I just wanted to pass on my experience with this issue and say thanks to previous posters who provided info relating to the problem.

Last week my Durango (5.7L Hemi) stalled out in a heavy downpour and the check engine light came on. A quick web search yielded information relating to water passing the wiper cowl and causing all sorts of havoc.

Looking at my cowl it was immediately apparent that the seal was buckled up off of the windshield and water was running right into the engine compartment.

I decided to caulk the cowl down but when I removed I could see a few things.
1) There are several plastic tabs along the windshield side edge of the cowl that snap into slots on the body. A few of these were broken and I am thinking this is the reason the cowl had buckled at the seal.In addition we had a very hot summer which may have also played a part.
2)The design of the cowl was poor and water running into the cowl would likely go right into the hole that the wiper arm connects through.

My local dealer happened to have the cowl in stock ($129), so I drove over to see if the redesign was really any better. I looked at it, decided it was better, the holes for the wiper arms have an elevated "collar" around them and the channel that the water runs into appears to be a bit deeper.

I decided to replace the cowl as well as apply a bead of silicone caulk along the cowl edge right behind the rubber seal that meets the windshield.
I was able to get the push pins called for in the other posts/TSBs at Autozone for $5 (pack of 15). The dealer wanted $4.60 each for these.

OK, sorry for the long winded post but just wanted to return the favor for the useful info other folks posted.

 

A common related issue with that cowl leaking problem is electrical issues from water leaking in on the coil(s)

 

That was my understanding. In my case the code it threw was for misfire and once it was cleared it did not come back. From what I read the 4.7L coil packs were more susceptible to the issue and if the cowl is buckled the water just floods right down on the engine which I am sure is bad regardless of the engine type. I will follow up once I get this baby back out in some rain.

 

We are going through that with my Durango too. Tried to caulk it as a temporary measure, but the truck still stalls out on me in the car wash. With rain finally making an appearance again after such a dry summer, it is time to fix it properly. Did you do the replace the cowl yourself? I'm just curious if it is a one-person job and how long it took. Thanks in advance!

 

I did it myself it was pretty easy, I doubt it would take most people more than an hour or so if you have all the parts ready.

 

Thanks btallon! We swapped cowls this past weekend and it wasn't that difficult. When I took the truck through the car wash today, the engine started to stumble again but no stall. I kept my foot on the gas when it started to stumble I don't know if it would have stalled had I left it alone. Have you had your Durango out in the rain yet since you swapped out cowls? If so, what were your results? Thanks again!!

 

I have been in light rain but not on par with the torrential downpour that caused my engine to stall. The way it was before I replaced was very bad, rain would run right under the cowl directly onto my engine. I think the new cowl is a better design but still not the greatest. I have also read other posts that mentioned replacing seals on the air intake but have not looked into that.

 

Btallon:

Could you please post the part number of the revised cowl? I seem to have this issue to some level and want to get it taken care of.

Don

 

55362453AK Cowl Screen

 

Thanks for the P/N and prompt reply Btallon!