I have a major leak coming in through the cowl then onto the pedals and hood release.

Removing the wiper mechanism does not let me see clearly the problem. I was thinking of removing the gauge cluster to get a better look.

Does removing the gauge cluster give access to the firewall?

'85 SE

 

What is the liquid?

 

It's the water I am hosing the cowl down with to locate the leak...

 

It's probably from the fresh air vents. They're only sealed with weatherstriping. The inlets are up on towers inside the cowl. Water shouldn't get in them unless you're spraying it in directly with a hose or there is a buildup of debris. There are drain tubes in the cowl to let the excess water drain out. They might be clogged.

 

Yeap, that pic is helps a lot. The water comes in right about where the vent is. And now that you mention that I should have two air inlet towers I see that I am missing the driver's side one.

I must be missing the weatherstripping around the air inlet at the firewall since I get a leak when I fill the cowl up without spraying anywhere near there.

Now, I am wondering how I am going to caulk around there without removing the instrument panel...

 

With a guy about 6 inches tall and a very tiny caulking gun! Other wise you'll need to pull the dash. You might try rigging a taller tower inside the cowl with sheet metal to shield the openings. It'd be easier fix.

 

I think transfering the engine and tranny to another 7 might be easier!

Thanks for the help gslse_in_vt.