Edmunds Answers questions

Defogger takes forever to work, plus rear defogger hardly works at all.

dpalka — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:32:44 GMT

For about a week now, my defogger will not defog unless I crank the fan up to the highest level and keep the interior super hot. Let me back up and say that when I first turn it on, it takes forever to clear the fog and then unless I keep the fan and heat on high, the windshield will fog right back up again. Also the rear defogger doesn't work as well as it used to.
What is going on, and is it worth getting fixed? My car is 13 years old and runs great, but I've already sunk enough money into it this year and am loathe to put more into it for something that might cost more than the car is worth.
Advice?

Why does my car's engine race high when the fan/ac is on in the defrost position?

marty_may — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:46:05 GMT

I've noticed when I run my car's air conditioner (at any time) or when the AC or just the fan is on and it's set to defrost (the air is directed to the windshield) my engine races when I press the clutch to shift gears. I don't have a tachometer, but I'd guess it races 600-1000 RPM too fast.

Another, possibly related, symptom is the heater will blow warm air after a few minutes of the engine running, but the heat seems to last for only about 20 minutes and the air gets significantly cooler. It also seems to lose heat if I change any setting related to it...fan speed, vent direction (feet to face, etc.). It will sometimes get warm again, but not always.

Thanks, I know this is a slightly off the wall question. I appreciate any help you can provide.

Heater core help needed: 99 Chevy Blazer. Took whole dashboard out, cannot find all the bolts to release the core.

ar104 — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:08:40 GMT

I am able to loosen the cover around the heater core but not remove it. a parts store said i needed to remove 4 bolts total from the firewall, and ive only been able to find two of them-one from blower motor and another on the firewall. Need answer ASAP please!

How do you remove the blower motor housing on a 2001 Toyota ECHO?

bassinman — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:58:40 GMT

I tried to remove the housing to replace the blower motor but i could not get it to budge.

1995 Buick Skylark Custom 2.3 liter 4 cylinder. Defroster quit.

meweaver81 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:41:36 GMT

This 95 Skylark seems to blow hot air fine through the vents, but does not blow it through the defrost to the windshield. The heater/AC control knob seems to work off of engine vacuum, but when set all the way clockwise for defrost, it does not blow through the defroster but through the vent. I am thinking that vacuum is not getting to the correct place.

Is there anything common or inexpensive that may be at fault?

1988 Isuzu Trooper. Location in vehicle of the rear window defroster relay.

trooperdog — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:10:59 GMT

I think the rear window defroster relay maybe bad, but I have been unable to find the location of this relay in or on the vehicle. Can anyone help me with this? Thanks,

2004 Chevy Cavalier. Air does not blow through defrost or floor vent.

cthorson — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:24:32 GMT

The air blows one level only , no matter how i turn the knob to change the levels. I still have all of my fan speeds. I assume it may be a vacuum line? I need to know where to start.

Ford Taurus gets frost on inside of windows.

sharona30 — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:07:59 GMT

I have a 2002 Ford Taurus. I have had this car for a month. I have frost on the inside of the car. I turn on the defroster full blast and it hasnt helped. It gets the windsheild and the back. But the side windows get frost on it bad. So bad I have to scrape it with an ice scraper. Could this be the seals or just the humidity? I live in Kansas and temps today were 12 and tomorrow it will be 9. I have also noticed this when it is in the 30's but instead of frost there is water droplets on the window.

97 GMC Sierra. After a snowfall, snow enters cab through vents in defrost mode causing a mess and frost inside windows.

Spectel — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:49:16 GMT

I start-up my truck in the orning after a snowfall and switch heater control to defrost mode. I then clear off the snow and pay particular attention to the vents at the base of the windshield. When I get in the vehicle, the inside is covered ion fine powder snow that was blown in by the fan, causing the moisture to frost the inside of the cab. This is quite annoying and also dangerous. Is this a common problem with this model? Any recommended solution?

Noticed today a "humming" noise when my rear defroster is on. Anyone else experience this? Mazda MAZDA6. Thanks!

huntsvillern — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:33:15 GMT

Turned the rear-defroster on this morning...used it for only approx. 10 minutes. Now for the rest of the day, there has been a "humming" noise I hear and it intensifies when you mash the window controls.

2002 Chevy Venture side windows frost over inside van when driving in cold weather, never seemed to do this previously.

gmz1 — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:58:36 GMT

inside the cabin the windows frost over when driving in cold weather. tried to dry mats out, didn't help. air take not blocked. do not remember this ever happening before.

My climate control will not put air on the windshield. Mostly only from the vents. 97 Buick LeSabre with a digital controller

stauffer — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:53:58 GMT

the car does not switch the air movement, gets hot and cold well, won't put air on the windshield.

99 VWJetta III. Rear defroster does not work. Does it have a fuse or a sensor? I'm new to the VW family.

hvaldez — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 23:42:36 GMT

I have a 1999 Jetta . Automatic . My rear defrosters do not work. Any suggestions?? I don't know where the sensors or fuses are? I am new w/ the VW family. Thanks Helen

The heater controls for my 2004 Chrysler Pacifica are not working properly.

lalobaca — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:26:18 GMT

My heater for my 2004 Chrysler Pacifica no matter what setting I put it on it always comes out the front vents. It will not go to the floor or the defroster for the windshield. The fan controls are fine and I can turn it off and on with no problems. Just where the heat comes out is the problem. Any Thoughts?

2001 Olds Silhouette has no airflow through vent when in defrost mode.

Falcon3315 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:55:15 GMT

Blower works in all settings and on all speeds.
Air flow when in heat mode is correctly delivered to panel and floor - although it feels a bit week. Cabin filters are clean. You can hear damper move when switching from panel to floor - and also to defrost.

When in defrost mode - blower works on all speeds, but there is little/no air coming out of the defrost vent? Is the damper locked up - or froze up?? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Anyone have problems with the rear window defogger metal clip coming away from the glass on a 07 Chevy Tahoe?

tazmister — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:25:02 GMT

I have a 2007 Tahoe and the rear window defogger metal clip let go from the glass gm says its not covered by warranty that we must have ripped it off how the blazes does one do that we it is soldered to the glass anyone else have this problem and how did you resolve it

What would cause air not to blow through front vents? Dodge Durango.

darealdill1 — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:48:36 GMT

The air is blowing fine when coming through the defrost vents and out of the floor but not through the vents on the dash.

Heater problem with a 2001 Ford Taurus. Blower motor runs strong but heat only comes out of defrost. Why? Need help.

mjc11 — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:16:44 GMT

Air blows from the defrost only, on my 2001 Taurus. Did some looking around and behind the dash. Disconnected the floor/defrost from the back of selector switch and turned the system on. Air still comes out of the defrost only. Seems to me there's no vacuum to make the actuators work. Blend motor seems to be running fine too. Any clues on what this could be. Thanks in advance.

Why is the air blowing through both the upper vents and the windshield defrost when the setting is on vents only? 1997 Chevy Tahoe.

blackaltima — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:07:52 GMT

Why is the air blowing through both the windshield defrost and upper vents on my 1997 Chevy Tahoe? I have the setting on vents only. No matter what I do it will blow through the windshield defrost also.

98 Dodge Neon, no air coming out of defroster.

cruisemaster — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:38:58 GMT

Knob to control vents is stuck, not sure if cable is broke, air will only come out of vent, not defroster

02 Pontiac Grand Prix climate control is stuck in the vent only position. It will not go to defrost or the floor. Help

mike730adams — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:54:03 GMT

02 Grand Prix The climate control is stuck in the vent and floor position, it will not switch to defrost or to the floor or defrost plus floor, just wondering if this is a issue with this model or year or if something has gone out or burned up, the heater switch will go from highest setting to the lowest, ac also works but only blows out the vents, which I guess is where its supposed to blow, winter coming I'm going to need defrost, local GM dealer went broke here, 100 miles to the closest one any help would be appreciated.

I have 2009 Nissan Murano SL. When I push the defrost button, the side windows are not defrosting.

cherbert — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:05:11 GMT

I have the 360 Value Package.

04 Ford F-350 problem with vent selector.

ajattwood — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:48:37 GMT

Switch will move to other selections but the vents don't change - unable to select AC - it is defaulted to Defrost. Any ideas ?? Oh and the switch on the dash to select 4WD also doesn't work - any connection?? These 2 items are not on the fuse panel - so not electrical. Don't want to freeze toes again this winter!

I have a 1998 Ford Windstar. The air will only blow out the defrost vent.

dhopper — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:53:10 GMT

The air will not blow through the other vents in my Windstar. I checked the fuses and they are ok. I know there are vacuum hoses and motors, I am looking to see if anyone else has had this problem and how they fixed it.

No heat for 2006 Ford Mustang.

djmurf46 — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:44:12 GMT

My 2006 Mustang coupe, 4.0 V-6, will not heat up. Cannot get heat from heater or warm air thru defroster.
Can anyone advise probable reason, and best next step?
Thanks.

Chevy Avalanche heater and a/c controls not switching from blowing on face to any other function, ie; defrost or feet.

atv4man — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:11:29 GMT

2004 Chevy Avalanche heater & a/c controls don't switch from blowing on your face to any other function ie: defrost or feet. The controller is not digital. Has the controller went bad or has the actuator doors gone bad help please, don't want to have to go to dealer & spend $80 per hr.

Why does the vent airflow (both A/C and heat) in my 1997 GMC Yukon slow or stop?

afeldhuasen — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:54:41 GMT

Why does the vent airflow (both A/C and heat) in my 1997 Yukon slow or stop despite the fan operating normally? As I change the fan speed setting, I can hear it change speeds normally b/t high and low, but after 5-10 minutes of normal operation the aiflow through all vents (head, feet, defrost) is minimal. If I turn the fan setting to off for 30 - 60 seconds and then turn it back on, the airflow blows normally through all vents for another few minutes, thens slows/stops again.

2003 Buick Park Avenue rear defrost does not work, any suggestions?

2419 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:34:04 GMT

Rear defrost just quit working, one place said it might be the harness and another place it would take a lot of labor to replace this unit. Looking for suggestions or ideas if anyone else has had similar problem.

How do I set the defroster on my 1985 Ford Crown Victoria so my windows won't be so foggy?

taetae1 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:47:38 GMT

I don't know how to defrost my windows on my 1985 Ford Crown Victoria?

I have an 03 Ford Escape. The other day I saw a small amount of water dripping from under the left front of the bumper.

ptw323 — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:00:27 GMT

small amout of water dripping from under the left front bumper. not anti fresze. looked under fender well saw a drip tube. what is it?

My Ford Escape drip looks like it was coming from what looked like the battery box or the air filter.

ptw323 — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:03:50 GMT

that would be true if the a/c was running. it looked like it was under the battery box or the air filter. in the left fender well.

How to remove and install heater core in 2000 Lincoln Navigator? Why is coolant leaking from truck to ground?

yoham9 — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:51:22 GMT

I need to replace the heater core? I have coolant leaking from the truck on to the ground. the truck is not running hot but as soon as I fill the coolant you see it dripping on the ground kind of in the middle of the truck.

2002 Chevy Venture. Front windshield defrost whistles very loudly.

proudmommy — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:07:58 GMT

When I turn on the defrost for the front windshield it whistles very loudly (the higher i turn it the louder the whistle). It is very annoying and makes us avoid using the defrost until absolutely necessary. Except for the whistle it seems to work fine. The only other possible connected problem I see is that some of the dash vents don't put out much air like I think they should (but they are quiet). My warranty expires the end of the month and I would really like it fixed. The dealer says that because they have seen one other one that does the same thing they think it must be how it is supposed to work--I say that both vans just happen to have the same problem! Has anyone else had the same problem? Does anyone have one that works right WITHOUT THE WHISTLE SOUND? Any thoughts? Solutions? Diagnosis? I'm on a timeline crunch so quick help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks SOOO MUCH!!!

2001 Dodge Durango rear defrost button flashes and AC button doesn't light up.

djl1975 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:44:09 GMT

I changed my PCM to turn the check engine lite out and now the rear defrost button flashes and the AC button dont lite up saying its on or off but the AC still works which b4 i changed the computer the AC and defrost buttons were fine????

The heater in my '02 Ford V10 Triton will not switch from dash vent to floor or defrost. Where do I start?

jalippert — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:25:38 GMT

This heater is in a Forest River 'Georgetown' RV on a Ford frame.

Ford Windstar. The heater and defroster has stopped working. The AC works fine. Also clicking sound when trying to get heat.

cglenn — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:56:29 GMT

The veheicle is a 2001 Ford Windstar. The AC works fine but my heater and defroster have stopped working and at the same time when I try to turn the heat on I hear a loud clicking or bumping sound.

My 2001 Mitsubishi Galant stalls out when I put on the window defogger. Why?

israelm — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:48:37 GMT

recently while driving my Mitsubshi Galant 2001, I turned on the window defroster causing the car to stall out I turned off the defroster, the car ran alright, I again out of curiosity put on the defroster and it stalled out again. I tried the same thing using the other heating positions and I had no problems with the car stalling out, it only happens if I put on the defroster. Please help me figure this one out.

My 2000 Chevy Impala rear defogger quit working. The grid is fine and electrical connections fine, but no power.

jhynes — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:12:30 GMT

The rear defogger has no power going to it. The switch indicates that it is on, and will turn off after a period of time, like it is supposed to do, but no power is reacing t he back window. The grid on the window has been checked also and no broken lines.

Dirt collects in the vents on my Dodge Ram 1500.

jessica0720 — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:23:58 GMT

Thanks for answering my question concerning my a/c.I have another question about my 1999 Dodge Ram 1500. I already had to have my evaporator replaced a couple of years ago. I live in NJ and in the fall when the leaves fall particles will collect in the bottom of the duct work and blower and blow out when the fan is on. Is their anyway to stop these particles from coming in.I was told thats why my evaporator went so quick. I blew air in the vents and I thought I blew most of it out, but when i put my defrosters on this morning particles blew out like I didn't even blow the vents out.Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks Eddie

What would cause the heater in my 2000 Chevy Impala to stop putting out hot air in the interior compartment?

dan_and_suzi — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:07:29 GMT

My 2000 Impala has stopped putting out hot air when the heater or defrost are on...only cool air blows out. The fan works fine on all settings, but no hot air comes out. I suspect its a flapper valve stuck somewhere, but where would that be and how would I get to it? And would it need to be replaced or just adjusted? Or is a flapper valve really the problem?

My 2002 Chevy TrailBlazer is losing power when the defroster is turned on.

steelerfan7 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:26:40 GMT

I replaced the battery and all was fine for one day, but now if I'm stopped at a light or stop sign the car stalls ,also i noticed in my driveway that it only seems to be losing power when the defrost is turned on, the other climate modes don't seem to effect the power. Please help I'm very confused now. Also when i turn the key off there is a sound like an air pressure release coming from the dash.

99 Mercury Sable overheating.

zzyyzzxxz — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:33:01 GMT

I have a 99 Mercury Sable 3.0 v6 single valve. The cooling system is over pressurizing and I can't get any heat from the heater core.

I tried to flush the system twice and had the radiator pressure flushed. There isn't any oil in the water or water in the oil and I'm stumped. Any ideas?

Rear window defogger and power receptacles (cigarette lighters) do not work. Wire is attached to rear window. Chrysler Sebring.

oflemone — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:51:23 GMT

Rear window defogger and power receptacles (cigarette lighters) do not work. Wire is attached to rear window. I suspect fuse or relay. Any ideas which one?

2004 GMC a/c problem. Disconnected my battery and now my a/c and heater only blows out of defrost vents.

amarler75 — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:48:45 GMT

2004 GMC a/c problem.

I disconnected my battery to clean my mas air flow sensor and now my a/c only blows out defrost vents. no blown fuse, all wires hooked up.

Why does my car make a squeaky noise when I turn the a/c on?

tbdamare — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:02:21 GMT

Could it be a fan or is my a/c going out?

'05 Chevy Tahoe with cascading electrical problems.

ngfinch — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:47:04 GMT

It started with the battery dying. First the Airbag light came on. Then the brake light came on, and the hydroboost system stopped working. Then the traction control, and now the Climate control is stuck on the last setting. It will let me change the settings but nothing happens it just continues to run on defrost. I am taking it in to the dealership but would like a heads up on the dirty details. Thanks.

A buddy has a 2002 Chevy X cab Silverado. His windows fog up like crazy. He has not lost any coolant. What else?

jimturk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:52:29 GMT

A buddy has a 2002 Chevy X cab Silverado. His windows fog up like crazy now with the colder temps. He has not lost any coolant. He has been watching it for a few months. What else could it be?

Chevy S-10 4 cylinder standard has dead heater fan I think. How do you replace or repair?

john377 — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:05:00 GMT

The fan dial wheel on the dash does nothing and the defrost/heat vent is warm but no air is blowing up. There is no fan sound. I wonder how test if it the fan or something else and how do I get at the darned thing to repair replace? Where are fuses located for the heater/fan? How do you recognize them?

1999 Honda CR-V. Windows fog up inside. Defroster has trouble clearing. How do I deal with this?

adufault — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:19:33 GMT

With more people in car the more difficult to clear when it rains or on cold mornings. Start engine, turn on defrost, instant fog.

The rear defroster button beeps when pushed but the light does not come on and the rear defroster will not work. 2006 Dodge Stratus.

pam40 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:55:26 GMT

I recently bought a 2006 Dodge Stratus and noticed that I can't get the rear defroster to work. When pushing the button in it will beep, but the light does not come on and the defroster will not work. Any ideas on what might be wrong or how to fix this? (Possibly a fuse)