Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Plus Four, Supersport & Plus Six (CX & CXV Generation Vehicles) Attempting to stop the gauges misting

Not just a Morgan thing - I have the same issue in my MG - however, it is only the 'electric gauges' that it happens with. The Speedo, Tacho and Oil Pressure (mechanical) gauges are clear, but the fuel and water temp are all misted over.

Someone far cleverer than me said is was something to do with the way the metallic strips heated up to move the needles in those type of gauge.

I do wonder as a Morgan has little or no real form of sound or heat insulation within the cockpit it makes it more liable to temperature range change, so the cockpit becomes hotter and cools quicker than most cars, which may create more condensation. It certainly is more open to wind and rain whilst driving especially so with the hood up than other soft top cars, which may create different hot and cold spots within the cabin and behind the instrument panel, especially with the trads. The heaters are so directional and localised and far more effective, especially in the later trads with heated screens, I question how much warming air circulates behind the instrument panel and whether this causes the misting. I do seem remember my older trads with the front heater vents the instruments misting but only in very cold and wet weather but not to the same extent as my later newer trads. I never remember them misting just because the car had not been used in awhile as with the newer trads. But sometimes memories do play tricks on you.

Very interesting this as both of my Plus 8’s have never suffered with even a hint of misting. The 4/4 Sport was a nightmare for it especially as I love my winter trips out.

So VDO had it right so MMC thinks ah we’ll change it for a cheaper one I suspect, happy to eat humble pie if wrong😎
p.s. The VDO mileometer is seasonal though and works in warm ambients 😎

Never gets cold enough in Devon Richard!

You would know too Dave 😂🙏👍

My Plus Four suffers with this too. I have found that when it's cold all seems well until the sun shines onto the dials then they mist up....I have / do own many motor bikes (brits / Italian / Japanese over many years with very few examples of misted dials in all weather conditions, but despite trying quite hard on some occasions I never really managed to stop the misting on the ones that did...So I haven't even tried to sort it out on the Morgan (just call it character!)

Interesting phenomenon this misting of the gauges. My 2011 car did not show any signs of it for the 1st two years of its life. It has done it ever since on damp cold days.

I was going to write something similar if you hadn't. I don't really care about fogged instruments. But if I wanted to do something about it, it would be small hoses instead of just holes. Warm air can be fed into the instruments from behind via these small hoses, perhaps diverted from the heating air, with a small electric fan in front of the small hoses coming from a small box into which the air is blown.

Heinz.
I'm glad I'm not alone in this area of thinking. I suspect the earlier Morgans with the windscreen vents the hot air tube feeds to the screen may have warmed the surrounding air sufficiently behind the instrument panel to eliminate the condensation. Whilst I found the earlier Morgan heater not as effective as the modern ones, it might still have been enough.

I wonder what the US owners will make of this….

Surely after all these years Morgan would have solved the problem. It’s more worrying for cx / pcb trad owners as I doubt the moisture is helpful for the PCB behind the dash.

I thought the DaveW solution was a little hole in the gauge to let the moisture out