M1009 Front Windshield Defroster

[ssdvc]

I was wondering if anyone has changed out, beefed up or augmented the stock 1009 heater system to provide a quicker defrost of the front windshield. My 1009 seems to warm up quicker than my TDI Golf (@ about 4-5 miles @ 45 mph the heat comes up), but not if I am idling waiting for the frost to clear the windshield.

I am thinking of the Frost Fighter windshield strip ( Frost Fighter Clear View Special Applications ) , but any other thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks !

 

[epitts]

They make a spray on defrosting fuid that works vary well.

 

[jholler]

I'm gettin one of these. 12v Swivel Heater Fan / Defroster, Truck & Suv, Rally at Sportsman's Guide

 

[blackhueys]

I added both the air and coolant arctic heaters works great and almost instant heat! I also have a windshield washer fluid heater that helps year around. send me a pm if you would like some more info on where to get arctic heaters and parts I also have the install manual if you are interested for the arctic heaters.

 

[jmassenga]

Make sure the ducts are assembled correctly under the dash. Mine had been separated and almost no air was getting to the defroster ducts. After putting the connection just above the heater outlet back together and wrapping it in duct tape to eliminate leakage, my defroster works much better.

If the ducts are together properly, step 2 would be to pull the heater core (accessed behind the glove box) and check it for blockage.

 

[Zero_cool]

The heat in my 1028 was horrible when i first bought it.
I found out that cold air was coming in the floor vents from the grill in between the front wind shield and the hood.
I sealed off the grill by filling the ends with caned insulation , then i made a plate thats bolts in place of the driver side vent door sealing that off. I left the passenger side vent open to act as a cold air return.
That thing heats me out of the truck now.

 

[ssdvc]

I added both the air and coolant arctic heaters works great and almost instant heat! I also have a windshield washer fluid heater that helps year around. send me a pm if you would like some more info on where to get arctic heaters and parts I also have the install manual if you are interested for the arctic heaters.

PM inbound, thanks

 

[Cucvnut]

whats frost ?

 

[ssdvc]

whats frost ?

Frozen humidity !!!!!!!!

And we just got a bunch of snow to boot !!! Global warming my a** !

 

[ZiggyO]

Hello,

Be wary of too much heat on the glass too quickly as thats a sure recipe for a cracked windshield due to temperature shock........


Ziggy

 

[edpdx]

JHOLLER:

I'm gettin one of these. 12v Swivel Heater Fan / Defroster, Truck & Suv, Rally at Sportsman's Guide

SAVE YOUR MONEY... if you won't listen, send some money to me and I will send my two that I got from SMG and you can see for yourself what an incredible piece of junk these "heaters/defrosters" are. I plugged mine in and turned it on to the foggy windshield last winter. After about 15 minutes it produced a clear spot on the glass, no more that 4 inches away, that was only 7" in diameter. I thought the unit must be defective so I opened the other unit and got the same result. The motor is so week it barely feels like a current of air is coming out of it. The handheld handle does nothing but burn calories in your forearm waving the darn thing back and forth for 30 minutes- only to have the fog come right back. Just get a new heater core. It is what I did. I dreaded the replacement; but I removed the 6 bolts from the passenger seat and it went very quickly with easier maneuverability.

See the TM. Drain some of the antifreeze. Clamp the heater hoses near the firewall. If the hoses are long enough, cut them near the heater core. If not... replace the hoses- no better time to do it really. Three bolts on the firewall. 4 bolts to remove the glovebox door.Take pictures of the position of the cable linkages under the dash. Pull a few screws- very few. Rap the plenum to free the gasket. There is the heater core. Under an hour with little more than a razor knife, screwdriver and set of 1/4" socket wrenches.

The tricky part is figuring out which 3 bolts on the firewall to remove. Forget all the stuff about the "hidden" or hard to get to bolt behind a fender. The TM shows two in a straight vertical line from each other the 3rd one is half way between them to the right- towards the driver-side about 2 inches- remember... to the RIGHT- not towards the fender. Everything else was way easier than I thought it would be.

Don't forget to replace the antifreeze. Run the heater full blast for around 10 minutes and then re-top the antifreeze. You'll be happy, and WARM with the time you spend on this relatively easy fix.

 

[ssdvc]

I get heat and plenty of it, but thanks for the simple explanation of the heater core removal. I copied and saved that !!

It was about 25 degrees here yesterday morning and the heat came up in less time then it does in my TDI VW Golf. It is the fan output and the amount of flow across the front windshield that seams to be the problem. I think that heater strip might come in handy when the snow hits and may help get rid of frost. that said, is there a way to upgrade to a higher out fan setup?

 

[epitts]

Check the duct work and make sure-1. That it is clean and clear ( mine had insulation in them) 2. Make sure the defroster ducts are lined up and attached. Mine will blow you out now.

 

[SPCWarning]

Also, on the "heat/defrost" slide switch, make sure the cable isn't bent or it won't move the gate that re-directs the air from bottom to windshield. That, along with clogged, broken, disconnected duct work will do it. If the fan seems to be blowing hard it is probably a blockage or the above mentioned. Hope this helps.
Jim

 

[Sasquatch]

My M1008 was having a similar issue, not with heat, do have an arctic cover installed, but just with airflow. The arctic heater system might have some extra drag in it that slows airflow to the defroster. Fan worked on all speeds and seemed to be running at full speed with good voltage, and air would get nice and hot after warming up a bit. The airflow just wasn't enough to defrost well.

After making sure all passages were clear and not plugged, I taped up the huge gap in the stock ductwork. I found aluminum duct tape was easier to work around the tight area since you could thread it where you want then strip off the backing and get it into position. That helped some but wasn't enough of a boost. I ended up cutting into the duct behind the glove box and install a Shurflo Yellowtail 3" Inline Blower Fan. These are 12v fans made for clearing bilges of fuel fumes on boats. I had to trim it in a few places to get it to fit. It sounds like a hairdryer howling away under the dash but it works well, wired it to a separate switch. Since it's just a fan and will slowly warm up with the engine I'm not concerned about putting too much heat to the windshield. I'll try to load up some pics soon.

 

[Sasquatch]

Here the pics. An ugly cut out I know, I could have made it nicer if I had known exactly was was in the duct work, ended up trimming extra plastic off the fan to help it fit. I temporarily taped the hole with duct tape but plan to cut a piece of black plastic with some weatherstripping to seal it and screw in a cover for the ductwork. You can see the big gap between the defrost duct and the heater that robs the defroster of airflow. Fan runs about $20 on amazon, $30 at West Marine.

 

[rivcrazy2000]

They do make windshield covers that keep frost off of it. Popular up here, much more convenient than scraping ice just put it on at night take it off in the morning.

 

[natemccabe]

I'm gettin one of these. 12v Swivel Heater Fan / Defroster, Truck & Suv, Rally at Sportsman's Guide

I bought one of those the other day, not a chance in Hades that it will defrost my windshield in a timely manner. The thing is a cheap (I mean REALLY cheap) blowdrier.

 

[pgwaldner]

Install a block heater so the engine is somewhat pre-warmed. It does not make the heater work better, but decreases the warm up time and makes for easier starts in the cold.

 

[edpdx]

Mine (from the same place) are gathering dust in the garage- I think I'll convert them into boot dryers