds cause funny things to happen. Just fix it if not add some extra ones.

The rear defogger in the gen 2 is poor too, however filling the windshield reserve with ice melt window cleaner speeds it up.

Outside of freezing weather I just use a squeegee/scraper to wipe all my windows. You can usually find one at the dollar store, but a rag, part of news paper, etc will work.

 

[armadaman]

A closer look is recommended

You may want to examine each horizontal grid where they meet the larger vertical portion (Horiz-Vertical intersection). They tend to fail at this juncture.A clue to this condition is the telltale change of color that can be viewed from the outside.Others have said/suggested that the Rear Defroster grid is used to create a load for the IMA at times. Others have tried to repair the grid. You may want to do a thread search here and read further. The point I am trying to make is when the grid fails it creates a broken circuit and the color change is the result....fix the localized problems and it should work again.

Just my suggestion.

 

[thekanuk]

Measure ohming of grid

I measure the ohming resistance of my rear grid ,i got 1.4 ohms.my defrogger is working perfectly six mounth a year.

I think in time the grid resistance change and the grid defrogger as poor performance.maybe the sun exposure of the grid change the performance.

 

[Eli]

I don't think I have ever used the rear defoggers in any of my Insights... Weird.