DIY: Fixing The Passenger Side Cowl Leak On A 90-93 Integra

The common is a very very common problem on 90-93 Integras. The issue is that after 17yrs the seals are no longer in good enough shape to keep the water out and it ends up on your floor. This is after it goes through your blower motor and rusts it out.

Before even starting, go to a Honda or Acura dealership and order 8 of the follow part number, 91608-SJ6-003. They are super cheap ($2.50 each, a buck something at cost).

To do this you’ll need basic hand tools, 14mm socket, flat head and #2 phillips screw drivers, panel poppers and needle nose pillars. You will also need a pair of scissors.

I didn’t take pictures of removing the wiper cowl but I will describe it the best I can.
Step 1: First use the 14mm socket to remove the wiper arms.

Step 2:Then use the flat head to pop up the little black circle covers and unscrew the clips around the white pegs. You have to unscrew them by hand, you can use the flat head but you may break one so be careful.

Step 3: Now pull the plastic push pins from the cowl seal (they are under the seal). Use the needle nose pillars to squeeze the bottom and the panel popper to pop them out. Now you can remove the seal.

Step 4: Remove the wiper cowl, be very very careful to not break the cowl. Especially were it goes around the hood hinges.

Step 5: You will now see the cabin intake cowl, there are 8 plastic trim screws on the top and 2 on the side. Use the Phillips screw driver to remove them. They can be a bit of a bitch. The panel popped helps to get them out.

Step 6: Now you can see the problem, the 8 black trim screw along the top have those seals you order. After 17yrs they are shot! So it’s time to replace them. Pull them out by hand.

Look how old and worn these things are.

Step 7: Pop the new seals in.

Step 8: Re-assemble? No no yet. Look at the cabin intake cowl, look at the bottom. I bet yours will look similar to mine.

How am I going to fix this? one might think. Fear not, it’s a simple fix. Go to any hardware store and buy foam tape (commonly used for sealing windows but also works in making a seal here. The stock seal is just foam too. Also, they make GREAT tail light seals and are much cheaper then the $20 per from the dealer).

Step 9: Pull the old seal off and wash all the dirt and grim off the cowl. Now pull the backing off the foam tape and put it on just like the old factory seal.

No need to cut the foam tape either, it does corners like a champ.

Step 10: Assembly is the reverse of removal. Stand back and be happy that your windshield cowl will no longer leak.

Hope this helps some people!!

Nice write up. Great tip, using the foam tape. :up:

Nice write-up! I need to take care of this on the new whip for sure

Glad you guys like it.

awesome just what I was looking for. I noticed mine started leaking this morning :down:

Major rain here today and my carpet is nice and dry :slight_smile:

nice, this one looks a lot better.

awsome, gottta re do it on my teg, and do it on my other one. :stuck_out_tongue:

The tip…the tape…the tailights…hangs head…brilliant man.

Ive been making the damned things out of layers of magic foam sheets from the craft store. If that weather strip works on tailights like you say it does (and I’d say it does)…Your post may have saved a lot of teg owners a lot of money and headaches in the future.

Thanks. :up:

mines been leaking bad im try this when i get home today

nice write up ! i had this leak happen to me once under heavy rain. never fix it yet cause i didn’t know how, but now i know thanks g2 racer !

Thanks bro fixed mine in a half hour

No more water on my passenger floor board because of a well written thread thank dude

damn i’m gonna try this tip.

excellent write-up, dude.

awesome wright up man, big help

damn…wow…ive really got to get this done. its been raining here just about non stop last few weeks.

does it have to be neoprene

Hay,nice wright up man:) I just when out to fix my leaking and did everything you had posted up but still have the leak. Is there anything else that might be the problem that i my need to look for? This is getting me a lil upset. E-mail me at kialeh@hotmail.com so i can get the response faster. Thanks guys.
Kyle

there are two plastic boot over the blower motor just replace those from the dealer about 3 bucks each an it should be fixed

Yea i did everything listed above. I think its coming from the window seal.

if it coming from the window seal then it is not leaking in to the blower