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Dustybumpers had a great write up on cleaning and resealing the body seams under the cowl (link below) but I am having resistance while lifting up and pulling back the cover enough to disconnect the wiper hose and remove the cowl. Has anyone done this and how hard do I need to pull on this (I just do not want to bend it)? https://www.fordtruckzone.com/thread...series.657653/
I found my problem; stepped back and took a break and then found a screw I missed. I used a pic to dig out the seam sealer which worked great. There were a couple of areas where the sealer was really thick up the cab and towards the outer corners which was still tacky underneath. I removed all that I could vacuumed up the crud (even down into the fender wells). Taking another break and when I return I am going to flush out the area with water and give it a good wipe down with acetone then apply the sealer. I do highly recommend this because I did find water on my driver floor area (and I am in a pretty hot and dry San Antonio). I will post more photos before I button it up. Driver side Center cowl Driver side
After cleaning everything and wiping down with acetone, I decided to let it sit until tomorrow to ensure that all the acetone in the cracks dries completely and I got sidetracked finding other areas to seal. I used 3M Caulk Strips to seal around/under the wiring harness on the driver side firewall and the heater box on the passenger side firewall. 3M Strip Caulking around and under the harness. Left the bottom open to facilitate drainage if needed. 3M Strip Caulking around the top of the heat A/C box.
That's not the "wiring harness" - it's the EEC (engine electronic control). And the most-common leak point on the HVAC box is around the heater core nipples. I also add a dam above them to redirect rain to the side.
S83 you are always a great source for information, thank you. Holy crap that was difficult to reach up inside there to attempt to seal that area but I got it the best I could while focusing towards the edges. I cleaned out the lower clean outs the best I could with the vacuum and I will remove the inner fender wells when I do my suspension. I would like to know if I can move the electronic "Motorcraft" on the side wall forward some to aid in preventing water getting on it (poor design to put it there)? I really appreciate all your wisdom and guidance. Thank you. Move this forward on fender well
Water won't hurt it. Everything in the engine bay is designed, engineered, built, & tested to work when you drive in heavy rain, with water splashing up into the engine bay, and running in around the body gaps, and when you rinse the engine bay out with a garden hose.
Since I was cleaning out the cowl area and sealing up body seams and thanks to the idea from Steve83 I made a leaf guard for the passenger side under the cowl to help prevent the build of of gunk in the heat and A/C area. Home Depot had a leaf guard that fit the requirements, just had to trim up how I wanted held down with stainless steel gutter screws and used sealant at the bottom to ensure no movement. Will paint it and close it up tomorrow.
Leaf Guard under cowl. Made with a metal leaf guard from Amerimax Home Products at Home Depot. Leaf guard to close off passenger side cowl area.
07-13-2020, 02:15 PM
Cowl resealing
