GT rear defroster connections SOL?

The two wires from the body to the liftgate got disconnected/torn off by some DPO. Does anyone see a way to hook this back up? The window fogs up terrible during the winter.

The driver's side;

The driver's side

I was wondering the same thing as one of mine had broken off. Maybe solder it?

For some reason I was unable to post the picture of the other wire which actually has about 3-4mm sticking out from the rubber and that looks doable but the one pictured does not look that great. Can I go digging with a razor and try and get a workable section of wire from that end?

I haven't on the MG, but I did on my Porsche 924, and it worked fine. Be careful on your heat (I used a 25W iron and small electronics solder) and do not apply much in the way of pressure. Also you will need to remove any oxide with a pencil eraser.I used a crimp on male connector to make the connection.

Paul.

As you can tell, the wire enters the rubber seal and the part in your hand is what was broken off of a longer pigtail that runs between the edge of the glass and the rubber seal. The spade lug terminals on the glass sit about half way down each side, so the wire under the rubber seal are reasonably long. Prying back the rubber seal should reveal the remainder of the wire and perhaps more than enough to make a splice. The type of splice you will need to make requires that you strip both the concealed wire to the grid and also the lead back to ground or power. I believe the one shown in your photo is the power lead, but check your wiring diagram.

The splice you will need to make is called a Western Union splice and a photo of its process is shown at the bottom of the page. When done soldering, slide a length of heat shrink tubing over it to insulate. This splice will probably work best for you as it provides the smallest diameter profile to fit back under the rubber seal without causing more than a lump under the rubber on the inside. If that does not appeal to you, the next best suggestion is to remove the seal and window and create a new wire soldered to the metal connection on the glass. The profile of the wire's terminal where it attaches to the glass mounted spade lug is smaller than usual and you may have to salvage that terminal and reuse.

Carl,
Below is a photo of the wiring connection made to the grid. As I said, it sits about half way down the side of the glass. The wire goes up each side, around the top corners, and exits at the top of each corner about 1/4 of the way towards the center. The glass has a relief ground into the edge to accommodate the wire (which is taped to the edge).

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Sorry Bob. I am in the middle of my work week and a very stressfull semester long class that I am not prepared for. You did a lot of work on the post and I should have made note of it then. I am hoping to get a look at it in the this month sometime (after I get the compressor going). I may send you a pic or two when I get some of it cut back for your advice

Sorry too. Hope your class goes well, and the stress level goes down. We are in the midst of moving from ID and looking for new work where we are going (WA or OR) and so I can understand. I just hope the info is helpful.

I think you should be able to get an acceptable splice to those wires and be back in business! When I checked out the defogger window I had salvaged, it ended up having a bad grid (something you can't check too well in the boneyard), and had to strip the grid and create my own with a kit from JC Whitless. It works, but I am still looking for a good OE one. Someday when the dust settles.

One additional comment. Give some thought to utilizing a relay to feed power to your defogger. It helps get the most power to the grid and less losses from the OE wiring which runs all the way back to the dash. I mounted my relay in the trunk, drilling a hole (with grommet) thru the upright part of the floor near the battery and connecting the main power supply wire to the relay to the clamping bolt of the (+) terminal on the battery. A much shorter route than before. Then the dash switch simply controls the relay. It seems to make the grid get a bit warmer and work a bit faster.