Does anyone know what each of the 4 wires coming out of the Explorer rear defrost switch need to be connected to in order to work??

Guessing power, ground, accessory & illumination, just not sure which goes to what.

I just had a new idea for the defrost switch.... auxiliary horn button!

I forgot the color of wires, but from the info I've found here the switch is momentary which should work for a horn relay.

 

why a horn button??? it's not a momentary switch. use one of the cig holes or the rear wiper switch hole as the mounting place for a momentary horn switch like so...

 

I thought the defrost switch (above the fog light switch) was a momentary on switch...

Bob posted a reply to my "defrost switch for fog lights" thread the other day:
"The factory foglamp switch is an on/off pushbutton but the rear defrost is a momentary on pushbutton. It would be possible to use the rear defrost switch with a bank of 4 relays to turn it into a on/off switch for aux lights.

An easier and cleaner solution is to simply use a second factory foglamp switch for the aux lights. After trimming a rib along the length the upper fog switch, it will slide right into the Explorer bezel in place of the rear defrost switch. That rib is a rejection key and has no purpose other than to prevent misassembly of the 2 switches at the factory."

When I pressed it in, it didn't click in/out like the fog light switch does, it just comes right back out.

 

My bad....I must be mistaken. sorry. I've only ever had one rear defrost switch to play with. lol.


Anywho....here's the breakdown of the wire colors on the back of the defrost switch/button whatever....

Keep in mind, the fog switch is switched via the ground and wiring it and making it work properly is sort of a headache. Bob will probably chime in here....he is the Ranger God. lol.

 

No problem, this is the first defrost/wiper switch I've had too.

The more I look at that thing, the more ideas run through my head.

I have a cheap-o HF dual trumpet air horn wired to a small momentary button in my console & I'd like to move the button up a little higher for easier access... the defrost button gave me the idea.

I'm still hoping to find another OEM fog light switch, but this will keep me busy for now.

Even thought about messing with the rear wiper button to see how I can use the "press in to wash" function as a horn button too.

 

Gen2 Explorer Rear defrost pushbutton:

Dark blue/orange: switch to ground
Dark green/purple: LED "Defroster ON" indicator
Red/black: night illumination power
Black: common ground for all three above


Gen2 Explorer Rear washer pushbutton:

White/black: input
Purple/light green: switched output
Red/black: night illumination power
Black: ground for night illumination only

Either switch would need a relay to control any significant load.