Dash Leak

[99towncar]

My Town Car leaks under the passenger dash when it rains. Two dealers say that the leak is from a bad seal in the air vent cowl. I'd like to try to fix it myself but I'm not sure how to get to it or if I could fix it at all. Does anyone with a '99 to '03 Town Car have this problem? Can you shed any light on it?

[nel1962]

Several months ago I changed the heater box to my 98 TC. Besides this being a very challenging job, I also experienced a water leak after the fact.

To correct my problem, I removed the wiper cover from the engine compartment and sealed several open cavities and the edge of the air vent cowl... "I used all purpose clear caulking"

Hope this helps...

[99towncar]

Originally Posted by nel1962

Several months ago I changed the heater box to my 98 TC. Besides this being a very challenging job, I also experienced a water leak after the fact.

To correct my problem, I removed the wiper cover from the engine compartment and sealed several open cavities and the edge of the air vent cowl... "I used all purpose clear caulking"

Hope this helps...

I believe your on the right track to solve my problem but I'm not sure I understand your terminology. The only terminology I can relate to is that used in the official shop manual from Ford for this car. It refers to a piece of plastic trim they call the cowl vent screen that sits in front of the right hand windshield wiper. When you remove it you can see the vent that brings fresh air into the car. They recommend removing it when you replace the heater hoses. There is something else it refers to as the cowl top vent panels. It is recommended removing these when removing the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft assembly. Could any of these be what you are calling the wiper covers?

It would really help if I knew what they mean cowl, i.e., what it is and where it is.