Cabin air intake duct cover: am I missing something?

YooperTJ

YooperTJ

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Joined
Jun 17, 2020
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33
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U. P. of Michigan
I have a '98 Sahara with a small amount of water dripping onto the passenger floor mat (or passenger's feet) when driving in the rain. Floor mat is dry when parked in the rain. Cleaned out the center drain under the cowl but the leak is still there. It's just a drip every now and then but still irritating. I noticed a big open hole where the vent/duct is on the passenger side which seems suspicious. I watched a few videos before I cleaned out the cowl drain, and every Jeep I saw had a cover over this hole. I found this fresh air intake duct cover on eBay (which looks like what I'd need) but the listing says "NOTE: Will not work for 1998. 1998 models don't use this." Anyone know what, if anything, is supposed to cover this hole on a '98? Or what else I should try? Thanks!

(The pic below is what it looks like. Not my Jeep, but the hole looks the same.)

Screen Shot 2020-07-09 at 5.16.26 PM.png
 
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YooperTJ said:
I have a '98 Sahara with a small amount of water dripping onto the passenger floor mat (or passenger's feet) when driving in the rain. Floor mat is dry when parked in the rain. Cleaned out the center drain under the cowl but the leak is still there. It's just a drip every now and then but still irritating. I noticed a big open hole where the vent/duct is on the passenger side which seems suspicious. I watched a few videos before I cleaned out the cowl drain, and every Jeep I saw had a cover over this hole. I found this fresh air intake duct cover on eBay (which looks like what I'd need) but the listing says "NOTE: Will not work for 1998. 1998 models don't use this." Anyone know what, if anything, is supposed to cover this hole on a '98? Or what else I should try? Thanks!

(The pic below is what it looks like. Not my Jeep, but the hole looks the same.)

View attachment 175607
Click to expand...
I believe this is the one you're looking for, Mopar part # 55115157AB. It is discontinued but there seems to be quite a few on ebay.
1594334448219.png


Here's one with the collar.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=153735123640
 
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Older TJ's didn't have the cover, and it doesn't fit. I have one I might try to retrofit at some point though. I went through pretty much the same process you did with the same leaking symptoms. I replaced the seal between the cowl and the back of the hood with a newer style that goes the full length, not just the top part. That solved my leak. I think it was coming in where the foam seals around the a/c lines in the firewall. Not sure though.
 
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Skylinessuck said:
Older TJ's didn't have the cover, and it doesn't fit. I have one I might try to retrofit at some point though. I went through pretty much the same process you did with the same leaking symptoms. I replaced the seal between the cowl and the back of the hood with a newer style that goes the full length, not just the top part. That solved my leak. I think it was coming in where the foam seals around the a/c lines in the firewall. Not sure though.
Click to expand...
Here’s what the seal on mine looks like. I assume this is the old style? Do you have a part # or link for the longer one?

6C6414EC-C7F3-4C5D-B41E-9172C7009816.jpeg
 
I also noticed the foam seal in that area is looking pretty rough. I assume this is more for dust than waterproofing since it’s made of soft foam? Mine is pretty crushed and clearly shows signs that it’s holding water against the body. Anyone know if there’s a part number for this foam or okay to just cut some hunks of adhesive-backed foam to match? Or just ignore it?

AB7EBAA1-842F-48B5-A96E-84FF152EFAE3.jpeg


77157134-A7E2-476D-AB5C-DBD22C844455.jpeg


6749C22E-7862-41F0-B172-2B35ACAAE7C7.jpeg
 
I say ditch the foam. Make sure to treat whatever rust you may have there as well. I will be lining the inside of the cowl cover with heat insulation/shield material and will modify the intake to accept this cover and seal with edges with silicone as well. May put in a cone filter mesh bag over it. I get tired of the seedlings and dead bugs flying at me when I turn the window defroster on :ROFLMAO:

This way I can at least feel better that water won't be getting into the cabin right away and less bugs to deal with.
 
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A quick eBay search shows the part number to be 55037540AA. When I removed my cowl panel to clean the cowl drain, I saw my 2004 had a cover.
4A46D739-3401-4CAA-8F5B-8C613E47A589.jpeg
 
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Google never showed me the length of any of the ones I found and says they are all for 97-06. This is just a guess, but I would guess the newer longer style superceded the old one. I'd just order one from Amazon or something and chance that is longer. You could probably return it if it isn't.
 
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I’ve got nothing. The part I bought turned out to be the intake duct that’s already in place, not a cover for it. The consensus seems to be that there was no cover for the ‘98. I threw it in the spare parts box and moved on to other projects. We’ve driven several times in the rain since then and no more drips so I have no idea what caused it the first time. Going with the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ theory at this point. Fender replacement is next on the list.
 
Hello Everyone,
I'm a new member and just stumbled across this post. I did auto water leak repairs for nearly a decade back in the 90s and early 2000s. I specialized in warranty repairs on new vehicles only. Jeep released a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that came out regarding water being sucked in through the fresh air intake that affected the first few years of TJs. The TSB included installation of the 55037540AA cover (later models came with one already installed - slightly different design). If water is dripping on top of your floor mats from the heater-box area, I would look here first. I hope this helps.

P.S. Don't use silicone for body repairs, use automotive seam sealer from a body shop - it is worth every penny.
 
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I have one of those newer style intakes but looked at it and realized it won't easily mate up to the older style intake. Got any insights?
 
SkylinesSuck said:
I have one of those newer style intakes but looked at it and realized it won't easily mate up to the older style intake. Got any insights?
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Looking at your profile pic, it looks like you have a newer TJ, it most likely came with the fresh air intake scoop already installed from the factory, along with a different heater-box design.

I just bought one of the 55037540AA intake covers that I mentioned on my earlier post for my 97 TJ, there are currently multiple for sale on Ebay for less than $25 with shipping. I think you will have a lot less headache getting one that mates up to your Jeep correctly, vs. trying to retrofit one that was design for a different system. Although there was not a major change to the TJ exterior, when Daimler bought Jeep in 1998, they made multiple improvements to the HVAC system, including eliminating the fan going thru the firewall (a 1998 TJ firewall is very different from a 2003 TJ firewall - as an example).
 
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Mine's a '98. I appreciate your input though! You mentioned a TSB so I was hoping there was a process to retrofit it. Sounds like not though.
 
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