| Author | Message | ||
     Jeff Young Experienced User Username: jeyjey Post Number: 14 Registered: 10-2010 |
First time out in the pissing rain today, and the 4-way guage fogged up pretty badly. It started out a little fogged, and got worse. My wife went out in the evening (with it still pissing rain), and said the 4-way guage started out fogged but got a little better as she went, but that the speedometer started to fog at the end. What's the likely cause? Heater core pinhole blowing steam? Leaking window seal (or scuttle vent) somehow evaporating into the guages? Anyone else had this problem? Thanks, Jeff. | ||
| Paul Yorke Grand Master Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 687 Registered: 6-2006 |
Jeff - Tons. Over here at least. They don't like being parked outside and they don't like not being used. They usually clear up with use, side lights and panel lights on when you do go out will help. Do check under your carpets for water as well though. The foam under the rubber layer can be wet without the carpets on top feeling wet. | ||
| Bill Coburn Moderator Username: bill_coburn Post Number: 1285 Registered: 4-2003 |
Jeffery/ It's a good thing that we in the parched antipodes have had some of God's dew from heaven recently else you would be in receipt of considerable abuse for boasting about pissing rain. Clearly your car was delivered without the then available option of a separate demister for the gauges!! Then there is the possibility that your wife is flogging the old girl so hard it's working up a sweat. 'Enough' he cried! My money is on the heater core which is under pressure and a pin hole at a strategic place and the hot moist air is condensing on the cold instrument glass. Perhaps carry a battery operated hair dryer to warm the glass up just to see what's hapening! To make quite sure I would clamp off the hoses to the heater core in the engine compartment and see if the problem stops. Given the weather perhaps a blanket over the knees and a good top coat would help during the experiment. Having fixed the problem the idea of the hair dryer to dry out the unit is not as silly as it sounds. Punctured heater cores are not uncommon in most cars except the others are usually scrapped before the problem occurs. Hopefully the core can be repaired although the effort at getting it out might encourage you to replace it. Good luck! | ||
| Stefan Morley Prolific User Username: myupctoys Post Number: 227 Registered: 7-2009 |
Hi Jeff, My car is always parked in a totally enclosed garage with good air circulation. When its really humid and cool I get a bit of fogging only on the center instruments, generally goes after 15 mins or so with heater on. Seals are in good condition on the car and no apparent leaks. I've just put it down to glass dials and warm air on one side of the glass. Keep in mind a lot of other cars heaters are a fair bit slower on the uptake and generally plastic dials. Guess it depends on how bad your problem is. Cheers Stefan | ||
| Jeff Young Experienced User Username: jeyjey Post Number: 15 Registered: 10-2010 |
Thanks, everyone. I definitely have a water ingress issue somewhere as the floors are moderately rusty (although they don't seem to be currently wet). I've just fixed a leaky bottom radiator hose, so I'll see how the coolant does over the next week or so. (My main counterpoint to a heater core pinhole leak is that it should fog whenever I have the heater on, and that's been plenty lately. But I didn't get fog till the rain started.) Jeff. | ||
| Jeff Young Experienced User Username: jeyjey Post Number: 16 Registered: 10-2010 |
> They don't like being parked outside .... Foggy guages aside, after 31 years it's still a damn-sight more water-tight than my 8-year-old Vanquish. (You can guess which one gets the garage.) Jeff. | ||
| Paul Yorke Grand Master Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 689 Registered: 6-2006 |
Jeff, it's good that it's dry underneath.  Shadows (and early Spirits are prone to floors rusting out completely, mainly due to the 'foam under rubber' combination hiding and holding the wetness. Many cars had their floor pans changed or red oxided whilst in for servicing without the customer ever being told. With a leaky matrix you usually find that the screen and windows will mist up (way before the gauges) especially if you have the heater of full heat, but fans off. Another sign is that the windows will steam up completely shortly after parking when you get back from a run. |
