Condensation damage

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Mr B
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Condensation damage

Post by Mr B »

So the aftermarket head unit stopped working properly in my car - the amp output blew, you could still use it as long as the sound didn't have to go through the amps first, I removed the head unit and all looked well until I examined the very back of the unit which had water stains on it, pulled the unit apart and low and behold the circuit for the amp output had gone boom and was also heavily water stained so how the hell did water get in there? I think I have figured it out, the aftermarket head unit is physically longer than the standard Ford unit which means it sits closer to the rear of the dash where the dash meets the wind shield, my car isn't garaged so in the winter months the inside of the windshield gets covered in condensation - sometimes it looks more wet than the outside of the car! I think this condensation/water had run down between the dash and windshield and dripped almost straight on top of the head unit and then inside the unit via the small heat vents in the top cover and......bang.

Hope this helps

Wayne
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Symon
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Re: Condensation damage

Post by Symon »

Hello and thank you for sharing. It's good to know.
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Mc Tool
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Re: Condensation damage

Post by Mc Tool »

Oh dear , here in clever NZ us yobbs steal a bar towel emblazoned with ones favorite beer logo and we place it on our dash pad . Not only are we pledging our allegiance to our fave beer but we are also soaking up the condensation .
Gotta say tho that much condensation needs investigating. Having aircon sure is good at drying out the car but the Capri used to get parked in the sun ( you British probly have to google that πŸ˜†)with the doors open for a bit of a dry out .
Are your windscreen wiper stems sealing ok ? mine were well rooted ......but happily they are the same size as a valve guide K liner so I sleeved them and fitted a wee o ring .πŸ˜€
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Major_Tom
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Re: Condensation damage

Post by Major_Tom »

Mc Tool wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 6:42 pm Oh dear , here in clever NZ us yobbs steal a bar towel emblazoned with ones favorite beer logo and we place it on our dash pad . Not only are we pledging our allegiance to our fave beer but we are also soaking up the condensation .
Gotta say tho that much condensation needs investigating. Having aircon sure is good at drying out the car but the Capri used to get parked in the sun ( you British probly have to google that πŸ˜†)with the doors open for a bit of a dry out .
Are your windscreen wiper stems sealing ok ? mine were well rooted ......but happily they are the same size as a valve guide K liner so I sleeved them and fitted a wee o ring .πŸ˜€
Good suggestion matey. πŸ‘
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pbar
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Re: Condensation damage

Post by pbar »

Might be worth ensuring that your vents are fully open, as it may provide an airing/airflow, which is somethng which helps to reduce condensation.
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Bug
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Re: Condensation damage

Post by Bug »

Mc Tool wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 6:42 pm Oh dear , here in clever NZ us yobbs steal a bar towel emblazoned with ones favorite beer logo
Us UK Service yobs did the same thing.
Fitted neatly in your webbing pouch, stopped your mess tins rattling and was big enough to dry the only bits you had time to wash.
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Fordoholic Nick
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Re: Condensation damage

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Hi Wayne, Great information mate that will surely help others. Glad you seem to have found the possible cause for the water damage mate and Hamish has given another very good possibility too. While it will not stop the condensation building up, especially in this very damp weather we have at the moment I have these both inside the capri and around the garage and they are great at absorbing condensation Wayne. Might be worth putting about 4 inside your capri to try to absorb some of that condensation you are getting parked up outside . Refills readily available too and these ones last a few weeks depending on how damp it is before they need new refill. You may have already tried them but even though i got a garage being an en bloc one i put them all over on the shelves and inside B112. Just a thought Wayne

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Bug
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Re: Condensation damage

Post by Bug »

Oddly enough I never had much trouble inside the car.
However, around the suspension it always seemed 'damper'. :roll:
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Re: Condensation damage

Post by Mr B »

Bug wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 6:45 pm Oddly enough I never had much trouble inside the car.
However, around the suspension it always seemed 'damper'. :roll:
Omg that is 'shocking' :lol:
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Re: Condensation damage

Post by Mr B »

Fordoholic Nick wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 11:03 pm Hi Wayne, Great information mate that will surely help others. Glad you seem to have found the possible cause for the water damage mate and Hamish has given another very good possibility too. While it will not stop the condensation building up, especially in this very damp weather we have at the moment I have these both inside the capri and around the garage and they are great at absorbing condensation Wayne. Might be worth putting about 4 inside your capri to try to absorb some of that condensation you are getting parked up outside . Refills readily available too and these ones last a few weeks depending on how damp it is before they need new refill. You may have already tried them but even though i got a garage being an en bloc one i put them all over on the shelves and inside B112. Just a thought Wayne

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Hi Nick,

I do use these in my cars that are not used regularly, they work very well, this car is used everyday - could probably still put one in the car on the passenger side footwell though mate.

Wayne
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