AarhusTr6 Posted January 17, 2021 Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 Hi I notice on cold days my speedo and rev counter steams up or mists up, assume its damp getting in and maybe needs new gaskets etc. Is this a send-away job or can an semi-skilled like me attempt to do? Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 17, 2021 Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 Hi Richard, I feel that a gasket will not stop moisture getting as there are too many little gaps/holes. The problem is the cold glass on the gauge compared to the temperature of the moisture. When the car is driven the 'fogging' will soon go. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bill944T Posted January 17, 2021 Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 Perhaps the original filament lamps/bulbs had a purpose after all............... Regards Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted January 17, 2021 Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 The dew point of the air in the gauge cases is higher than the glass exposed to cold outside air. Do you drive your car outside from a warm garage ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AarhusTr6 Posted January 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 4 minutes ago, Mike C said: The dew point of the air in the gauge cases is higher than the glass exposed to cold outside air. Do you drive your car outside from a warm garage ? Hi Mike, no, its a garage I rent about a few Km from my apartment so not heated at all, but I did see this occur when driving and it was a chilly day or chilly evening. When I looked at my dials on my car yesterday in the garage, I could see the speedo especially was quite steamed up. Heated garage . . oh what a luxurious thought! Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted January 17, 2021 Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 Water's getting into the gauge from rain or washing. If you have the skills to remove the gauge you would be able to replace the gaskets behind the glass. I purchased new gaskets from a UK Smiths/Jaeger specialist and followed instructions that were readily available on line. Unfortunately the link to the gauge repair instructions is in my home computer which I can't access at the moment. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AarhusTr6 Posted January 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 Hi Mike This is not a today job, but a one day job so if you find the manual one time I'd much appreciate it, Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 17, 2021 Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 Hi Richard, have a look here Seals Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
barkerwilliams Posted January 17, 2021 Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 No matter how much you seal the front of the gauge against water ingress - a good idea if they leak, all the gauges have a light bulb or work with a heating element such as fuel and temperature. When the gauges are working or illuminated they heat up and the slightly pressurised air in the gauge escapes, then as the gauge cools in the garage air is drawn into the gauge along with some moisture. Eventually after a large number of heating/cooling cycles the moisture accumulates and gauge will mist, it may be that fitting LED's which run cooler would reduce the volume of air cycled, but then with less heat when they do mist it will take longer to clear. Running with sidelights on and the gauges rheostat turned up to full brightness (and maximum heat) for a short while on each trip will speed the clearance. I'm not sure that the problem is permanently curable. Alan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AarhusTr6 Posted March 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 (edited) Resurrecting this post! I have the Speedo and rev counter dials out and apart. One had a paper gasket the other lots of gum. i now struggle to find the paper gaskets, and where they go and orientation of the metal rim (see attached) also I think a rubber gasket goes between glass and bevel ?? thanks for help Richard Edited March 25, 2023 by AarhusTr6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kenrow Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 Maybe these will help, part of a great series from Ed: http://bullfire.net/TR6/TR6-40/TR6-40.html#Speedo http://bullfire.net/TR6/TR6-43/TR6-43.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AarhusTr6 Posted March 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 Thanks Saw this and am in UK next week so the rubber cord, any idea on where I can get it ? Also Ed’s page makes no reference to those paper gaskets which looked original Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 You could take the glass off and treat with windscreen anti fog and reassemble. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AarhusTr6 Posted March 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2023 9 hours ago, Andy Moltu said: You could take the glass off and treat with windscreen anti fog and reassemble. Good idea ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Herlihy Posted March 27, 2023 Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 Richard, have a look at Smiths-Gauges.co.uk also known as The Gauge Shop. He is in Edenbridge, Kent. Only last week I visited him to collect all six instrument bezels which he stocks. He will correctly black anodise them FOC if they are for CR series cars. With the bezels he automatically supplies all the correct section o rings that fit between the dials and the dash. He also supplies sufficient quantities of circular section material in order to cut to the correct length, superglue together, and fit between the bezel and the glass. This replaces the original material that degrades into a brittle mess. I suspect that this is what you need. A very helpful chap, he even found me a replacement second hand needle for my rev counter which i carelessly broke when dismantling. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith1948 Posted March 27, 2023 Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 Hello Richard The problem arises due to dew point. Warm air holds more moisture than cold air. A cold surface in a warm (humid) room will soon have condensation on it. If your garage is warm then the air holds more moisture and this includes the air in your speedo and rev counter. When you move the car outside into the cold, the glass cools and mists up because the glass temperature is below the dew point. This is why single glazed windows in your house steam up in the winter. There are two solutions to your problem. Either keep the garage cold so less moisture is held in the air or use a dehumidifier if it is warm. Trying to seal the instruments won't be easy and you would need to seal in dry air for it to work properly as in double glazing. My garage is neither temperature nor humidity controlled. Occasionally I get condensation on the car if we get warm Atlantic air after a cold spell. That is because the car is below the dew point. The 'cure' in that case is to open the garage doors when it is dry outside to ventilate and dry out the garage and/or drive the car. Keith Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.