On the passenger side of my rear defrost the wire is separating from the hatch glass. I tried using rear view mirror glue to fix it once a few years ago but it did not hold. Has anyone else found a better solution to this problem? Maybe just normal super glue?

 

I don't have a rear defroster so bear with any ignorance in my reply.

According to the FSM, the braided wire lead should be soldered back onto the grid. This might be difficult, trying to do this upside down.

You might want to try some kind of electrically conductive adhesive/epoxy.

 

Assuming an electronics grade soldering iron and solder would work here, I'd be willing to give the soldering a shot. Being upside down won't be great of course.

 

Doubt you'll be able to solder a wire to glass......

Superglue might work, I'd try it in a VERY small area just to see how well it worked before trying to re-glue the entire area.

 

I had one like that at one time. I never found anything that worked. The best fix would be a hatch glass without the defroster.

It really blows that so many thirdgens got rear defrost. I can't remember it ever being useful, even when I daily drove my beater year round in South Dakota.

 

The Permatex kit has some adhesive that is used for reattaching tabs, but it sounds like it doesn't work for the wire type. "This product will work on tabs that have become detached from the side grid of electric defogger. This product will not work on bare wires that have been soldered to window grid and have been removed".

Has come in handy quite a few times here in Colorado

 

If you're talking about the prong that the wire plugs into, it should be solderable. I used to be a window tinter, every now and then one would break off and we could usually re-solder it back on. Not sure what kind of solder the shop used, but it wasn't cheap ****.

 

Think he means the big flat cable.I used crazy glue on mine years ago & its still holding to this day.

 

Yes I was referencing the big wire on the hatch. I've had a busy few weeks but I snapped a picture of what is happening today. You can see where I attempted to glue it years ago and it just ripped the ground strip off of the hatch.

 

Thats exactly how mine came off.Crazy glue's been holding since.Maybe sand it, then clean w/ alcohol.

 

from the photo, it doesn't appear that there needs to be any electrical contact, yes?

For this, I would use just a small dab of clear silicone adhesive to hold the wire to the defroster grid. It's not so rigid as a cyanoacrylate (superglue) and will stand up to the hot sun and has some "give" should the wire need to flex.

Use a silicone that is free of acetic acid (corrosive); the stuff that doesn't have that vinegar smell. Something similar to Dow Corning 748. Or perhaps an O2 sensor safe silicone?

 

http://www.frostfighter.com/defroste...g-kit-2000.htm
Try this stuff.
Not cheap, but it is strong, and forms a conductive bond. I used it on my Mustang convertible that a dealer tried to repair with no success with solder. It has held for the past 4 years.