As I have made references to my "iPad Cover Hack" in other posts and plenty of folks were curious what I was talking about, well, here it is.

Years ago I was battling a water leak that was not the sunroof drain as I had already did the AC bypass route years before this leak. Ended up being the windshield cowl seals that had corroded/ deteriorated. Every time it rained, water would flow under the cowl and right onto the cabin air filter which ends up flooding the blower box and, ultimately, the passenger floor.


Tired of dealing with silicone, backer rod, and butyl tapes to try to seal the cowl to the glass (which always failed), I ended up taking a case from a old iPad, trimming it to fit between the firewall and the battery "hold down" threaded rod, and let it act as a cover for that damn opening. This way, any water or crud that leaks past the cowl will, ultimately, hit the cover and drain away from that opening.

The following pictures were taken this afternoon (25 Dec '23) demonstrating my solution for my car ('08 Coupe) to prevent water and crud from flooding the cabin air filter/ leaking to the cabin:





This mod was originally done about two (2) years ago and I have had zero water leaks since. I opened the cowl today to do some other routine maintenance which allowed me to take pictures.

The irony is that on the older G35's, the plastic intake duct has a shroud over it to prevent this very thing. Learned this after the fact...

Also, before the snarky comments pop up, I live in a beach community and DO NOT have a garage. If I had a garage, obviously, this would not be too much of a issue. But, I don't, and therefore all of my vehicles are exposed to the elements 24/7 and when those damn tropical storms/ hurricanes hit I need the car to stay as watertight as is possible.

Hope this answers any questions in regard to the "iPad Cover Hack" mentioned in other posts regarding cabin water leaks.

 

Wonder if the G35 shroud could be a retrofit... have to look next time I'm in a yard.

Thanks for the writeup! My cabin filter always looks like it lives under a tree too.

 

@rotarymike Here are some images I found from eBay. As we all know, the "newer" G37 duct (p/n 66852-JK600) is a straight opening that will allow anything and everything to fall right onto the cabin air filter:


Whereas, on the older G35's the duct (p/n: 66852-AM600) has a shroud so that anything and everything will fall off and away from the filter opening:


Just another of Nissan's idiotic, and unnecessary, parts revisions. The footprint looks almost the same (likely is) so they may be interchangeable. Keep in mind, these ducts are not exclusive to the G as the same part numbers are also used on the M's, FX's, and likely the Q's.

My solution may be drastic but it works and suits my needs.

 

Would it be possible to swap the newer duct for the older G35/M style? I tried getting better views of it online but it’s hard to see the difference. I was just in this same area to replace a fuse and I kept thinking about this same issue. Surely water could just flow onto the cabin air filter if someone accidentally installed the cowl incorrectly? Seems like a bad design. Even just a little “hood scoop” cover I feel would be very beneficial.

 

I do not know for 100% certainty. I completed the iPad cover before I discovered the older-style difference. Just search "Infiniti 66852" on eBay and tons of pictures will pop up. If you have a pull-a-part yard near you even better.

The cowl only goes on "one way." The issue is that, over time, the "rope gasket" deteriorates leaving nothing to seal the cowl to the glass- especially on the passenger-side as that section gets removed moreso than the driver-side. For me, it was either cover the opening or seal it off entirely. However, everyone has their own method to madness. For most this may not ever be a issue, for me it was and has since been solved.

 

I put fabric tape on the bottom of the windshield glass to replace the seal and it seems to keep the cabin filter dry, while allowing me access to the cowl area without destroying the seal there.

 

After having this in the back of my mind for months now, I finally decided to hit one of the junkyards near me and try out the older part.


Before, how it looks for anyone curious.


After, off a G35 clearly waaayyy too big


Another view


Had to drill a new hole because it wouldn't line up, it seats alright but definitely not perfectly. Might just ignore it till it leaks, my cowl seats pretty decently still which is nice.

 

Thank you for being the "guinea pig" in this test. Even though it may not be a 100% perfect fit, the difference is that the cabin filter is still covered so that any water/ debris will not land directly onto it:


Good luck and thanks again!

 

Hey it only costed me $4 at my junkyard, plus I got to see their Infiniti inventory which was nice. Unfortunately the G35 part is very tall and prevents the cowl from fitting, I should’ve mentioned that too as the photos weren’t extremely clear. I’m sure anyone with a 3D printer could design something much better.