Keeping my windows from fogging up in my truck is like flying a plane sometimes. I have to constantly adjust from just defrost to vent back to defrost, then adjust the temp, then roll a window down then flip to vent......

My doors usually fog up towards the bottom corner closest to the dash, where there isn't a vent in the side of the dash to aim heat with and my side dash vent won't blow on that part of the window. Then it spreads from there.

The windows will even fog up right after applying a defogger, (Rain-X). Its driving me nuts.

Anyone have any suggestions on what I should try to combat this issue? Seems like if I even get any success with the Rain-X, I'm out there 2 days later reapplying.

You would think with as good as Toyota heaters are this wouldn't be much of an issue.

 

How long ago did you take the runner swimming? I had to let my 82 pickup dry out for along time before it stopped fogging up on me. But if its not a water issue I don't know what you could do. Is your defrost on the recirc or the fresh setting? I would think fresh would work better. I always leave mine on fresh and set it to rear/defrost and works nicely. The defrost comes out of the vents that are on the dash and you just gotta point them at the windows and make sure they are open. Should work.

 

If you've got A/C use it. That dries the air. If you don't then I'm out of ideas.

 

sounds like you ahve lots of moisture in the cab..... check out a product called Dryzair (i think you can get it walmart) but it cant get knocked over, so you'd have to put it in the truck at night and take it out before you leave in the morngin.

 

82yota, if you run it on the "fresh" setting, it'll be bring air in from out side. If the outside are is moist, like when it's foggy or raining it'll keep bring that moist air into the cab. If you run the "recirculate" setting it'll kind of dry the air in the cab and not bring any new moisture into the cab. Also like eric-the-red said, if you have A/C, run it. Air conditioners pull the moisture out of the air as part of how they cool and condition it.
I've never had any luck with the Defogger stuff, and I don't know anyone that has. It seems to me that it makes a fuzzier fog that's harder to see through. And it seems that it takes longer for the window to defog again if you have that stuff on it.

 

x3 for A/C

 

not sure if you know but the cleaner your windows are the less they tend to fog up. I try to clean my windows every month with newspaper on the inside. if that doesnt work, AC x4.

 

i'd have to agree with the fresh air vs recirculated air.

Definitely keep it on the fresh air if you're trying to defrost the inside.

 

I agree with the fresh air vent. When I used the recirc my truck would get TONS of moisture on the windows the next morning, it aint fun scraping ice off your interior windows and sunroof!

 

RainX makes an antifog that you apply to the inside of your windows. That helps a lot. My dad nevery smoked or chewed tobacco but he kept a cotton bag (like what pitchers have) filled with tobacco. He swore by it and his windows never fogged. I don't know how often he rubbed that on the glass but it worked. I myself wouldn't do that now that there is technology on our side.

And oh yeah, x4 (or is it x5) on the A/C idea. Air Conditioning - the conditioning part is the removal of moisture from the air. Very useful in a car cabin. Ever been in a car with a bunch of people on a long trip and the A/C turned off? It starts to feel very humid after a while from all the moisture exhaled.

 

I don't know usually when you are defrosting you are raising the heat inside the cab correct? And if you are pulling air in from outside even if it is raining ( 100% RH) when you bring that air inside the cabin you are raising the temp of it. This will increase its ability to hold the water in the air and not have it condense into water vapour as you will be raising it above the dew point. If you are just circulating the air around inside the cab your just blowing the wet air round and round inside and not changing it at all. You are respirating as well which adds more moisture to the mix and by not flushing it out with fresh air you just keep on adding moisture rather than getting rid of it. I'd say you want the fresh air coming in to keep the moisture from forming.

 

Not my Runner, former member. Older members get the pun behind it. Its on recirculate, I'll try out the fresh setting and see if that makes a difference. As far as the vents, I have a truck, on defrost it only comes from the top of the dash, for me to get the windows I need to put it on vent and the dash is to far forward to get the corner. From there it spreads.

No A/C. Kinda odd that I have a truck that see's weeks on end in the summer with temps sitting 95-105, lol.

Chris, I'll look into that. Is it something that would fit in the cup holder? I don't see myself walking down to the truck, then pull it out and hike back up to the apt. If I can just leave it in, that would be better, assuming I don't knock it over.

I always clean them before I apply the Anti-Fog.

I'm guessing the Rain-X you mentioned is the same product I'm using.

I'm assuming through all that, your advice is Fresh Air

I'm pretty dang sure it isn't. With everyones suggestions, I'm thinking pulling fresh air in might do the trick.


Guys thanks for the info. I never would have thought about the recirculating air as the issue. I'll check back in with you all in a few days.

Chris, I'll probably head up to Walmart or cross the street to shucks and see if I can hunt down that product.

 

I use the Rain-X stuff with decent results.

 

I'll be interested to see if the Rain-X works better with the truck pulling fresh air in.

 

a friend had a similar problem, he had a wet floor mats and carpet and also wet was some foam shiot beneath the floor. and when the engine got warm, it heated the area and humidity increased throughout the cab, foggy widows despite them being clean and fog-x'ed.
he had to cut lines/holes in the carped flooring to allow air in to dry that out.
sheck to see if water is getting in the cab somewhere and soaking some fabric er somethin....

 

my truck fogged up alot when i 1st bought it. (from a very wet farm area)

after i removed everything (carpet too) the fog went away, but the wet fur smell stayed.

after replacing the heater core, i now have good heat, (that actually warms up in 5 minutes= hot air), and a clean airy smell. (maybe due to the new carpet/rubber flooring).


also,
to clean windows, never use lemon (or something that will make haze) .

use acetone to fully clean glass and you will know its a pure surface again.
(i think my friends sister used pine sol on her cars dash board, and afterwards got a permanent haze on all her interior windows.

 

and another product that will pull moisture from your truck/rv, is called "damp-rid".


you can buy a big bowl, or bucket, and set it inside.
i used this to some degree of success before i went postal and replaced everything.

i never tipped it over b/c i also zip-tied the "spill-over" bucket to the floor.
and now, i keep the extra "damp-rid" under my bathroom sink.

im surprised that rain-x / fog-x doesnt work for ya.
it works on my bathroom mirror.

 

Another vote for fresh air. If I put my 4runner on recirculate the windows fog up within 5 minutes.