You may want to look up under the dash as well. When I checked mine I found not only those stupid patch kits, but enough silcone to glaze a dozen showers and sinks!

 

ewwww[:@]

 

In my experience, a little rust on the floor does not necessarily indicate a leaking cowl. The cowls on both my early Mustangs as well as my brothers had no rust and didn't leak, yet the floors all had a tad of rust down by the driver's and passenger's feet. My brother's is a convertible so I imagine that leaky or left down tops have something to do with it. On my coupe and fastback, I don't know what to think.

If you're looking at a car and can't do the water test through the cowl, at least take a flashlight and peak up at the cowl from the underside. Especially on the driver's side by the air vent, you should be able to see evidence of leaks.

 

on second thought I understand what you mean, but the floorpan thing is a good indication. I also get really bad condensation on the inside of the windshield. On days where the windshield ices over, the inside will have a film of ice on it too. Was the crazies thing the first time I scraped the windshiled. Got in the car and still couldn't see outside. So I go to wipe off and behold I had to scrape off the windshield on the inside too!

Crazy!

 

By the way - what function does the cowl serve?

Can one leave a "cowl cover" on at all times to prevent water entry?

 

Cowl lets in "fresh" (that's up for debate if you live in L.A. ) air for your vent and heater. You could leave the cowl cover on but I think it looks like poo.

 

I just sold some parts to a guy who "fixed" his cowl in a manner I have never heard before. I know this is not much better than slapping silicone over the rust holes, but I found it quite innovative. He took some industrial liquid roof sealant and poured it in the cowl opening, then he took a curved air chuck and pushed the liquid goo into the corners of the cowl.The stuff takes several hours to harden but I guess itbecomes quite solid when it dries. Says he has been running it for years now without a leak. I'm sure the cancer is still spreading in the cowl area under the sealant but it may be a better short term fix than those stupid hats and you can still get fresh air in by not using the cowl cover 24/7.

Let the negative responses to this post begin..........

Big Nate

 

speaking of fixes not long ago on ebay I saw something that looked like a cowl on the cowl. (a mini looking cowl hood thing on top of the cowl opening if you can picture it) fugly

 

Mine leaks too! The hat isgone and only a couple of holes beside theold rim. Iuse the cowl cover when it's raining but you can't run deforster for the widowssince it doesn't get fresh air to mix.It would be nice to have a cover that would let enough air in of the heater but not alot of water in.

 

wow thanks for all the responses. I guess I'll take some water with me and ask if I can do that. I would imagine if I looked at the floor pan I'd find evidence of leaking if there was a leak because this car is stored on the street, no garage or cover.