Wiring Rear Window Defogger (at window)

[Bonedoggie]

Hoping someone else here with a Super Beetle Convertible may be able to comment. My father owned this prior to his passing and it being passed on to me. He had the top replaced. When they did, they disconnected the rear defogger and left the positive lead loose under the rear seat near the relay (which is fine). I have found that there is continuity in the unit and will reattach one of the connectors to the glass with a repair kit.

My question is the best way to wire up the connections at the window. I'm assuming that strictly it does not matter as the other lead goes to ground, but which side should I connect the positive wire to (drivers or passenger side)? Also is there a preferred location to connect the ground once I feed it back down through the headliner? I'm assuming just a small hole for the wire into the headliner, but would also appreciate any tips on a clean solution there as well.

Or, maybe just a pic or two of how the wires run near the window

.

Thanks, JB

[KTPhil]

Before you worry about wiring, confirm the elements still heat properly. They probably don't.

The orange/brown lines you see are NOT the conductive heating element. It is a primer that lets the actual conductive material stick to the glass. In time, the conductive material evaporates away and no longer heats. The primer remains.
_________________
Current Fleet:
- '71 Fastback
- '69 Westfalia
Retired:
- '67 Beetle
- '65 Beetle (x2)
- '65 Bus
- '71 Squareback

[Bonedoggie]

Thanks much, but as noted above I was able to confirm continuity by using a multimeter connected to each of the terminal locations. Am I missing something?

[OldSchoolVW's]

It doesn't take much to show continuity ... a whisker of a connection, which would likely be inadequate for the defogger to do its job of defogging well or at all. Ann Arbor in the summer no doubt provides all the humidity you need to get the windows fogged up ... if you could get cooler temps along with it, which are probably 2-3 months away. Then you could temporarily wire it up to see how well it clears the window. Alternatively, you could try using an infrared thermometer to see how uniformly the elements warm the window.
_________________
Tom

"Following distance is proportional to IQ."

"It's okay to think."

"If you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do." Warren Miller

'63 Beetle Sedan
'69 Beetle Sunroof
'70 Beetle Sedan
'73 Type 3 Fastback

[Bonedoggie]

Thanks much Tom, will report back after wiring install and testing.

JB

[tzepesh]

12V comes on the driver side, GND on the passenger side. There should be a GND tab on the body, and you just use a small piece of wire to connect the two. 12V wire hopefully is still under the headliner, otherwise it's a pain to pull it through (especially if there is still death foam).
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'74 1303S, L98B Viperngrun (extra glitter), German Look
'64 1200, Sea Blue, under restoration