does my car have a heated windshield?

[BerniniCaCO3]

How do I tell?

If it DOES, then I have the 100amp alternator and won't get around to upgrading any time too soon.

If it does NOT, then I have a 65amp alternator, and will be looking for that 3G in the next few weeks!
Battery hasn't died yet, but with the sound system I put in the other month, I don't want an antique alternator.

There's a defrost setting along with the climate control?
But that might just blow hot air from the heater core.




Oh, hijacking my own thread-- speaking of the climate control dial when you turn the climate control from a little cold to friggin cold, all that a little cold does is to mix in larger amounts of outside air to be warmer, correct? So that if it is 105F, there's no reason at all to suffer warmer air by not setting the dial all the way to the left in the name of fuel economy, because the compressor unit will be working full time either way?

[sxcpotatoes]

The heated windshields have a GOLD tint to them, it's actually a film over the glass that heats up when elecrical current is passed thru it (I imagine).

There's also a yellow/gold line at the bottom of the windshield.

I had one on a car that got taken out by a fuckin' rock, chipped the glass and peeled the film off in an oval.

The button for the heated windshield is obvious too as it's a BIG rectange that goes where the Rear Defrost and Power Antenna Up/Down switches go in the dash on the '91s.

[86VickyLX]

Open your hood, look at the alternator, if it has two plugs, a black one with 3 wires, 2 black and orange wires and a white with black stripe, and another connector, with a green, orange, and yellow wire, you got the 2g 65 amp alt. If you have an actual charge stud, and a two wire plug, you got the 100 amp alternator.

[P72Ford]

100 amp alternator should have an external voltage regulator, me thinks. All of mine did.

[gadget73]

In AC mode, the compressor will cycle with the refrigerant pressure switch. The temperature setting doesn't directly control how much that compressor runs, however it only runs when you have it set to AC and it will cycle in defrost mode. The compressor does not run in vent or floor modes.

[GM_Guy]

The 100 amp alternator was optional in non-heated windshield cars, also it may have been equipped with a heated windshield and replaced with a regular windshield at some point in its last almost 20 years of existance. If you can't make heads or tails out of it, take a picture of the alternator and we'll let you know.

Alex.

[86VickyLX]

The 100 amp alternator was optional in non-heated windshield cars, also it may have been equipped with a heated windshield and replaced with a regular windshield at some point in its last almost 20 years of existance. If you can't make heads or tails out of it, take a picture of the alternator and we'll let you know.

Alex.

It should have a switch somewhere obvious if it had the heated windshield.

[GM_Guy]

I thought it was integrated with the rear defroster switch.

Alex.

[tjc78]

I thought it was integrated with the rear defroster switch.

Alex.

That is the way my 89 was. However, on the 90 - 91 I think it was in the center right above the radio.

[deadly_nightshade]

here is perfect example of how the windshield looks if it has the heated windshield...

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?t=14511&highlight=flying+brick

speaking of which, i have seen it around in my area quite often

[91waggin]

90-91 has a separate button for w/s de-ice. 89-down has it integrated into rear def switch

[rick99601]

does anyone know of a place that still have the InstaClear windshields in stock?

[91waggin]

good luck with that one

[Lincolnmania]

as far as i know you have not been able to get a new instaclear windshield in a long time and when you could get them, they were around 800 bucks

[tjc78]

When my Instaclear was broken , I had gotten a quote of around $1000 to replace it (back in 97-98). A regular non-heated windshield was about $200. I pocketed the $800 and bought a nice ice scraper.

I must say, the heated windshield did work great though. The glass guy at the time told me that they tended to get brittle with age. At the time the car was only 8 years old, so I can imagine what they are like now (the ones that survived)