My Experience with 2004 Durango Wiper Cowl Leakage
 

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!

Isn't there a window seal u can buy I saw on YouTube to replace the old one.

I did the cowl replacement, and I also used RTV to re-seal the "funnel" underneath the cowl (on the passenger side) that directs the water to the side of the engine compartment. The 3M tape on the funnel had degraded over the last 10 years.

100% improvement.

bought the new cowl but cant get the wiper arms off! ( 2005 Durango 5.7 )I removed the 3 nuts no problem but the arms wont come off.pulling up raises the mechanism underneath the cowl and the arms together like its all one piece . no wiggle on the bolt. tapped lightly on both sides of the bolt with a hammer no movement.any ideas ?



ok I rented a puller kit from advanced auto and one of the small pullers worked. others have used a battery terminal remover but nobody around had one.couple of notes on my repair the rubber strip that goes against the window was slightly longer on one side but I couldn't adjust it because i didn't notice till I was done, so you want to adjust the strip before you put it on.the metal (5) clips are impossible to see when you put it on so I just hope I got them all in .the Dorman 799-135 plastic push in panel fasteners were pretty beat up so I 'll replace those at autozone $5.XX for 15 pcs (should have bought those before) advanced auto was $3.70 for just 3 pcs what a rip.

I just did that cowl replacement on our 2006 Hemi Durango. I put a rubber grommet around the wiper arm shafts too to keep water out. Also used black RTV sealer under the heads of the push pins.

All was lost anyways as I think our engine took a dump today anyways in dry weather. The engine didn't get wet though.

do you have the part number for the updated cowl and the push pins you used?

Hello I'm new to this Dodge site. My 04 Durango with 144,000 miles has fallen victim to this incident and is now in my driveway waiting to be rebuilt. It made my stomach hurt to hear the sound of my motor trying to limp home but we made it and I hope everything goes well after this I plan on fixing everything the proper way and I feel Dodge Should be held responsible for this issue. Thank you all and I will let you know how it turns out. Kim Borges from Northern California.

Engine Hydrolocked!
 

My 2004 Dodge Durango Hydorlocked this weekend. Had it towed to Dodge. $9,000 for new engine & repair.

I have taken very good car of this vehicle. Bought it wit 14,000 miles on it, and now has $140,000. We have replaced the cowl screen, had it caulked/sealed, and other parts replaced. (never helped the issue)

Has anyone else thought that this is a MAJOR safety issue and Dodge should do a safety recall?? Class action law suit??

It's NOT OK that you can't drive a car in the rain without it shuttering and stalling, or dying!! Isn't that a MAJOR safety issue?

Anyone have any luck with Chysler?? (I haven't as of yet). Has anyone contacted a lawyer? Are there any class action law suits out there pending for this issue?

I replaced mine in January 2017 soon after I bought my used Durango (now with a new engine). I believe it was like $150+ at the dealer which I feel they should have included as part of a recall. My mechanic installed it but I don't think he caulked anything since it wasn't indicated.

What I found interesting is that Dodge dealer said that one I got was the latest hood cowl and its 7th iteration of it. 7th! I'm like huh...wow is there going to be an 8th and will I be informed and will they pay for it? Probably not.

Still I don't get the hydrolocking issue. My mechanic said at worst, water would drip on 1 particular coil pack...and not inside the actual coil pack, since that is covered/protected. And even if somehow it got in there it shouldn't lock it up since it's not getting IN the cylinder. Anyway