I noticed my rear defroster didn't work today so I looked and the wire came off. It's the little metal piece that comes down from the top and connects to the window, that came unglued. Is there a special kind of glue for it?

 

when i bought my blazer it was like that too. i had thought you might be able to sodder it on but i was told you might shadder the glass doing that but one of my instructors at school said he thought they made a metal based glue that might possibly work. i didnt care enough to do anything with it but i would go ask a body shop if they have anything or talk to a place the installs glass.

 

It seems to be possible to make a conductive glue to fix this kind of broken wire on a
rear windshield defogger, you just need regular school glue and powder graphite (just sand
a pencil tip), you may use other kinds of glue if resistence and heat is a concern. Just
be shure to use enough graphite to ensure good electrical contact and apply just a small layer of the conduvtive glue. This may be useful:
http://www.diyshared.com/ConductiveG...uctiveGlue.htm

 

There's a guy who sells epoxy with powdered silver in it. It's like $29 for the two tubes (epoxy always comes in 2 tubes, a resin and a catalyst; you mix them for about 45 seconds and then have maybe 2 minutes to glue stuff together before it hardens on you). He's at http://www.frostfighter.com/catalog.htm. It looks like Pix002.jpg when it's done (except hopefully neater than that...)

I can't tell you whether or not it works yet, because after I glued my wires back on, I discovered that the struts themselves have built up enough resistance that they won't pass enough current to heat up the grid. I can tell you that there is continuity though the glass between the tabs on the struts, just not through the struts.

An alternate, temporary solution would be to get yourself some braided wire heavy enough to pass 30 amps (I got mine here), and then use one of those big paper binder clips you get in Staples to clamp the wire on to the solder pad. Sand the pad first to get rid of oxidation for a better connection (and you should do this with the epoxy too or it'll never stick). I'll show you a picture: Pix008.jpg. The large size clip will not interfere with the glass closing, as long as you fold the metal ends out along the glass.

 

I actually do just solder them back on in the body shop and never have had any problems but I am careful and do alot of soldering. I do know that I've watched guys not knowing what they are doing shatter the glass because they get in a hurry. It only take like 5-10mins to do and if you would take the window off it makes it alot easier. Hope this helps

 

They do make a glue to resecure them however a glass shop I know of just uses rear view mirror glue and they say it works fine. I however have never tried it.

 

I guess I'm about to make myself obnoxious again.
There's so much mis-info here, it's sick!
1. Forget about any fix involving graphite. A graphite epoxy mix is a resistor. Resistors heat when they pass current. Epoxies degrade with heat.

2. A silver bearing epoxy might or might not work. Depending on thickness of the epoxy layer and % content of the silver. It will also be a resistor.
- Anyone says mirror attach glue works is either a liar or the luckiest sucker in the world. Because it doesnt make sense. People should NOT pass along hearsay.
- It occurs to me that perhaps someone saying that is referring to re-attaching a separated grid landing to the glass, itself.* THAT would work. It will NOT work to reattach the tab to the landing.... PERIOD.

3. Struts got nothing to do with it other than other reason the defroster grid doesnt work We're talking about the tab falling off the grid attachment point.
- In my cases the tab solder joint broke and I imagine that's most the cases

It's a tricky process requiring a steady hand which is why I havent done it yet, even though I have loose tabs on both my bird and the Bravadiva. But I sure know HOW to do it and it doesnt involve some GLUE.
- Shheeesh! It just occurred to me that I wrote 'haven't done it yet'. WOw. What a geezer mind fart. Cant say I am not living in the moment! When i say that it's because I have both daily drivers awaiting the same fix. Not only have I done it before, on a couple mustangs I owned, but I have training and on the job skills involving similar tricky fixes. Including chief production engineer for a consumer electronic mfr.
Which means I have failed with tricky fixes numerous times.. but every time I fail, I figure out WHY and learn.

The ONLY proper fix is to resolder the tab onto the grid landing. Done properly there's no freaking way that will break the glass.
It requires a proper solder gun... a high wattage one, 150 watts or more for gun, 60 watts for iron with a large flat tip. The tip of the gun or iron must be well tinned. Crusty and dark wont do.. the heat transfer to tab must be quick.
That means the tip MUST be hot before you put it on the tab.

It requires 'tinning flux'. Note I said TINNING FLUX. Acid or Rosin doesnt matter it must be TINNING FLUX for a Better result probablility.

It requires brushing both surfaces till shiny - NOT SMOOTH, SHINY! You are reusing the original solder - then applying tinning flux to both and heating the other side of tab -IN PLACE- with the gun till the tab 'settles in'. When that happens the original solder has melted and reconformed. At that point, count seconds and at the 'onethou..' point of 'onethousand', remove the heat.
- NOW comes the tricky part: You have to hold tab in place removing tip of gun and not move the tab till it cools. May only take a second but that is a long time in awkward position. That rules out holding the tab with pliers, btw. even if you're young and steady handed which I aint.
I'm gonna hold the tab in place with end of #1 phillips screwdriver. {so as not to draw off heat}
When you're done, thoroughly clean off any flux residue with intake or maf cleaner. Even detergent solution should do.

Any Glass shop says soldering will break the glass is incompetent. You should bear that in mind for the future.
Suggest that if you cant find a glass shop willing to do it properly, then find some who has done glass art.. ie the 'glass pieces' with solder joints.. whatever that's called.

OR find someone who is a real electronics kits head
- in either the above, make the prospect show you they have the proper tools as I described. And examples of their work. Pretty is better in this case.
Some glass artists just use preforms and a 30 watt iron. That's like an artist who does 'paint by number'.

Now if any of you dont like the aspersions I just cast or if I 'hurt your feelings'.. then refute the points I laid out. Everything I just wrote here is fact. People got no business effing with other people's money.. which is what it costs when 'maybes' dont work.
A bad epoxy connection is nearly impossible to fix without heat. Which is the question in the first place.

I'm gonna go further out on a limb and say if you do it exactly as I say above, and have a steady hand, this WILL work 100% in cases where the tab has separated from a solidly attached grid landing.
Do not skimp. 'Ought'a work' and 'close enough' often get you grief. Don't come back and complain if you try to short cut anything.
Do not say 'I sanded off the old solder' and then complain about anything.
Do not say. "I left the tip on the tab longer to make sure' and complain.
Do not say, 'I used _______ because my friend said... ' and complain.
Do not try to heat the tab and then stick it on and complain. also dont do that and come back with 'it worked for me'. It might. Next time it might not. Doing it like I said has a higher percentage of success. I KNOW for a fact.
Do not hold the tab with pliers or visegrips while you're soldering and complain when the joint fails. It might not, but as I say takes a very steady hand. I KNOW for a fact.

*If the landing separates from the glass afterwards THEN use the mirror glue to reattach the landing to the glass. Use the primer and the superglue stuff exactly like a mirror.

Also .. another reason I havent done the Bravadiva yet is the poor design on the lift glass end. The stress exerted by the coiled wire need to be taken off the tab. I plan to get a ty-rap anchor and tie down that end of the coil.
Keep forgetting.



For my 'bird, it's because of the very awkward location.

 

Yep - re-solder it back on. Quick, easy, & cheap -- all things I like.

 

Well, I finally got around to the job.

Note this is to repair a poorly soldered tab onto intact foil, not situation where foil is torn off.
- You MAY try to make a new solder land by light sanding then tinning with new flux and solder but that is a different subject

Needed: 60 watt iron, or 140 watt -minimum, 175 better- gun, with flat tip in good condition. If there's any doubt, now is the time to buy new.
- make sure tip is up to heat before trying to solder the tab

- Do not try with less heat, you WILL buckle the foil off the window.

Tinning flux or general purpose paste flux. Tinning flux is used to tin iron and gun tips. only use this if there is solder on both the foil and tab. Otherwise use the general purpose.









Note I am using diagonal cutters to hold the tab. DO NOT USE PLIERS. Idea is to avoid, as much as possible, pulling heat from tab.



You may use windshield deicer instead of windex, of course. But start with rubbing alcohol, whichever flux you used.



Good luck but if all is as it was in my case and you have a steady hand and follow my directions, you'll end up with a successful fix.

If you take advice from someone else who says.. 'you dont need that big an iron' or hasnt done solder much.. then all bets are off. If he says, for example: "You cant use plumbing flux on that solder tab" he doesn't know WHY and WHEN you dont use it and, therefore, doesn't know what he's talking about, trust me.

 

Kyle (swartlykk) put me on to two products. One I found here in New Zealand (made in the USA) - Worked a dream.

Permatex 21351 Rear window defogger tab adhesive.