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In the last year a couple little gremlins have shown up in my 1996 Previa.

The rear window defrost doesn't work. The fuse is good which is about as far as I got with troubleshooting. Any tips or leads on how to get this back in action for winter?

The AC also stopped working at some point. I never noticed all winter (duh) but this summer it went from ice cold to not cold at all. AC season is well behind me at this point in the PNW so I doubt I'll deal with it anytime soon, but ideas on how to trouble shoot would be ideal here too!

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with the van.

 

[Helge St.]

As to the rear defrost, I would measure the voltage on or at the wires at the rear window. When the defogger is turned on, there should be 5 V at the center of the heat wires. You can use aluminium foil around the tip when testing. If there is 10 V, the wire is broken. It can be repaired. This is from the Haynes repair manual which has a good description of the procedures. https://www.amazon.com/Toyota-Previ...75411555&sr=8-1&keywords=haynes+toyota+previa
If there is no voltage, I would check the switch and the relay.

The AC: The most common problem is lack of refrigerant. There will be a small leakage over the years, which is normal, or there may be a major leak which needs to be repaired. If the compressor engages when the switch is pressed, the system probably only needs to be topped up with refrigerant. Take the car to a workshop and let them check the pressure and refill it if no leak is detected. There also are some safety switches (coupe fan switch is one of them), but it is uncommon that they have a problem.

 

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I checked the voltages in the three little tabs that go to the defrost wires on the window. I got 11v from the single on the driver side and zero from the two on the passenger side. Now what? Youtube here I come.