How to Replace Windshield Wiper Cowl Cover 1997-2004 Ford F-150
Created on: 2017-06-29
How to remove and replace a cracked or broken hood cowl on 98 Ford F-150
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step 1 :Removing the Wiper Arms
- Mark the location of the wiper blades with a dry erase marker
- Pry off the wiper arm cap
- Remove the 15mm nuts from the wiper arm
- Press the wiper arm
- Remove the wiper arm
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step 2 :Removing the Cowl Panel
- Pry up the cowl panel trim buttons with a pick
- Remove the five Phillips screws on either panel
- Lift the hood
- Pry the clip out of the cowl panel ends
- Remove the clips along the weatherstrip
- Remove the weatherstrip
- Remove the panel
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step 3 :Installing the Cowl Panel
- Lower the cowl panel into place
- Tighten the clips along the weatherstrip
- Press the weatherstrip onto the panel
- Lower the hood
- Tighten the ten Phillips screws into the cowl panel
- Press on the two trim buttons
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step 4 :Reinstalling the Wiper Arms
- Press the wiper arm onto the stud
- Lower the arm to the windshield
- Tighten the 15mm nut to the wiper arm
- Press on the wiper arm cap
Tools needed
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Flat Blade Screwdriver
Phillips Head Screwdriver
15mm Socket
Ratchet
Trim Tool Set
Marker / Writing Utensil
Pick
Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. We've been selling auto parts for over 30 years. We're dedicated to delivering quality auto parts, expert customer service, fast and free shipping, all backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. Visit us at 1AAuto.com, your trusted source for quality auto parts.
To remove your wiper arms, start with a small flat blade screwdriver or pick tool, and work it under the back side here. Take the cap off, and there's a nut underneath. Repeat this on the other side. Use a 15mm socket and ratchet and remove the two 15mm nuts. Usually you can break them free by pressing, and then you pull them up and off.
You can see I've got a nice pollen mark here. You could also use a dry erase marker and just mark where your wiper blades sit before you remove them.
On the windshield cowl panel, with the hood closed, there's a series of screws on each side. This is actually a two piece panel. You take a little pick tool, remove this plug, and it's the same on the other side. Then there's a Phillips screw down in there. Then there's a Phillips screw here. There should be one there and another one there for the driver's side.
I'm going to use a Phillips screwdriver, which is the one with the four points. And on the passenger’s side once you remove the plug there's one, two, three, four, and five screws. Now pop your hood from the inside. Take the latch out. On each side again, there is a clip. With a plastic trim removal tool available at 1AAuto.com, pull this clip up and out. Then there are some clips that hold it across the back of the engine bay. They just pull off.
On the driver's side, you can pull the cowl weatherstrip off, and then the cowl panel comes up and out. The same thing is over here. Remove the clip. Pull off these two clips.
Your cowl panel has a locating pin here and also one here, and there may be some other ones, but this may be broken. Put it in place. Do the same thing on this side. Put it down and in place, and this comes out in front. Make sure it's down. Put the clip back here and the two clips on this side. The lip of this should go towards the engine. Then you can bring the hood down.
Reinstall your screws. Put the grommet back on. So sometimes these clips will get out of line, so you might have to just put your screwdriver down in. Straighten it out a little bit so you can see the hole. And then put the screw in. And reinstall the wiper arms, and we noticed usually that when you have your wipers it kind of lines up with the windshield. What happened is somebody had put these wipers on incorrectly. They had the passenger's side one on the driver's side. So the driver's side should go on, and there should be about an inch between the bottom of the windshield here and where the wiper sits. And then this passenger's side should just be up off, and again, about an inch between the wiper blade and where the black is on the windshield.
Pressing down on. The driver's side has a little more of a bend in it than the passenger's side, and that allows it just to sit straighter. Once you have them on there, put your 15mm nuts to hold them in place. And press them down, and then tighten them up with a 15mm wrench or socket ratchet. Then if you ever detect that the wiper arms slip at all, you want to come on here and tighten them up more, get them to stop slipping. And install the caps to finish it up.
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