Foggy gauges

Doug's tug

New Member
May 10, 2011
4
Palo alto, ca.
Boat Info
2001 310 Sundancer
Engines
Twin 350 max mpi V drives
Hi there. Brand new to this site. I bought a 2001 310 sun dancer from a broker in so. Cal. Salt water boat. I have noticed that most (but not all) of the instrument gauges are almost unreadable because they are so fogged up! The (fog) doesn't ever clear up.

Any suggestions???

Thanks!

Doug:huh:
 
There where some posts on this in the past... You can search CSR for these posts... If I remember correctly there are two suggested ways to fix the gauges. One was by removing the bezel and drilling a small hole in the bottom and using a syringe to shoot alcohol in the gauge and letting it dry. The second way was to remove the bezel and the glass, clean and reseal. I have two foggy gauges, and I have not gone to the trouble to fix mine...
 
I had the same issue with several of the gauges on my boat, and I was able to repair them. I found that the fogginess was not simply moisture condensation behind the lens, but was actually a stain or mineral deposit - heating the gauge with a hair dryer, for example, had no effect on the fogginess.

To repair mine, I carefully removed the gauge from the boat, then gently chucked it in my lathe, and made a small incision (sounds like surgery, no?) at the back of the bezel. The bezels are crimped around the gauge body, so there is no simple way to remove it with cutting it. But, if the cut is located just forward of the crimp, (as close to the back of the gauge as possible) when the gauge is reassembled, you won't be able to see the cut line, since the dash panel is countersunk (The gauge sinks well into the dash panel, hiding the cut line). A Dremel tool with a small cutting wheel can also be used to cut the gauge open. Be sure that no dirt gets into the gauge, and be very careful not to touch the needle - it's quite delicate.

Once the bezel is off, the lens will come right out, and can be cleaned and dried in the kitchen sink. I used some un-thickened, quick setting epoxy to carefully bond the lens back to the gauge body. I set the lens in place, then ran a very small bead of epoxy around the lens perimeter. If the lens needs to come off again in the future, a bit of pressure should do it. Don't use a lot of glue - it might get behind the lens.

Finally, take the bezel, clean it up, and lightly glue it back to the gauge. Again, I only used adhesive around the perimeter of the bezel. Let it dry, and re-install the gauge in the dash panel. You're done!!

Hope this helps...

Dale
 
I had the same issue and successfully pryed the bezel's off the gauge's body, cleaned them and reinstalled onto the gauge. This was carefully done by twisting a slot screwdriver blade between the plastic body and the bezel, causing the metal bezel to bend. Constantly turn the gauge twisting the screwdriver at many points along the bezel's edge until you are able to work the blade between the bezel and the plastic lip. It's similar to working a bicycle tire off a rim. You will need a couple of different size screwdrivers, but it is able to be done. (I have the cuts on my hands to prove it - careful not to let the screwdriver slip!). Once off, cleaning is easy with glass cleaner. Reinstalling is easier than the removal, but I have not been able to retain the gasket seal between the glass and bezel so they are no longer water tight (but obviously they were not water tight before either).

I did one gauge at each sitting. Finally done them all but the tachs - they were the only ones not cloudy! Now they look like new again.
 
I had the same problem on my 2001 270DA, which is mostly a fresh water boat and trailered when not in use. My temp gage fogged up and could not be read. I tried to open the gage as described in earlier posts (I don't own a lathe), but I destroyed it in the process. Maybe I am just a klutz. Any way I had to order a new gage through Sea Ray for about $60 - ouch. So far the new gage has not fogged.
 

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