Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Disheartened owner

Neither has my 2016 4/4!!

Multiple holes drilled in the casings has all but eliminated misting.

I fitted a leather apron to the top of the dash which covers the gauges and keeps any water leaks out.

They misted in Scotland in the Grampians but that was extreme with heavy rain and hail. Roof down......

Using sidelights made no difference to mine.

My Plus 4 rarely shows any misting. Maybe a hint when the weather is really cold.

They are frightened to, due to your avatar name.

My old (1962) Land Rover dials were always misting up.

Only had it once on the Morgan - February, parked overnight in an underground carpark in Brighton. Soon cleared though.

My car is always parked outside with the hood off though, so there's not much variation in temperature.

Paddockman, you mention in your first post your Mog is around 3 weeks old, I thought at 1 month or 1000 miles, MMC recommend the dealer checks over the car again, certainly mine did and at no cost (unless you wanted an additional oil change)

Hopefully you will get your engine / ecu issue sorted and fall back in love with your Mog

Glad to hear that the factory has acknowledged that there is a problem with the flat spot. I somehow doubt an ECU problem, unless someone has inadvertently loaded an incorrect calibration, or it would be happening across the range. If it was me I would be checking the things relating to throttle position first, the sensor on the pedal, the actuator at the throttle body, and then move on to other sensors relating to fuel air mix and so on. Let's face it, a naturally aspirated 2 litre engine is never going to deliver the low down torque of a turbo charged engine but it should pull well from from 2K on up with a gradually increasing push until it gets to somewhere between 3,5K and 4K at which point you should start really shifting.

I would not worry too much about the running in thing. We did 3,000 km just getting the car home so it's first service was at 3,000, and that didn't include an oil change. Most cars these days don't even get their first oil change until 20,000 km. The precision of fit and finish of mechanical components is much better than it was years ago when I first started mucking about with engines.

Good news on the flat spot engine front

I’m sure between MMC and a main dealer will sort it out

As to the misty gauges which always gets Mog owners excitable (maybe not), I don’t think there is a definitive solution

It’s the miracle of science

Warm air on inside of instrument meets cold glass causing condensation

Unless the instruments are vacuum sealed this is always going to happen if the conditions are perfect for condensation

The fact it only happens occasionally or not at all is because the conditions haven’t been met

I only get it when taking my Mog out from a reasonably warm garage on a very cold morning with the hood down so that the cold air chills the glass and the warm air inside the instrument condenses

Why doesn’t it happen in other cars?

Polycarbonate instrument glass which is warmer
Vacuum sealed instruments
Air conditioning
Not being exposed to large temperature gradients behind the dash and the cockpit
The dash not being exposed to moisture like a Mog

Some instruments might be better sealed than others

Some Mog owners might never drive with the hood down on a very cold morning

I personally love it when it happens as I can imagine what it was like trying to flying a vintage aircraft
I even tap the glass to make sure the gauge is working

If it’s happening an awful lot maybe the area behind the dash has been exposed to some excessive moisture, maybe some heavy rain, a rogue spray with a pressure washer or a washer leak

Just some thoughts

It is hard to believe the misting cannot be cured, I understand all the excuses about temperature differentials - yawn - but in all the years of flying in Tiger Moths all year round I never once experienced this phenomena, or in any other light aircraft for that matter.

It'll be interesting if Kerry can add some input on this one about older aircraft too.

I’m pretty sure by the 1930’s Smiths Aero instruments will have been hermetically sealed

So another case like the fastenings of Morgan building down to a price and not improving the quality that should be expected at the current price ranges.