Folks, a problem that needs your help please....

I typically use the heated screen most weeks at present and it has never caused me an issue up till now. However, I seem to have lost heating effect on the passenger side of the car, despite the drivers side still working (fortunately). My single button on the dash works and lights up, the rear screen demists, as do the mirrors, but the passenger side has gone west it seems.

According to the book there's only one fuse (a monster 70A in the engine compartment fusebox, which is fine of course), so I expect a wire has come off somewhere, by Lord knows where to start with that one....

Anyone have any experience with this one please? Thanks.

Heated Fronts usually have two elements, one each side, with a connector for each, often they are under the scuttle panel.

I'm not sure if each side is individually fused, it sounds like they aren't, but it's worth pulling and checking all the fuses, both under the bonnet and behind the glovebox before you start dismantling anything else.

Quite often the connectors to the screen suffer from water, it's a common complaint on a lot of Fords fitted with them.
You'll find loads of similar Ford posts on their forums.

I fixed a similar fault on my old X Type, water had got into a connector and shorted out, just needed to find it, strip it back and solder in a new piece of wire.

Thanks for that and a good point about checking all the fuses, as it's not beyond the bounds of possibilities of course that Fiat failed to document things properly in the handbook.

I can see a black wire (with a blue connector of some sort) in the scuttle area behind the plastic cover and it looks as though it might be a connection direct onto the windscreen itself. Or the feed to the wiper motor maybe. I've not been able to work out how to remove this plastic moulding yet, but will look there next, after the fuse check. I agree that a lose or corroded wire might be the most logical.

Thanks.

R1NGA said:

Thanks for that and a good point about checking all the fuses, as it's not beyond the bounds of possibilities of course that Fiat failed to document things properly in the handbook.

I can see a black wire (with a blue connector of some sort) in the scuttle area behind the plastic cover and it looks as though it might be a connection direct onto the windscreen itself. Or the feed to the wiper motor maybe. I've not been able to work out how to remove this plastic moulding yet, but will look there next, after the fuse check. I agree that a lose or corroded wire might be the most logical.

Thanks.

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If you mean de black cover under wipers. ??
it is clicked in a profile and need some doing to get it loose.

That's the one Hans - I'll have a better look at it tomorrow, in the daylight. Given that the connections are likely to be on the outside, I'll start there for sure.

I believe they will be in the middle.
Could remember 2 cut-away's in the middle when i had my windshield replaced.

There are definitely two connectors one per side underneath the windscreen scuttle. When my screen was replaced these had to be disconnected/reconnected. The panel was easy to remove and the connectors clip into a moulded plastic clip on each side. Certainly an easy thing to check and fix if it's just a corroded connector.

An update on progress so far, albeit one without a solution as yet. Scuttle easy to remove and as other have said, the connections are easy to see. One pair of flexible 'ribbon' type connection on each side - a Positive and a Negative, going into a typical waterproof harness plug. So far so good.

I switch the screen on and having disconnected the 'broken' side connector, tested for +12v at the harness terminal - nothing. OK, so that looked to be the problem. As a check, let's do the same on the 'working' side plug to make sure that +12v is available there when the screen is on - Nothing too. Ar$e. Suspect there's some CANbus or relay magic going on somewhere, so little else I can check at that point. (NB: Since then I've found a very sharp and pointy testing tool that is designed to pierce a tiny hole though the insulation of a closed connection like this and I will try again to see if there's any juice flowing). It then began to rain hard, so I put the car back together and retired to consider next tests.

So today I plan to pop the connections once more and this time test continuity across each side of the screen. Clearly the 'working' side will measure continuity, but maybe the 'broken' side will not. Those ribbon connectors do look fragile and prone to fatigue failure, so I need to see if this is the case. If it proves to be, then a new screen is in order of course. If the screen is OK though, then I am struggling, as all of the fuses I can check are OK.

Interestingly, the main fuse for the screen is in the engine compartment fuse box and once the cover is removed the fuses are a bugger to get to. The main (70A!!!) windscreen fuse is OK and I've checked some others that I can actually remove, but there are some weird looking fuses in there with no obvious means of removal. Have anyone else had a look inside there as yet?

More tests later then..... but in the meantime, some pics of the connections for future info.

Further update, but with the definitive issue identified. Having discovered I had one of those very sharp, tiny needle-like electrical testers, I was able to fire up the screen with it connected and then 'probe' the power feed for 12v. Both sides of the screen are being powered, so that discounts any fuse or relay problems, which is good.

I then tested continuity on both elements and sure enough, the passenger side is open circuit. No manner of bending, tweaking and rustling the ribbon connections made a difference, so it looks like a new screen is required. Maybe this is the prompt I needed to deal with the massive stone chip on that side too....

Anyway, just glad that it's not a deeply buried wiring issue anywhere! Still annoying, but easily fixed I suspect, as long as I can get the screen with the City Brake Control format of course.

While I'm glad the issue finally has a target (and resolution), this sort of makes me think that this could become a common issue for heated screen owners in the future.

I doubt it TBH. Proven technology on Fords back to the 80s.

That said, introducing an Italian element to electrics.....lol.

Squadrone Rosso said:

I doubt it TBH. Proven technology on Fords back to the 80s.

That said, introducing an Italian element to electrics.....lol.

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Yeah, it isn't the 'screen that's failed, it's the interface between the 'screen and the car.

Worked fine for over 100k miles on my previous Mk1 Ka.

If you think italian electrics are bad, please don't buy a french car!

Hopefully a windscreen is a slightly more popular replacement than side or rear windows. I will make the call next week I think.

Autoglass had the heated screen with city brake option in stock when I needed one a few years back due to stop chip damage. Just make sure they know it is heated and had city brake not just heated. So you should be okay.

I explained very carefully to them that it had both setups, so we'll have to see what turns up tomorrow - hopefully they bring the correct screen. I even called them to make sure they understood. Reports later.....!

Be sure you also get the acoustic window installed if you have one now.

The Pretender said:

Be sure you also get the acoustic window installed if you have one now.

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Whatever one of those is.....!? I know Audi did a double-glazed option which pretty much destroyed any ability to use a mobile phone of portable SatNav, but did Fiat do one too then?

R1NGA said:

Whatever one of those is.....!? I know Audi did a double-glazed option which pretty much destroyed any ability to use a mobile phone of portable SatNav, but did Fiat do one too then?

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The Lounge version have a acoustic front window as standard, so i reckon the 4x4 has it too.
You can recognize it at the window stamp if you have a acoustic front window, it will show a little "Ear" symbol.

The Pretender said:

The Lounge version have a acoustic front window as standard, so i reckon the 4x4 has it too.
You can recognize it at the window stamp if you have a acoustic front window, it will show a little "Ear" symbol.

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Well what do you know! I'll have a look-see when the sun comes up Thanks!