Rear window defroster unsoldered?

[Wkaz]

use this kit, it's the same thing fca recommends. you must buy a new button for the window connection it doesn't come with the kit. I did mine and so far so good. I wasn't wiling to leave my jeep for a day for something that takes an hour.

https://frostfighter.com/defroster-repair-tab-bonding-kit-2000.htm

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[martoaj]

My connector on the passenger's side disconnected only ~6 months and 3000 miles from new.

Just got back from the dealership, they determined they would rather replace the entire back glass. What an insane pain; I'm shocked Jeep hasn't found a better way to do this to save them from paying out $600+ glass replacements under warranty. Oh well. Gonna try and get some tape or a zip tie (or both) on the cable of the new one so it is less likely to wiggle out.

They weren't able to repair it, so they just ordered a new rear glass. It took about a month to get in, and it was replaced today. When I picked it up, the defroster line wasn't even clipped into the holder next to it, and the connection already feels loose. Off to a wonderful start, I fully expect this to rip off in short order.

Gonna get tape on the connector and zip ties around the clip area. Hopefully we'll at least make it through the cold temps.

 

[Pat’s Sahara Unlimited]

They weren't able to repair it, so they just ordered a new rear glass. It took about a month to get in, and it was replaced today. When I picked it up, the defroster line wasn't even clipped into the holder next to it, and the connection already feels loose. Off to a wonderful start, I fully expect this to rip off in short order.

Gonna get tape on the connector and zip ties around the clip area. Hopefully we'll at least make it through the cold temps.

If it‘s already loose, it will create a hotspot and probably melt away whatever amount of solder is still on…

 

[Pat’s Sahara Unlimited]

Just a reminder. The problem is caused by the low contact area inside the connector. The poor connection gets hot enough to melt the solder.
The solution, after reattaching the button using arctic silver, is to use conductive copper antiseize in the boot and between several layers of uncoated aluminum foil. This helps increase the contact area and tighten the junction.
The best solution would be changing the tab style to a 2 contact bridge and then using a normal connector designed for more amperage.

I was thinking about that potential conductivity issue…. Has anyone checked with a FLIR camera or just a temp sensor to see if that’s an issue? However,getting hot enough to melt solder in such as small spot for repeated durations should cause the back window to shatter from thermal shock, no?

 

[Frontal]

After the dealer replaced the glass twice under warranty, and failing to repair with the Frost Fighter I decided to repair it myself with the Frost Fighter.

Make sure that the button is cleaned (sanded) well, ensure that the contact point on the grid is sanded well to expose bare metal.

I used a good amouny of Frost Fighter to increase the surface area contact, probably just under the size of a penny, and ensured that the button was seated well.

Gentle heat was applied from a hair dryer to start the bonding process.

So far my repair has lasted longer that that made by Jeep or the dealer (six months so far).

 

[WagzDad]

I was thinking about that potential conductivity issue…. Has anyone checked with a FLIR camera or just a temp sensor to see if that’s an issue? However,getting hot enough to melt solder in such as small spot for repeated durations should cause the back window to shatter from thermal shock, no?

There was a thermal picture in one of the threads a couple years back. I seldom deal with frost in South Louisiana so the expansion differential probably isn’t extreme enough. A couple minutes is usually enough to clear the fog / condensation for me.

 

[Ridge2Far]

Just a reminder. The problem is caused by the low contact area inside the connector. The poor connection gets hot enough to melt the solder.
The solution, after reattaching the button using arctic silver, is to use conductive copper antiseize in the boot and between several layers of uncoated aluminum foil. This helps increase the contact area and tighten the junction.
The best solution would be changing the tab style to a 2 contact bridge and then using a normal connector designed for more amperage.

I recently purchased a 2018 JLUR and just noticed the rear window defroster connection on the passenger side has detached from the window heating element bus. In the picture below, I have popped the defroster tab out of the connector and am holding it between my thumb and index finger. The tab is supposed to be chemically bonded to the window defroster bus using an adhesive that contains a high amount of silver (for good electrical conductivity) and also provides strong adhesion to the element bus.

TSB 08-037-19 REV. B recommends using Frost Fighter 2000 as the chemical bonding agent to attach the tab to the defroster bus. “FCA US has not determined any other product meets its specification for electrical tab retention to glass.” I know others, including dealers, have had mixed success using this method to permanently reattach the tab. FrostFighter.com provides detailed written instructions and videos on how to do this properly. @Frontal did this right!

In the picture above you’ll notice that the tab used on our Jeeps is round and pops into the connector much like a button snap. This allows the connector to pivot on the tab allowing it to swivel a bit if bumped, where a rigid connection might be more likely to snap off. But here is where the problem lies. The button tab in my connector spins easily and has a lot of play. It therefore doesn’t provide an electrically sound connection. As @WagzDad pointed out, any loose connection incurs a voltage drop at that point and that results in heat. Instead of power going to the heating elements, it is being lost as heat at the connector. Over time, this heat will cause the adhesion to fail.

Again as @WagzDad noted (thanks Carroll), perhaps the best solution would be to change the tab style. Fortunately, FrostFighter has a potential fix: Coil cord for rear window defrosters (shown below) that I might try. "The cords are sized for high amperage defroster connections and include the Uni-Con connector which fits all defroster tabs."

Note: The tabs need to be purchased separately here.

 

[swmartin]

This has been happening to me since I bought my Rubicon in 2018. It's now happened to me 7 times. Out of the 7 times they replaced the glass 3 times and it falls off 2-4 weeks later. It's clearly a flawed design on the 2018 and up jeeps. I've been fighting with Chrysler for months because they keep charging me deductibles. The only way they will service this as recalls is if everyone starts open Chrysler service tickets. Lets get it started. This will be my last Jeep if they don't recall it and keep giving me the run around This is my 2nd wrangler and a grand Cherokee in the past - Never had this problem with any of the others.

The best part is, when I told the Chrysler lady this is known big issue sine they released the JL, she told me she doesn't believe anything on these threads. She'll believe it when Chrysler does a recall. Great customer service over at Chrysler.

 

[COBill]

The best part is, when I told the Chrysler lady this is known big issue sine they released the JL, she told me she doesn't believe anything on these threads. She'll believe it when Chrysler does a recall. Great customer service over at Chrysler.

That's par for the course for most auto makers and, for that matter, dealership service departments.

They will say "people on the Internet can say anything" and will say they can only fix something they reproduce and can only use techniques blessed by the manufacturer.

That's why you can even take in a videotape of your vehicle doing something like death wobble, but they won't take action unless it happens to one of their service techs.

 

[Pat’s Sahara Unlimited]

Hi everyone!

Came around to fix the detached defroster connector myself. I used the Frost Fighter repair kit, a 100 x 100 x 1mm copper heat sink sold on Amazon that came in a pack of multiple thicknesses.

Soldered the old tab on the heat sink, sparing no amount of solder filling the inside of the tab. This is to prevent hot spots when current is applied. And the heat sink should also help diss

I then proceeded to glue the heat sink back to the window using a heat gun to cure the epoxy. The idea is to increase the glued surface thus increasing both the power transfer surface (less heat) and the tensile strength of the connector so it does not come unglued again due to the tension on the connector when opening/closing the lid.

Once this was done, I tested the resistance/ continuity of the tab and the exposed defroster grid. O Ohms, so I connected everything back. Tested voltage, all good. Confirmed that heat was generated.

I’ll keep you posted to let you know if it holds up.

PS: I did notice that one of the gridlines is broken. I’ll try to fix that at a later stage. Wondering if just dabbing some Frost Fighter epoxy will do the job…

 

[WagzDad]

Hi everyone!

Came around to fix the detached defroster connector myself. I used the Frost Fighter repair kit, a 100 x 100 x 1mm copper heat sink sold on Amazon that came in a pack of multiple thicknesses.

Soldered the old tab on the heat sink, sparing no amount of solder filling the inside of the tab. This is to prevent hot spots when current is applied. And the heat sink should also help diss

I then proceeded to glue the heat sink back to the window using a heat gun to cure the epoxy. The idea is to increase the glued surface thus increasing both the power transfer surface (less heat) and the tensile strength of the connector so it does not come unglued again due to the tension on the connector when opening/closing the lid.

Once this was done, I tested the resistance/ continuity of the tab and the exposed defroster grid. O Ohms, so I connected everything back. Tested voltage, all good. Confirmed that heat was generated.

I’ll keep you posted to let you know if it holds up.

PS: I did notice that one of the gridlines is broken. I’ll try to fix that at a later stage. Wondering if just dabbing some Frost Fighter epoxy will do the job…

FF also sells grid repair paint kit. I have used it many times.

 

[KOKOKO]

+1
Cancelled dealer appointment. Looks like I need to get skilled at repairing this myself. The cost of time at the dealer is just not worth it. Come on Stellantis how can this still be happening? This is on the driver side where there is no tension on the cable. Simply a connection failure. Not acceptable.

 

[Rubicon_LA]

I was thinking about that potential conductivity issue…. Has anyone checked with a FLIR camera or just a temp sensor to see if that’s an issue? However,getting hot enough to melt solder in such as small spot for repeated durations should cause the back window to shatter from thermal shock, no?

That's exactly what happened to me - window shattered in the middle of the freeway on a speed with a gunshot sound. Scared the s**t out of me almost made me swerve out of the lane. Just by some miracle my son who was on the back seat was not injured though the back of the seat had a bunch of tiny glass pieces stuck in it.

 

[Maverick909]

i gave up with this. had mine fixed twice now and its hanging for a 3rd time. I've only turned it on 3 times in the last 5 years. I give up and just left it hanging. Ill eventually just cut the damn wire off and all it a day. totally forgot about it all summer since the hard top was off. LOL

 

[Grayhound]

Get the glue from Amazon. It will hold much better than soldering after the fact.

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