Heavily Misted Windows inside - Any Ideas/Settings to sort?

[3706mht]

I know it sounds lame with all sorts of serious tech problems being posted and discussed but our 95 K11 1.0 is running like a Singer sewing machine but has always suffered from very misted windows. .... sides, rears and sunroof.

Just to note, the car is super dry inside, no damp carpets or leaks .... in the past had the blocked sunroof drain and foot well flooding issue but long since sorted. Oh and the little green plastic insets under the front window cowling I sealed up at the same time to try fix same issue. Wander if a spin off from that?

Door seals are all clean, solid and seem work well. is a 2 door. Air is set to 'blow through', heater works well and blower solid.

But still it sits and mists like there's a kettle switched on in there!!!!

Any ideas to check or clever magic to sort this? Have tried putting RainX on in and out ... no real noticable difference. Even when it's been running 15 mins, the windows are still poor.

Appreciate any Micra specific or ANY guidance how to sort .... makes driving a decent little car somewhat miserable.

 

[fuzzy-hair-man]

Have you got air conditioning? If so turn that up at the same time as turning the heat up, the air con pulls moisture our of the air.
If it keeps fogging up after it's clear you've got to find out how the water is getting in.

 

[3706mht]

Have you got air conditioning? If so turn that up at the same time as turning the heat up, the air con pulls moisture our of the air.
If it keeps fogging up after it's clear you've got to find out how the water is getting in.

Air con? I've only just added a radio .... no no Air Con. Our model is a Base "- minus" model! Mind I did just find that I had it on re-circulate contrary to what I posted earlier. Hopefully that may help a little

Yes agree there has to be something getting in and yet mats, carpets are bone dry. Was some tiny dribble top of drivers side door window edge ... not sure is misting condensing and run off or ingress from outside.

 

[nissan boy]

Clean them properly ,and can turn the heater on cold seems to clear them till the engine is warm then have the heater on hot
Rarely have a problem other then tiny bit of most off breathing

 

[scorpio]

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[r-reg-sr]

You use fresh air setting not recirculate in winter

 

[3706mht]

Clean them properly ,and can turn the heater on cold seems to clear them till the engine is warm then have the heater on hot
Rarely have a problem other then tiny bit of most off breathing

Yeah I thought I had, after the Summer refurb I cleaned the inside and outside glass with standard thinners then used Rainex. Thought that would work well. Well it did, they clean as hell just misty. Not tried blow cold mind, that worth a try. Ta

 

[3706mht]

Is your heater working properly to clear the windscreen? When was the pollen filter behind the glove compartment changed? has it ever been changed?
I had my micra from new and I remember the heater being so powerful it cleared the front windscreen of condensation very quickly , once warmed up in a few minutes, now it is only half as hot and takes a lot longer.
The heater should be red hot but on a 18 year old micra it is just average now.

Hi there, yeah the heater is a furnace ... is really good and warms quick. The pollen filter is odd, it's one of those that does not have one! ... have been to do it a couple of times (inc this Summer) and do the cut and shut routine but it does not have the dashed plastic or any means to get into it. Even bought one but seems be one of the very first models without facility to change it. can't be helping.

This one strangely has not been had since new but has bounced about between family members pretty much since new, so we know its pedigree ... good or bad as that maybe. It's only done about 80k so a relative baby still in miles terms, in years less so.

 

[3706mht]

You use fresh air setting not recirculate in winter

Yes is a good point and contary to original post I did have it on recirc ... now changed. That has made some difference for sure.

Think also the fact that it stands quite a bit of the time doesn't help. I'll start putting it into more regular daily service and see if that helps.

 

[scorpio]

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[3706mht]

If you can't keep it indoors, I would try and rig up some sort of intelligent dehumidifer in the car and stitch it on at night during the winter as I have done occasionally but I guess that is a last resort.

Yeah that crossed my mind a bit. Possible to post details of what you used? It is a pain but one I'm determined to crack somehow. Interested to know details if you could please. We have power outside so there are options. Ta

 

[nissan boy]

To over the Windows with a really dry towel or glass rag, and keep on in the car , and if your using it daily drive with the heater on full for a while dry the whole thing out
It what I do, and drive with the window open most the time,
There's the old one of shaving foam can work ,
ALso open your toolbox out the heater on recurulate and look inside the fan housing , they do leak down there

 

[plmval]

Yeah that crossed my mind a bit. Possible to post details of what you used? It is a pain but one I'm determined to crack somehow. Interested to know details if you could please. We have power outside so there are options. Ta

Water Leak / Condensation; Find The Source First

Easier & quicker to check the boot for leaks into spare wheel well & under rear light fittings as well as under all floor carpets everywhere?

Also check under rear seat squab for leaks water collecting?

Are all of the doors & hatchback door cards condensation vapour barriers complete, undamaged & in situ?

Good luck hunting

 

[scorpio]

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[fooby]

If you don't find any issues, try rubbing shaving gel on the windows. For real. Has to be gel not foam but as somebody who delivers hot food for a living I can say it works well.

 

[3706mht]

Water Leak / Condensation; Find The Source First

Easier & quicker to check the boot for leaks into spare wheel well & under rear light fittings as well as under all floor carpets everywhere?

Also check under rear seat squab for leaks water collecting?

Are all of the doors & hatchback door cards condensation vapour barriers complete, undamaged & in situ?

Good luck hunting

This is the weird thing, it's dry as a bone .... carpets, spare wheel area, everything. And yes the water membranes are amazingly solid. I even re-taped them when feeding the tweeter wires a few months back. All the voids were treated with Dintrol for rust proofing last Summer and still dry as a bone ... even the underside (also Dintrol treated everywhere) is dry as you like.

Really is a mystery. Mind the blow through switch setting has improved it a bit. Also blowing cold air rather than warm definitely clears it quicker ... was really surprised but does improve things a bit. Cheers

 

[3706mht]

I used 18 liter ebac which is probably overkill but it did work. Its a 10kg bulky thing but the point is it worked when set on max. It is an intelligent one so switches on /off but I just set it to max till 6am when it got light. It is overkill but like I say it worked even with the window open a smidge to get the cable through.

I don't know what minimum size you would need,would do the job but like I say, I know a powerful one will work.
If you could get a smaller less bulky one, you may be able to keep it in the boot. I don't know if they like to travell because of the vibration and so forth.
Ebac 2650e works but they were not cheap a few years ago, £100 second hand but will keep a 4 bedroom house dry and people use them to dry out wet clothes! I used it on max and the high speed setting and it is damp where I live anyway.

Maybe you could borrow one from someone just to see if that model is powerful enough!
Good luck!

Strangely we have two or three de-humidifiers (one an Ebac) used for building projects in the past. I cannot see a drop of damp save on the windows but given we have one then makes sense to give that a crack. I can even stick it in the garage and run that over a weekend.

Worth to try to genuinely get it back to 100% dry ... even if it seems like it is right now. Thanks for the steer.

 

[3706mht]

If you don't find any issues, try rubbing shaving gel on the windows. For real. Has to be gel not foam but as somebody who delivers hot food for a living I can say it works well.

Blimey never heard of that one ... but more than willing to give it a try. Not April is it? .... thanks for the suggestion

 

[fuzzy-hair-man]

I wonder if it could be leaking slightly inside the heater from the heater matrix or similar, when the heater is on and evaporating into the cabin space?

 

[scorpio]

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[3706mht]

I wonder if it could be leaking slightly inside the heater from the heater matrix or similar, when the heater is on and evaporating into the cabin space?

Yes is possible, good point ... I can see nothing obvious. The engine bay and under bonnet areas are nice and clean so potential run off could be increased ironically if there is a leak. I did a pretty hefty refurb on the car in the Summer so internals/externals are unusually clean ... polished, sealed and tidy. But that could I guess work against me in a way. Thanks for the pointer ... getting a lot of great ideas that I'd not even considered. Cheers

 

[3706mht]

Look at a micra in a street full of cars and they seem to have the mot condensation on the inside of the windows, of all the cars. I think they are just prone it at this time of the year, depending on the area.

Yeah and that could just be the case Scorpio. Sounds a bit mad but we have a rear indicator bulb that keeps going into double click mode (suggesting the bulb duff) and such a simple small issue has so far defied attempts to fix properly ... Bar a thump to the lens cover which seems to work!!!

As a result the car has not been being used anyway near as much as it should be. So standing a lot which is probably making things worse. Should try get that fixed today properly and start running it every day ... would get a fairer picture then maybe. Cheers

 

[3706mht]

Ahhh ok, seems there is some sort of drip from sunroof onto seat!

The sunroof seal appears intact and clean and there's zero rust etc but yesterday definitely both wife and I felt the occasional drip from above! And in fact although I said the car was as dry as a biscuit barrel, the driver's seat is a tad damp after 20 mins or so sitting.

So it must be coming from here ... but zero obvious damage. Any ideas to apply a waterproof spray or similar? Can't see any obvious adjustment or is there? Appears be pulling tight but def there is something coming from there. Sounds primitive but could just tape it up over the Winter but something better would be ... well better .... over to the experts

 

[nissan boy]

Window lean, works, as does window cleaner
Dry the Windows out,fowl and a abi t of time, then apply it via the i instructions
Possibly a micro fiber cloth as well ,
But just make sure things are clean, may notice if the the wheel and gear can go stick and such for the dirt, seatbelts go moldy , all cause of the dirt buld.up
I try to keep mine clean and it's pretty much always find , unless your soaked ect, cannot help that, my dad tho is meh, about it , and it mists up badly

 

[scorpio]

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[3706mht]

Apologies for sounding like the ghost of xmas future but I only recall people on here saying that they ended up masticing their sunroofs shut! I don't have one myself. They also talk about rerouting the sunroof drain pipes from it away from the sills. The water/moisture being deposited in the sills are another issue, I won't even go there!lol

Hi Scorpio, yes I did the drain pipe fix earlier year .... I welded the sills but did not know about the drain and welded over it!!! But when the driver foot well turned into a swimming pool, I redrilled and replaced the pipe and no more foot well damp ... is a little bit why I mention how bone dry it was in an earlier post.

Mind that said, whilst it's certainly not draining into the car, it could be the case that it isn't getting that fair I guess. Maybe time for an air-line into the drain point at the sunroof level. Yes definitely worth a look at that. I'm sure it is running through otherwise we'd still be getting the dreadful puddling in the car but nevertheless it could still be running out badly I guess ... yes definitely worth a look at that. Cheers. Will try later week and let you know how get on. Nice one

 

[3706mht]

Window lean, works, as does window cleaner
Dry the Windows out,fowl and a abi t of time, then apply it via the i instructions
Possibly a micro fiber cloth as well ,
But just make sure things are clean, may notice if the the wheel and gear can go stick and such for the dirt, seatbelts go moldy , all cause of the dirt buld.up
I try to keep mine clean and it's pretty much always find , unless your soaked ect, cannot help that, my dad tho is meh, about it , and it mists up badly

Is good advance Nissan Boy and will do is worth a go. The car had a mega clean in the Summer ... took all interior out and did a load of work and steam cleaned most items so I think it is as clean as it's ever been. But certainly will be working through systematically later week....it's so annoying for what is otherwise a great little car....would be a shame it only got used in the Summer.

And we aiming do a Lands End to John O Grouts trip New Years day for the hell of it so will make a point do before then. Cheers

 

[ash d]

I'd definitely make sure the sunroof drains aren't blocked up. If it's been in the foot wells before there's a good chance it's still damp even if you can't really feel it.
Best solution is getting hold a dehumidifier and leaving it in the car for a couple of days and see if the damp comes back.
Just bear in mind that Micras aren't the most well insulated things ever made so they will mist up a lot more than most modern cars.

 

[3706mht]

I'd definitely make sure the sunroof drains aren't blocked up. If it's been in the foot wells before there's a good chance it's still damp even if you can't really feel it.
Best solution is getting hold a dehumidifier and leaving it in the car for a couple of days and see if the damp comes back.
Just bear in mind that Micras aren't the most well insulated things ever made so they will mist up a lot more than most modern cars.

Yeah definitely going to do that. Will whack it in garage, put the unit in and run it's till it's like a bone. And definitely blow that drain hole and spray some sort of water repellant in there. Got some Boeing spray that is a high end rustroofer ... mad expensive but worth a shot. Cheers

 

[ash d]

I had a leaky sunroof in my old Honda Prelude and i ended up blanking it off and even then it kept misting up even though it had been repaired for months and i thought it was still leaking but just turned out to be the damp.
I left the dehumidified in there for a couple of days and it never came back after that.
It's worth a try as if it fixes it then you don't need to worry anymore and if it doesn't then you know there's definitely water getting in somewhere.

 

[3706mht]

Bloody hell, after being convinced it was totally dry, this morning I find the drivers side mat is indeed wet.

Certainly not the inch and a half I had in there last year before doing the sunroof pipe mod ... but sounds like the wing coming off again and indeed looking for leaks rear of heater ... as you all said here!!!

And then the de-humidifier treatment described above .... was convinced I had that one cracked.

 

[plmval]

Using an airline on the sunroof drain hoses, paraphrasing Michael Caine may;
“Blow the bloody hose off” the sunroof drain ports above the cabin headlining?

May I suggest using a slow flowing water supply hose pipe to test all areas for leaks & each of the four sunroof drain ports & corresponding down pipes flow rates exiting from under the sills, as implied in the following reference videos that I used in previous water leaks threads answers ?

As always do your own research as it saves time & unnecessary dismantling work that can create faults where none previously existed.

References:

https://www.micra.org.uk/threads/leak-passenger-footwell-2004-micra.70559/#post-770250

Good luck hunting!

 

[3706mht]

Using an airline on the sunroof drain hoses, paraphrasing Michael Caine may;
“Blow the bloody hose off” the sunroof drain ports above the cabin headlining?

May I suggest using a slow flowing water supply hose pipe to test all areas for leaks & each of the four sunroof drain ports & corresponding down pipes flow rates exiting from under the sills, as implied in the following reference videos that I used in previous water leaks threads answers ?

As always do your own research as it saves time & unnecessary dismantling work that can create faults where none previously existed.

References:

https://www.micra.org.uk/threads/leak-passenger-footwell-2004-micra.70559/#post-770250

Good luck hunting!

Yeah good call plmval ..... had in mind to do the sunroof anyway but now there is harder evidence than I thought, then definitely will be doing that. Just when you thought you put a job to bed !

 

[plmval]

Rust & water leaks never sleep as Neil Young once said.

Determined & repetitive detective work is the long term solution to finding & rectifying each & every leak. Taking up the carpets may help speed up the process.

Never stop hunting. Good luck!

 

[3706mht]

Rust & water leaks never sleep as Neil Young once said.

Determined & repetitive detective work is the long term solution to finding & rectifying each & every leak. Taking up the carpets may help speed up the process.

Never stop hunting. Good luck!

Like it ... you not wrong plmval.

Yeah looks like I'm a like bit 2 squares back .... but they great to work on so not such a huge deal and thankfully many knowledgeable folks on the site like yourself and many good natured others who take the time, so even easier, Cheers

 

[blanes]

I use one of those Karcher window vacs, they work a treat - picked it up for a fiver.
Every time you get a parcel from amazon/ argos/ currys - save the silica gel packs you get..... put a couple in each door pocket too.

 

[3706mht]

I use one of those Karcher window vacs, they work a treat - picked it up for a fiver.
Every time you get a parcel from amazon/ argos/ currys - save the silica gel packs you get..... put a couple in each door pocket too.

Quality stuff .... and you know what, I've always wanted one of those ... no idea why before but now I know. Ebay time!

Both really good ideas. Weather a little poor up here right now but soon as a sunny day then going to do a good few of these suggestions folks have posted ... some I already have and is definitely better but still work to do.

But this solution I can do from my laptop .... even better. Thanks for the suggestion and if can get for £5 then definitely to do. Cheers

 

[3706mht]

Yet again, micra heros to the rescue! I did pretty well all the suggestions you all put in and now .... absolutely bone dry!

Yes the re-circulation setting was wrong. Big impact.

Yes I think there was a fractional leak from sun roof (more condensing on it and dropping rather than the blocked drain but did the rears as well which I never knew about and well worth to do)

Re-cleaned all glass even though was pretty good and tried the shaving foam trick .... new one on me but worth to do.

Did the de-humidifier trick for a weekend.

In fact I did pretty well every suggestion made and it's absolutely bone dry now .... it just stopped! Must have been a cumulative set of circumstances but all those suggestions have returned us to bone dry Micra status. Thanks people.