Date:         Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:12:49 -0700
Reply-To:     Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Rear Window Defroster Strips Pretty Much Fugeddaboutit?
In-Reply-To:  <bfb5ccc40910231223h6bef5d7eu8b6320f667abece8@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Well, can't say anything about the condition of the little horizontal
resistive paint stripes yet -- they look a mite thin in some areas but
that might be normal.

I did brave a light rain shower to inspect the connections to the window
and found that the ground side connector was real loose. The wire
terminates in a female bit in a plastic housing that slides onto a bent
piece of copper with a spade, the other end of which is sandwiched between
the window rubber and vertical conductor stripe on the glass.

At least that's how it looks.

The connector was just sort of rattling around on the end of the spade. I
tightened the female end a bit with a pointy tool and attempted
re-connection, and it was nice and tight this time.

But in the fracas the copper bit pulled out of the rubber/window space so
I just sort of shoved it back in. I could not tell whether there was
anything fancier needed to achieve a connection between the copper bit and
the window stripe.

Anyone got any comments about how the copper bit and the conductive foil
on the window are connected? I'm hoping the copper bit is just squozed*
between the rubber and the glass there.

I did measure +12 at the other connector. I'll wait until things get
wetter and colder to find out whether the dorking around did anything useful.


--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Bend, OR
KG6RCR