Rear Hatch defroster not working, 97 ST Options

[jess_i_74]

Well, the rear hatch defroster has never worked on my 1997 ST, so I decided to try and fix it. The light turns on and the relay clicks, but there's no power at the window. Here's what I've done:

1. Check all fuses related to the defroster, as described in the owner's manual. all fine
2. Checked resistance across the window, hot to ground: good.
3. Checked resistance ground terminal to ground: good
4. Located relay, tested by hooking up to a power supply and testing to see if it opens and closes the switch as it should. It's fine.


So, I guess I have two questions:

How do you remove the wire "clip" from the window? It didn't seem to come off easily, but I know they can be tight. I just didn't want to crack it off and have to solder to my window (no fun, I've had to do it before.).

Could anyone with a service manual tell me how the wire from the relay box in the driver's side dash/footwell runs to the window? In particular, whether there are any other junctions in the path, and also which wire-loom it runs through to the window (left, right, or middle, from the back of the car). I guess I could also use a description in how to remove the headliner/body panels around the driver's side rear window.

Any other ideas besides tracing the dang thing every inch of the way would really be appreciated.