Hello Everyone. I've had my 1986 RT since April 2010 and enjoyed riding it throughout the Summer months. Now the cold weather is approaching I intend to sort out the condensation in the instruments panel but am confused by different advice on how to fix it. Some posts recommend cleaning and re sealing while another advises drilling a small hole to ventilate the enclosure. What are your thoughts please?
Occasionally the speedo stops working but is usually cured by a light tap on the glass. I intend to clean the internal connections as described on this forum.
Lastly, I have a small problem with the gear position indicator. For about 50% of the time, the background is dark although all the numbers can still be seen but only just. To put it another way, I switch on and it works fine, the next time I switch on it's almost black. Any ideas please?
Thanks, Ralph.

The only way to fix the condensation inside the instrument panel is to replace the bulbs by an LED kit.
I have tried to reseal mine on the K100 and to drill small holes on the K75 without any success. The k75 has the Gortex plugs, but it doesn't work.
For the GPI, I think the unit has to be replaced.
Usually, LCD displays become dark when they are in a very hot environment or if they are powered by excessive voltage.

Hi Ralph,
I managed to seal mine but it took some tries to get it right. First off take the cluster off and open it up. You may wish to have a spare O ring seal on hand but that is not essential because you are not going to rely on that any more.

In the base of the cluster there is a metal stiffener to make it more rigid and to provide fixing strength. I took mine out and thoroughly sealed all the screw holes with neutral cure silicone (neutral cure is vital if it is acid cure the fumes will destroy the electronics) before replacing it.

Now look at fabricating your own goretex vents or purchase a replacement case with them they are available. The adjuster knob needs to be filled with silicone grease around its shaft to prevent water entering there. Also check there are no leaks in the join between the clear and the black plastic. If there are any they will need to be sealed.

Then all that done change all the bulbs bar the alternator light for LED's and then treat all connections inside with DeoxIT and close it up. A band of top quality black insulating tape about 1 inch wide all the way around two layers over the split line between the two halves. Use 3M or Nitto brand tape they don't go gooey over time.

Then if you have sealed all enjoy your new found dry instrument cluster.
Regards,
K-BIKE

Many thanks Crazy Frog and K-Bike for your advice. I would like to get some LED bulbs before I start taking it to bits, how many and what wattage and cap do I need please? (what watt???)
Has anyone tried putting a bag of silica gel inside the housing, the stuff that sometimes comes with a box of new shoes?
Best regards, Ralph.

Hi Ralph,
The thought of silica gel is not a silly idea the only downside is if water is leaking in (and it often is) it will absorb all it can and then sit there saturated unable to suck any more moisture out and the condensation problem comes back.

Get some DeoxIT and when you take it apart treat all the connections inside and the big one that is on the back.

The LED kit from Drake that I talked about elsewhere on this site is really good and gives excellent lighting. I chose not to change the alternator light to LED just put a new filament lamp in because if it is an LED in place of that light it can delay the alternator from starting to charge until higher revs because it does not get the exciter current the filament bulb supplies to it and hence it delays charging until the revs are quite a bit higher.
Regards,
K-BIKE

Hey Bert,

What size holes did you drill and how many? I was thinking of doing this to mine this weekend, but sounds like you didn't have any success with the mod... K-Bike did you drill holes and than cover them with patches of gore-tex?
Thanks,

J

K-bike,
Just found your excellent post on the whole process you went thru to get your cluster sorted. Sorry, should have searched first!

J

No Worries,
Just to clarify I was lucky I had the goretex vents but one could add them. The final problem was water getting in down the spindle of the odo reset button GRRR!
Regards,
K-BIKE

I'm ordering some sample gortex patches to cover some make shift holes. Did you use the Tef-gel for the reset button?

Thanks,
J

Hi J,
Yes I used the Tef-gel on the odo reset knob. I have found the Tef-gel really good on every screw that does not need Loctite of one grade or another as it seals out water and helps prevent galvanic corrosion as well.
Regards,
K-BIKE

Thanks for all the good info on sealing K. Got my Gortex and a buddy and I will be trying to get creative with venting solutions this weekend. :-)

J

One idea of how to fit them that has occurred to me would be to get a couple of large 20 plus mm diameter thin stainless steel washers with a large hole say 10 + mm diameter and use those as the device to hold the goretex sandwiched onto the back of the cluster.

By drilling the washers with three or four holes around the periphery and then drilling and tapping the plate onside and screwing into that plate that would sandwich the goretex between the washer and the plastic back.

If you have drilled a hole through in line with the big hole through the washer that will provide a membrane of goretex stretched across the hole so as to allow the cluster to breathe. I would put a thin smear of neutral cure silicone around the hole on the plastic to seal the goretex to the plastic body and prevent water wicking in. Do the same between the washer and the goretex and around the tapped hole but no silicone on the bit of goretex that covers the over the big hole or it wont breathe.

This is of course done on the back and would be between the back cover plate which cups around the back of the cluster so the vents would not be seen but would allow air to circulate around the rear of the cluster between the plate and the cluster.
Regards,
K-BIKE

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions. They will all make more sense to me once I get the cluster off but the sun keeps sneeking through and is dry enough to carry on riding the old dear. (I have a way with words).
Thanks again, Ralph.

Hey K,
This is basically what we figured out to do as well except we cut our "washers" out of plastic sheet. Made a Gore-tex sandwich that I will seal it to back cover. I'm just waiting on some neutral cure adhesive and I can bolt it all back together. Keep you posted on results. :-)

J