Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

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niro884

Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by niro884 »

Hello Spider Enthusiasts!

I've noticed that when its humid I get codensation in my temp gauge. It usuually goes away once it warms up outside. The gauge works fine. Not sure if this faulty or normal? Anybody know a fix for this or do I need a new one. Any info would help!

Thanks
Ciao :)
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Curly
Posts: 526
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:09 am
Your car is a: 1968 AC Coupe and a 1976 CS1 Spider
Location: Gippsland - Victoria, Australia

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by Curly »

What, only the temp guage fogs up? You do have a problem then because I believe all the gauges should fog up :lol:
Nick

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by Nick »

Mine does this, as well as my fuel gauge. I'm not sure why. The larger ones dont seem to do it, nor does the clock.
So Cal Mark

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by So Cal Mark »

mine has done the same thing a few times on damp mornings
mbouse

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by mbouse »

if your clock face fogs up, you better check for high water marks. it is the only gauge in your cluster a with plastic, not glass face. it is also the only one with a hole thru the face.

the other small gauges tend to collect moisture behind the glass and fog up. all of my 2" ('cept the clock) fog up nearly every morning. so, feel privileged if only your temp gauge does this....we are jealous.
rlux4
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Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:32 pm
Your car is a: 1982 2000 Spider
Location: Granite Falls, Wa

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by rlux4 »

What's fog?
Ron
Ron Luxmore
rlux2n2@gmail.com
'82 2000 Spider: after 26 years between Spiders.
gigi

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by gigi »

Our fuel gauge and temp gauge do the same thing - I always figured it was from all the
moisture in the air or the salt air as we live by the ocean. I'm sure it must be some
other seal that has gone bad- expected due to the age of the car. Since the driveway
is about 8 inches above sea-level, the humidity is a never-ending battle. I don't
pay it any mind since the gauges still register (except the tach; most recently, it seems
to just go to zero everytime I hit a bump or pothole. When I turn, the brake light goes
on. Must be yet another corroded wire(s)-another never-ending battle.) As long as she
is running, I'm driving her!
JeremyB

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by JeremyB »

Mine is the same. Temp gauge fogs up when its humid out. I read about a good solution for this. I just havent gotten to it. I have other more pressing issues. Anyway, A pharmacist that owns a spider came up with a good "fix'. In his line of work, he has access to alot of the small silica packets that come in boxes of new stuff to absorb moisture. He put one of these in the back of the gauge. It absorbs the moisture, so the face doesnt fog up. IIRC, every year or so, he replaces them.
mbouse

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by mbouse »

ron,

fog is a type of moisture. related to rain, and water in general. water comes in several forms, not all of which are contained in plastic bottles.

according to wikipedia...Fog is a cloud in contact with the ground. Stratus clouds are usually the only clouds that touch the ground. Fog differs from other clouds only in that fog touches the surface of the Earth. The same cloud that is not fog on lower ground may be fog where it contacts higher ground such as hilltops or mountain ridges. Fog is distinct from mist only in its density. Fog is defined as cloud which reduces visibility to less than 1 km
Gunsmith

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by Gunsmith »

That's what I love about this site and the people on it. Not only can you learn about Fiats you can also get a science lesson on any given subject. I sure wish I found this site before I paid so much to have my headlight fluid changed. :lol:
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ga.spyder
Posts: 3478
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:19 pm
Your car is a: 1982 Spider 2000
Location: Blairsville ,Ga.

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by ga.spyder »

Ron ,maybe you could counter with the definition of fire.From watching the news it seems like something you would have a lot of knowledge about! Not from too close a distance ,I hope
Craig
Craig Nelson

1982 Spider 2000...pride and joy
1981 Fiat X1/9..gone but not forgotten
1976 124 Spider..the self-healer
2001 BMW 328ci daily driver and track car
Fling It Around Turns !
rlux4
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Your car is a: 1982 2000 Spider
Location: Granite Falls, Wa

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by rlux4 »

Thank you Mike. I've lived in the desert so long now I had forgotten what fog is. It would necessitate humidity to occur. No problem. To quote a sign I used to see on the door to atmospheric sciences when I worked at UCLA: smuck fog.
Craig, the only thing I know about the fires is what you guys hear, there's no vegetation around here to speak of. Sagebrush and Joshua trees mainly. We do get a whiff in the air occasionally from about 20 miles away if they're burning down the hill.
Ron
Ron Luxmore
rlux2n2@gmail.com
'82 2000 Spider: after 26 years between Spiders.
niro884

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by niro884 »

JeremyB wrote:Mine is the same. Temp gauge fogs up when its humid out. I read about a good solution for this. I just havent gotten to it. I have other more pressing issues. Anyway, A pharmacist that owns a spider came up with a good "fix'. In his line of work, he has access to alot of the small silica packets that come in boxes of new stuff to absorb moisture. He put one of these in the back of the gauge. It absorbs the moisture, so the face doesnt fog up. IIRC, every year or so, he replaces them.
Does he open the temp gauge up and put the packet right in it?
Nick

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by Nick »

The other day it was a bit late so I was running with my heater and fan on. All of the gauges except the speedometer began to fog up. The smaller ones started at the middle and went outward, but the larger one started on the outside and moved inward. It was strange. The speedometer does have the knob sticking out of it, like the clock, so I suppose that would be why it didn't fog up.
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bradartigue
Posts: 2183
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:35 pm
Your car is a: 1970 Sport Spider
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: Temp gauge fogs up. Anyone know why?

Post by bradartigue »

Clean the glass with ammonia (Windex) - it won't fog up for another 20 or so years.
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