[wolf2]

Bottom half works. Did "test light" procedure. Bulb lit up, testing lower grid. Top upper grid. does not work. Examined it closely from outside the car. Cannot, locate the
"starting" "source" of the 12 volts for the top grid. Appears it should be located, top, center, of rear windshield. BUT, I cannot find it.
Any one out there have a solution. Thanks in advance.

 

[Pvt-Public]

The top couple lines are the antenna if I remember correctly. The car is 70 miles away, I’ll look when I’m there this weekend if I remember

 

[75aces]

The grid may have been broken to cause the break. If you are getting current on the bottom half, the the break is close by.

Will be hard to locate by eye. Get yourself a copper pen and take your time. The grid is copper and the pen will allow the circuit to complete.

 

[wolf2]

Thanks for the info. Looking closely at the grid. There are "2" grids. They are separate. The bottom grid works perfectly. And I did the test light procedure on the bottom grid. Ground one wire, light bulb, then touched wire to "lines", and the bulb lit up fine.

The top grid, does not connect to the bottom grid. The top grid does not work. Tried the test light test. BUT, could not
find the "source" of the voltage. Again, appears, it might be in the center/top of rear windshield. But, poking my "test wire", did not light up the "bulb".

Not, critical, cause I can still defrost, the bottom half of the rear windshield. But being a DIY, seems should be a simple
fix. Just a matter of finding the "break", in the circuit.

 

[75aces]

Try going grid by grid with your test light for the top part of the defrost grid. Or, just redo the grid with the copper pen and test grid by grid. All it takes to make it inop is a small chip.

 

[wolf2]

I did go grid line, by grid line, for the top half. No light. That is why, I tried finding the, 12 volt source. The "primary"
grid/bar, that all of the horizontal grid lines are connected too. NO luck.

 

[75aces]

I see.

 

[Robosphinx]

I'm not familiar with gen5, so I may be completely off-base here, but the top ~6 inches of grid on the gen6 rear window is actually the radio antenna, not part of the heater grid. Is that a possibility here? Or is a much larger section not working?

 

[wolf2]

Interesting. 2002 LE. Do not think it's a radio antenna. Way to many "grind" lines, crossing the rear windshield.
Just hoping some one else had similar issue, and figured it out.
Not able to find "schematic " of defroster wire/grid set up.
Do not want to start pulling "trim" panels out, to find the 12 volt inputs.
Since, the bottom half still works fine.

 

[Pvt-Public]

Well I know the 02 LE has some antenna grids on the red window. I replaced the antenna cables from the head unit back to the rear window.

 

[wolf2]

Interesting. Will have to make a closer inspection. Thanks.

 

[BlackCamSe]

It’s the antenna, as others have mentioned


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wolf2]

Thanks guys. What fooled me, was the defroster grids, and the antenna grids look the same. Never, would have figured it out, with out your inputs.

 

[Robosphinx]

I took this picture yesterday and totally forgot to post it here. The morning frost was a perfect demonstration. It's pretty difficult, but if you look closely you can make out the antenna wires under that top strip of ice.

 

[wolf2]

Yep, That's exactly what my 2002 looked like. Saw grid line under the "icy" part, and thought I had a broken grid.
Never heard of "antenna" with so many grid lines. And located on the back windshield.

 

[Robosphinx]

Yup, relatively common in ~2000's cars. Replaced the metal whip antenna, and seems to be replaced by the shark fins on newer cars maybe.