Windshield / Wipe cowl fitment HELP!!

[dirtdevilnc]

Hey guys, was doing a bit of investigation on a leak issue I had recently. I removed the wiper cowl at the base of the windshield in order to access the elephant ear drains below. Holding the wiper cowl to the windshield there was some really sticky, nasty worn out black caulk or weather stripping (not sure what it was originally in 2001 !)
I noticed that my wiper cowl does not sit completely flush with the windshield in certain parts though I am not sure if it is technically supposed to as I dont believe that the cowl in and of itself is supposed to keep out rain. I know there is a little ridge on the back of the cowl that appears to sit between a gap in the windshield and the frame below it. That particular gap was only filled with sealant in a few different spots towards the passenger side, certainly not water tight.
Was wondering if anyone might be able to take a look at their cowl, does it fit completely tight across the base of the windshield ? I tried to caulk it to base of the windshield and that was an absolute messy disaster, I dont believe that it is supposed to be caulked to the windshield but would like to verify with anyone who might be able to assist and can compare with theirs !

As always thank you !

[aba4430]

I have recently noticed water leaks from the upper left of the passenger foot well area in the Z3. Searched and stumbled upon this post. The door opening and soft top seals do not appear to be a problem. I believe I am getting rain water through the cowl area, and the potential fix is to reseal the cowl??? Any leads appreciated. Did not see any closure from Dirtdevilnc, so assume the fix worked...

[jajou318]

Cowl should never be sealed. It's meant to be removed. The black sealant you(op) are probably seeing is the windshield sealant (probably excess sealant from a replacement).

Remove the cowl and check sometimes dirt and leaves can clog up water pathways.

[Kenn]

Does this help? The photo was for another purpose, but shows some of the cover at the bottom right. It shows a rubber molding strip at the top of the cover, and it's flush with the glass (but I'm sure not watertight). Maybe somebody removed and tossed yours, and tried to replace it with caulk.

Oops, just noticed this post was resurrected from the dead, so the OP probably isn't still searching for a response.

[aba4430]

I certainly have the molding, but is is not flush with the glass (there is a gap) side to side. Should this appear absolutely stuck to the glass, all the way across?

[dirtdevilnc]

I have recently noticed water leaks from the upper left of the passenger foot well area in the Z3. Searched and stumbled upon this post. The door opening and soft top seals do not appear to be a problem. I believe I am getting rain water through the cowl area, and the potential fix is to reseal the cowl??? Any leads appreciated. Did not see any closure from Dirtdevilnc, so assume the fix worked...

Hey guys I did end up sealing the gap between the windshield and the top of the wiper cowl with 3m strip caulk. I checked the drains while I was under the cowl and they appeared to be free and clear. All in all it didn't end up fixing the issue that I was having but I did find out what was causing water to end up on top of my passenger floor mat. It seems to be attributed to when I would wash my car and spray water at the window seals from below at an angle. It never seems to happen when it rains or anything typically though I recently had a different issue where the floor was wet below my rubber floor mat. After driving about 200 miles in an absolutely torrential rain storm the passenger side foot well closest to the door sill was fairly damp. On top of the mat was bone dry. While drying things up I noticed that the plastic sill molding was fairly wet underneath. I can only assume that water was coming up from under the door will in this insane storm. When the car sits still in crazy rain I don't appear to get any water anywhere in the car.
The other spot that has gotten wet is up high near the transmission hump. When running the a/c for extended periods the floor would get damp sometimes but nothing crazy.
I wish I had a better answer for you concerning that wet foot well but I don't think that mine was coming from the window cowl. I would certainly check your drains though to make sure that's not your issue.

[Kenn]

I certainly have the molding, but is is not flush with the glass (there is a gap) side to side. Should this appear absolutely stuck to the glass, all the way across?

I ran a business card across the full length of the rubber strip along the glass, and mine is in contact the whole way across. There was one 2" area where the card slipped under, but it wouldn't fall under by itself. I don't think this is intended to be water tight, though.

[amancuso]

I think the water comes in near the sill through the weatherstripping. If you look at the A piller, there is is a drain hole. the corresponding drain hole is in the weatherstripping at the bottom of the door, but the hole is on the TOP of the weatherstripping. During heavy rains or car washing, the water back drains through the top of that hole and is forced into the passenger compartment. It's absolutely awful design.

[aba4430]

I removed the cowl yesterday and noted sealant (albeit worn due to age) across the length under the cowl. The cowl had a mm of gap against the windshield across the majority of the center portion. If there is no sealant, the water will fall into the blower chamber and "potentially" leak into the car. The drain channels were clear and I ran a garden hose in the general channel area (trough, not chamber) and saw water coming out under the car. The sealing grommets for the cowl push pins appear fine, I might replace them due to age. The lower WS glass seal also appears to be suspect; not sure if I should apply a bead of the right sealant across the bottom. There is a good bit of gap across the bottom width that I could cover. Need help in determining the type of sealant for the bottom of the windshield and the cowl. Thx.

PS. added some pictures.

[aba4430]

Some more pictures:

[aba4430]

This update is a bit late. However, I resealed the cowl with 3M 3/8" butyl tape. The tape is good quality and the cowl is perfectly sealed now with no gaps. This has stopped the water leak into the passenger compartment foot well from the top left corner. A link to the tape I used is included:
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...622_0006438159

[jdmag26]

Thanks everyone for this post. Is there a part number for this seal between the windshield and the cowl? At least we have an alternative solution with the butyl tape!

[delvec]

An alternative weather strip that I've used from Lowes. It self sticks on one side and seals out water and easy to remove in the future.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/M-D-10-ft-x-19-32-in-Black-Auto-and-Marine-Seal-Rubber-Marine-Automotive-Weatherstrip/1038917

[jdmag26]

Awesome! Thank you much for the prompt reply!