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aftermarket dash mounted defroster

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Old Nov 9, 2018 | 06:42 AM
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bayoulee's Avatar
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aftermarket dash mounted defroster

Does anyone have any experience with this? The switches are all hosed on my truck, and it fogs up something terrible when its cold out. Ive seen a lot of these on ebay and wondered how they worked, and if some were better that others. Thanks
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Old Nov 9, 2018 | 03:37 PM
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By hosed what do you mean? I mean the best and simplest way to get heat or defrost is the one you have.....

I have not had any experience with any type of defrosters that I guess sit on the dash? Any links to what you are looking at?

I would like to hear what issues you have with your current defrost/ heater?
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Old Nov 9, 2018 | 04:15 PM
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The effectiveness of any electrical defroster is going to be directly proportional to the power that it draws. No free lunch.
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Old Nov 9, 2018 | 06:26 PM
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This is what I see on eBay and it looks like a train wreck, 600 watts ouch....I vote to fix your hosed switches






Last edited by Discombobulated; Nov 9, 2018 at 06:27 PM.
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Old Nov 9, 2018 | 11:49 PM
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+1 on fixing what Toyota made that works well for most of us.
To best defog / defrost, Make sure the air conditioner works. It removes moisture from the air - that's what you see dripping out of the evaporator to the ground when AC is on.
Then you run that dry air through the heater core to heat it so it vaporizes more quickly whatever moisture is on the windshield.
The above process is called dehumidification.

Last edited by RAD4Runner; Nov 10, 2018 at 08:40 AM.
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Old Nov 10, 2018 | 03:41 AM
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A no-fog spray like you’d use on ski goggles will help.
if it’s icing from the outside, use a plastic section of tarp at night to cover it... Just tear it off and go.
my buddy is a volunteer fireman and this is what he always did. You can’t sit around waiting for the defroster when the fire alarm sounds!

but above all, yes, fix it.
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Old Nov 10, 2018 | 08:34 AM
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I agree with the fine folks above. The factory setup will work better than most any aftermarket defroster. One thing to watch out for with aftermarket defrosters is the amperage load that it draws. It may be more than the factory cigarette lighter / 12v outlet can provide.

If you need help figuring out what is wrong, we can help steer you in the right direction.


Originally Posted by RAD4Runner
+1 on fixing what Toyota made that works well for most of us.
To best defog, Make sure the air conditioner works. It removes moisture from the air - that's what you see dripping out of the evaporator to the ground when AC is on.
Then you run that dry air through the heater core to heat it so it vaporizes more quickly whatever moisture is on the windshield.
The above process is called dehumidification.
Ray, what is this "Air Conditioning" you speak of?

If you have Air Conditioning, it really does help the defogging process. All modern cars automatically turn on the Air Conditioning when you set the climate controls to the "defrost" position, for the very reason RAD4Runner described.

With out Air Conditioning, you just have to wait a few minutes for the fog to clear or simply wipe it with a clean rag.

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Old Nov 10, 2018 | 08:39 AM
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Or spit as we use to defog diving googles LOL!
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Old Nov 11, 2018 | 06:37 PM
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Truck doesnt have AC, dont have time to fix the oe in the dash at this time, and I need the truck. Hence, why im looking at the cheap ones on ebay. I am interested in figuring it out and fixing it right eventually, the lever that swithces defrost/floor/vents is broken and the entire faceplate needs replaced. As I recalled, I tried to find an entire replacement a couple of years ago when I got the truck and they either weren’t available or were very expensive.
I tried to add a screenshot of the eBay defrosters but couldn’t. They are cheaper 12 to 15 bucks .

Last edited by bayoulee; Nov 11, 2018 at 06:41 PM. Reason: Add pic
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Old Nov 11, 2018 | 06:50 PM
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Old Nov 14, 2018 | 02:47 AM
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I had one similar to the $15.59 one above. It wasn’t good for much. When you figure a typical hair dryer is 1875 Watts and this is 150 watts you can see why.
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Old Nov 14, 2018 | 08:33 AM
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Originally Posted by Melrose 4r
I had one similar to the $15.59 one above. It wasn’t good for much. When you figure a typical hair dryer is 1875 Watts and this is 150 watts you can see why.
makes sense. I took a picture of what my panel looks like.
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Old Nov 14, 2018 | 08:36 AM
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Pretty rough. Only fan switch works. He has to be turned on/off under hood. Plunger is frozen up.
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