Weird Winter Windshield Woes

[PilotSmack89]

Hey guys, long time no chat!

So I moved to Smithers, fully expecting the winter to be a little... well... chilly, but I did not expect what I saw on my windshield this morning...

It was -26 overnight, totally clear night. Frost had developed, so i pull out the trusty ol scraper and scrape it all off. Problem is, that there is frost adhering to the INSIDE of the windshield and passenger window... I have never seen this before. I heated the block with one of those magnetic heaters overnight, started just fine, but even after 10 mins of full defrost heat blasting the windshield, the frost remained....

Any ideas or pointers on how to deal with this?

[Evo_Spec]

i think you should be able to buy some anti-fog stuff at cad tire or any other automotive store and that should keep some moisture off the inside, actually i think there's even anti-frost stuff too

[solo_ryder]

You got a leak somewhere? That is strange.. Check your windows make sure they are closing properly, maybe abit of lube on the seals to make sure the seal is good.

[PilotSmack89]

Thanks for the help Evo! I guess coming from Calgary means you have sufficient credentials in cold-weather driving eh?

[Evo_Spec]

Thanks for the help Evo! I guess coming from Calgary means you have sufficient credentials in cold-weather driving eh?

it's more of stuff that i heard from other people because i've never had a problem with my defroster like your having.
i know this sounds stupid but are you making sure your selector is selecting outside air? because if you don't have that set, your only recirculating the inside air which is full of moisture from your breath, i did this once and i was going nuts trying to figure out why my windows wouldn't stop fogging

[Ryan]

Fog on the inside sucks.

If your heater core leaks in the LEAST, or if there is snow on your wiper cowl that could possibly fall beneath, find its way to the core, and vapourize...

Crazy as it sounds, if its not thick frost, and only fog, try opening the windows a crack and blasting cold air.

If it is fog... use your windshield scraper on the inside

[PilotSmack89]

I know the linkage controlling the door broke last year and I repaired that... makes that typical clunking sound when selecting between the two, so I don't think it's that... When I get off work tomorrow I'll check it then, and I'll also check for leaks and lube er up... thanks Solo!

And I think that, amongst other things, my spring project will include a freeze plug heater and new heater core haha

[Ryan]

Ugh, don't do the heater core unless you're sure... the air will smell quite a bit like coolant if its the problem...

[PilotSmack89]

Understood.... no weird smells yet. Thanks for the advise all!

[MrMazda92]

There's a product my family used to help winterize their motorhome when I was younger.
I can't recall the name, but I know fowljesse used something similar in the back of his car.
It's packaged as a box(or tub if you go big) that has powder in it that absorbs moisture very well, I can tell you first hand that having it in a car is VERY beneficial as far as fog goes.
It may even help with the frosting, but finding a place to store it is rather annoying. I'd recommend making a tray that goes where your defog vents are, so it can sit there without sliding around on the dash. The chemicals in it are large enough that they won't fly out of the protective lid, so spillage is also a non-issue.

I'm actually considering this myself as well, my defog is a joke. I just blast the heater on my hands and drop the windows if it gets really bad. Typically though, opening the sunroof just enough so the back edge lifts up allows a lot of that moist breath out before it can fog up the windshield!

[wytbishop]

Clean the inside of your windows really well and then wipe them down with white vinegar. That will help prevent condensation from collecting on the inner window surfaces.

[MrMazda92]

White vinegar you say? Do you happen to know what chemical process makes it work for this? I'll look online, but it would help to have the info here; Then people might be able to find a product that adheres for a long time, and doesn't smell.

Great tip, I'm going to try it.

[wytbishop]

Vinegar is 95% water and 5% Acetic Acid. It is a very good solvent and dries without residue. It's gets the windows very clean. I'm not sure if there's an actual chemical barrier being created...I suppose that's possible. An old member told me about it and it works. The smell doesn't linger for very long. You don't need a lot.

[Nd4SpdSe]

Actually Rain-X makes an anti-fog product too! It's in a black bottle. Works great, I actually have a bottle of it in the truck because my interior windows fog up bad when I go through deep water/mud

[MrMazda92]

wyt, thanks for the info! How often do you typically need to re-apply it?

Nd4SpdSe, I thought I'd seem that somewhere, do you remember how often you need to re-apply it?

Weighing my options guys