So, living in Canada, I am the subject of this awesome cold weather and the odd blizzard. And, visibility is a key... except my defroster sucks. I haven't really done anything to the car, and seeing as it's 10 years old, could it just be dirty and needs to be cleaned out? Or is the actual fan just weak?

When I put my hand above it, there's actually warm air coming out, it just isn't all that powerful, and it only defrosts the lower half of the windshield.


Any suggestions?

 

mine doesn't move a lot of air out either so it might be an age thing, however, I've never had problems with it not defrosting. when you have the other vents open and the fan cranked does it push more air? If so than some cleaning and removing of foreign bodies might be in order for your defrost vents. Not to sure what else to suggest, but that's a starting point...

btw "My ________ isn't performing...." is a thread title that simply begs for perverted jokes, and I am particularly proud of myself getting through this reply without giving in to the temptation, lol.

 

Yeah, when I crank the air, it makes a whole lot of air, and heats up the car, there's just always moisture on the inside of the windshield. I usually resort to continuously wiping it off with an article of clothing.

And thanks for the heads up... still a little unfamiliar with the inside forum jokes. lol.

 

The airflow is simple. It comes through the vents under the windshield washers, into the passenger side of the car, through the fan, into the center cluster where it is routed out to the different vents.

You could remove the washer cowling and check for obstructions, pull out the fan and check for buildup on the blades. I wouldn't mess with the rest unless you feel it is needed. The 2 things i mentioned should cure the problem though.

Are all/any of the settings on the fan working?
Is there a difference between the switch settings?

If not, try jiggling your main switch.... no, not that one, get your mind out of the gutter... the "1234" main switch. It may be going out. Or the fan may need to be replaced.

 

nothing to worry about, I'm just finding any excuse not to study for my finals, otherwise I probably wouldn't have even commented, lol

That's odd, never heard of moisture buildup inside... dehumidifier? lol

 

All of the settings on the fan work... just when it comes to the defroster it doesn't work well...
I'll gut the thing when it warms up a bit, seeing as my garage doesn't have the best insulation, it gets a little chilly at -13 right now.

And same, I have an exam tomorrow... cruising the forums is a easy distraction though.

 

Does your air conditioner work?

 

Yep, AC works fine. Although I haven't used it since summer...

 

so it's just a flow problem to the defrost vents?

Check for proper operation of the rest of the settings on the floor/vent/defrost dial.

Listen for a hissing noise when you put it on defrost coming from the dashboard.

Also, try warming up the car to above freezing for a few hours, then give the switch a good workout. It may be that the flaps inside the switching unit are stuck.

Check your A/C out and tell me if it works. The heat exchanger may be clogged.

 

Does the A/C light come on when you change to the defog setting? The A/C should come on automatically to help defog the glass. The defogger worked very well in my 2000.