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Cowl & lower windshield strip replaced (E39)

90K views 31 replies 16 participants last post by  cn90 
#1 · (Edited)
If you've replaced the windshield cover already, you've done about 1/2 the job; check out your lower flashing and you'll likely see some major cracking issues too.

Also, remove your engine cover and see what's left of your cowl--the burning rubber you smell when you turn on your air is likely caused by the deterioaration of this rubber cover which encapsulates the air ducts from your engine compartment leading too your cabin.

For e39 540i:

cowl part #: 51 718 157 446 ($32)
cowl flashing/lower windshield strip part #: 51 718 159 292 ($72)

tools needed: screwdriver (for prying); 13mm socket; 15mm socket; phillips head; rubber mallet and some tool (for removal of the driver's side wiper control arm).

The tools are for the flashing and wiper arm removal; no tools are necessary for the cowl replacement.

Here are some pics of the compartment where the cowl should be, but in serious disrepair and mostly missing. Compare this pic to the "after" pic of the engine compartment below! Also, I'm pointing to the remaining portion of the cowl in one pic. And in another pic are the new cowl and the stuff I pulled out of the compartment that WAS the old cowl:
 

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#2 ·
Here is a pic of the engine compartment after the new cowl and lower flashing have been replaced. Note that there was a defect in my flashing as one mounting hole was misplaced; I attached a "dummy" washer and plug with black silicone to seal the hole. Plainly a defect since there was an impression, but no hole, where the hole should have been. No matter, since there are several places where the flashing is secured.

Driver's side wiper arm was a bear to remove--the pressure nut needed to be banged with a tool and rubber mallet and then pried off. It was also difficult to realign the wiper arms properly upon re-installation.

Anyway, here are some "after" pics, and a pic comparing the old cowl flashing to the new one:
 

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#3 · (Edited)
I can already tell a difference in the a/c--no more burning rubber smell in the cabin! This job took me about 2 hours due to mostly the wiper arm removal and old lower flashing removal and installation. Installation of the cowl itself involved removing two clips and connecting the hose bracket to the cowl, which merely slides up (the black square thing in the cowl pic).

Anyway, I highly recommend you check out your cowl and flashing situation, especially if you've already gone through the trouble of replacing your upper windshield flashing and you have an older model e39.

Hope I inspired some of you to do this as well; you'll love yourself for it!

Well, here are some pics of my satelite antennas (SIRIUS and Magellan navigation, respectively) and a corresponding pic of my busy but friendly cockpit, which I merely took since I had my camera handy!
 

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#5 ·
waveho, i just tackled my lower windshield strip myself just the other day, and noticed that my cowl is in pretty poor order too. so, i ordered the new cowl, and it should be in here in the next few days. anyhow, long story short, to help align my windshield wipers when i reassembled my wipers and such, i had put a couple of sticky notes on the windshield where the wipers should sit when all the way down. (did that make sense?) let me try that again. while the wipers were still all the way down, (off position) i put a couple of sticky notes, like post-it notes, on the windshield to mark where they should align to. i know it's not gonna benefit either me or you now, since we've both already tackled it, but maybe if someone else attempts it perhaps it will help them. you are dead on about that driver side arm removal being a b***h. i lost my religion a couple times on that one. lol. anyhow, good job. thanks to everyone posting those diy's, it's making it possible for fat a$$es like me to save a few bucks.
 
#6 ·
Glad to help! I think using markers like sticky notes is a good idea. I noticed that the first time I reinstalled the driver's wiper, it looked to be in the proper position, but when I ran the wipers, the arm settled still much too high on the windshield when I cut them off. I had to reposition it by adjusting that damnable pressure nut two more times to get it about right. I don't think there is any other way than trial and error to get it just right, though. Mine still sits just about a 1/2 inch higher than it did previously, but I haven't had the energy to mess with it again yet!
 
#7 · (Edited)
where did you buy these cowl parts? Pelican has them as special order only.

Also, I can't tell the difference between the cowl and the lower flashing you discuss.

Are the part numbers different for the 1998 528i? I can't find th4 parts on Real OEM.

Thanks for the help.
 
#11 · (Edited)
The cowl part is the smaller piece that covers the area behind the engine between the air manifolds (3rd pic in my first post). The part referred to as cowl flashing is the entire lower plastic and rubber strip that runs along the bottom of the windshield--the longer piece (1st pic in my second post). I only photographed about 1/3 the length of it in order to get a closeup of the condition of the part. Th part numbers for the 528 will differ. I had to special order both parts from the BMW dealership, and got them in about three days.

I ended up dragging the tech out to the car and pointed to the pieces I needed, and he told me what they were called and ordered the parts. I copied the part numbers from the stickers on the packaging.
 
#13 · (Edited)
OK, further updates of the last several posts so the 528 owners can do the repairs mentioned in this thread...

I did the research and got the answers to the "what are these parts again?". Using the real parts name used by BMW facilitates determining what the parts actually are....

The so-called "cowling flashing", words not to be found in BMW parts lingo, is actually called the "windshield frame cover" (now that is descriptive!).

The part number is 51718159292. For some reason they hid it in the "grill diagram" in the real oem site.) The Real OEM link:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DD63&mospid=47585&btnr=51_2258&hg=51&fg=20&hl=19

The part number is the same for both 528i and 540i (unlike the above mentioned "center compartment closing panel" - or the so- called "cowl" which have different parts numbers for these vehicles).

These are available at great prices from Pelican Parts although they are special order and take several days longer to ship.Now I can get on with ordering these parts and getting the thing fixed!

LAter!
 
#27 · (Edited)
The part number is 51718159292. For some reason they hid it in the "grill diagram" in the real oem site.) The Real OEM link:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DD63&mospid=47585&btnr=51_2258&hg=51&fg=20&hl=19
I replaced this item recently and regret not also getting these two items:

51 71 8 193 201 Covering LEFT
51 71 8 193 202 Covering RIGHT

These two items (#9) exist at either end of the above Windshield Frame Cover (#3) and basically started crumbling on me as I messed with them a tad to work the windshield frame cover on. They appear that they would be easy to install but I don't know for sure. They are made of the same rubbery material as the Windshield Cover that goes around three sides of the windshield...the one that has its own stuck thread that I started.
 
#14 ·
I posted the part #s for the 540 in my original post, and used the terms that BMW told me when I pointed them out. Thanks for the clarification.

Note: I was able to get these parts in 3 days on order from the BMW dealer.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the post with pics....

you wouldn't even know there was a center engine component closing panel....cause the whole thing just disintegrates as you suggested!

And the windshield frame cover (alias cowling flashing ) is actually the bottom seal or cover that the Windshield Moulding Trim Seal for Front Windshield (the subject of another DIY) attaches to. I noticed this piece was chipping away there at the bottom of the wondshield just like it was at the top!

Good catch on your part.

I haven't really experienced any problems as a result of this deterioration / disintegration (that I am aware of) but still want it to be fixed. BMW really screwed up their materials selection for this stuff.

This topic should be a sticky because this will happen to every e39 I bet.
 
#16 ·
Thanks. I also don't know of any damage that may have occurred, but the parts are more than likely there for a pretty good reason. I suspect that water has been getting into areas that it aught not!

One signficant upgrade by doing this, at least for me, has been the great reduction in that ever-present "burning" smell from the blower. The cowl/cover in my case, and in yours, was baked to oblivion, and was probably a good suspect in this odor problem, since that particular part is up against the air piping to the cabin. I don't burn oil or any other fluid, but the smell had persisted, and I think I've found the main culprit in this.
 
#17 ·
just pulled the trigger on the engine cover/cowl cover, whatever they call it. the one on the firewall that the harness clips through, that one. it wasn't really too bad of a job, but the one i took out came out in 2 big pieces and a bunch of little ones. it's a shame that these cars came with such crappy rubber. oh well. i didn't post any pictures (i know that's a pet peeve of everyone's) as i haven't yet bought a digital camera. but it looked very similar to the pictures above. keep those diy's coming! Branndon.
 
#18 ·
The replacement parts for both the cover and the lower window flashing I got from the dealer seemed to be of very good quality, and of different material (hard to tell what material it was, though, based on what little was left of the cowl cover!) than the original pieces. I wonder what year BMW began using upgraded material for this? This problem seems to be largely with older e39s.
 
#19 ·
It appears not to be confined to older BMW's my 01 530i has had both panels replaced. The larger one, closing engine compartment panel 51-71-8-174-737 and the smaller closing panel 51-71-8-174-737, hidden behind the micro air filter housing. The centre panel was in numerous pieces and when touched crumbled to dust the other panel was slightly better off. These I purchased from Pelican Parts at $28.20 and $27.45 on the 25th July.They took about six days to reach me here in New Zealand.
 
#22 ·
I already PM'd The BOSS with further explanation (and he has successfully replaced the lower window moulding as well! Good going--another cleaner e39 on the road!).

But I should add an addendum to this write-up based on a few additional emails I've received. I should have expounded more on removing the main wiper arm. Once you remove the cover of the driver's side arm, remove the top bold. Underneath that is a gold "pressure" bolt that holds the mechanics to the whole shebang together. I don't know of any specialized tool that can assist in removing this bolt. You need a set of heavy duty grips, like large quality pliers, and a rubber mallet. Careful using a metal hammer, but that can be used as well. The bolt is VERY sturdy and can take a lot of punishment. Basically, you need to beat the crap out of the bolt (but carefully, if that makes sense) to loosen it up. Alternate between whacking it with the mallet and jiggling with the pliers. Anti-seize solvent may help. Have patience--it WILL loosen and come off.

Also, a tricky part is replacing the wiper arms in a proper "rest" position after you've installed the new cover. It's a little tricky, and may take between one and three tries to get it right. Put the wipers in the "rest" position and reinstall the wiper bolt including the pressure bolt, but not TOO tight since it is likely you will need to remove and reinstall again. Don't replace the plastic covering quite yet. Once in place, run the wipers and turn off. The wipers will likely rest a bit too high. Remove the bolts, tighten up and try again. After two or three times, they will be back in position. Have some patience and you'll be happy. Enjoy your nicer looking window mouldings!
 
#23 ·
A universal puller works to pull off the center arm and driver's side mount from the splined shafts. Just leave the loosened nut partly threaded on the shaft to use as a center for the tapered point of the puller screw; hook the arms under the sides and tighten the center screw. It will pop free, then you can remove the nut the rest of the way.
 
#24 ·
Windshield Cowling & L/H wiper nut removal



That natsy windshield wiper arm nut on the drivers side is very easy to remove. NAPA is probably the ONLY tool store that carries the right size puller. Photo shows a 4 pc gear puller set, but only the smallest puller is needed. I used a 3" gear puller due to working space restrictions with hood installed. A rubber mallet was not used... only the gear puller to remove the nut and then cleaned off the spline nut post prior to reinstalling the nut.
 

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#26 ·
That natsy windshield wiper arm nut on the drivers side is very easy to remove. NAPA is probably the ONLY tool store that carries the right size puller. Photo shows a 4 pc gear puller set, but only the smallest puller is needed. I used a 3" gear puller due to working space restrictions with hood installed. A rubber mallet was not used... only the gear puller to remove the nut and then cleaned off the spline nut post prior to reinstalling the nut.
Autozone carries a puller that fits fine: OEM 2 & 3 Jaw 2 Ton Puller (25901).

I picked one up for $35. OEM is the brand name. I used it in the 2 arm config and it worked just great.
 
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