Date:         Fri, 12 Jan 2001 13:32:46 -0500
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Rear window de-icer
Comments: To: EVEHART33@AOL.COM
In-Reply-To:  <95.571eca6.2790a41b@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 01:16 PM 1/12/2001, Ken Hunter wrote:
>The recent snowstorm here in NM brought out another problem with my 82 Westy;
>      some of the electric de-icer lines on my rear window don't work. A local
>FLAPS has a supposed repair kit to fix the breaks in the lines with some type
>of copper colored brush on glue. Any listees have experience with this stuff?

Stuff works as advertised.  One teensy little bottle (comes with a brush
and a stencil for about $10) will fix a bunch of breaks, but don't expect
the partly-used bottle to hang around long unless you're both careful and
lucky in sealing it back up.  To find the breaks, turn on the device and
hook a voltmeter to the contact at either end.  Using a rounded probe very
carefully (the original stuff is paint, too), trace the line from the other
end -- when you hit the break the voltage will suddenly go away.  Verify
the exact spot, mark it and continue.  Since there may be multiple breaks,
re-do the procedure with the meter hooked to the other terminal.  That will
find a second break if it exists.  To find more than two in one pass you
have to elaborate on the procedure a bit...fix the ones you found,
carefully observing the drying time before using the defroster again.  Also
observe any temp limitations -- you may have to wait until spring for this.

david


David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"