I have checked for cowl cracks in my door jams (hinge side right?) no visible signs. Are they inevitable on a first gen or just some of the time? What kind of conditions can bring them on faster?

 

Well, I dont know how inevitable they are but I do know they are very very common. My truck has very large cracks on both sides. Seems to me the biggest culprit of cowl cracks seems to be flexing or articulation. Whenever I get my rig on uneven ground or turn onto a road that dips or inclines the crack give out a nice ::creak::....a warm gentle reminder that they are still there. =D

 

On a 4X4 they are inevitable.

 

I wonder how effective some preemptive bracing might be.

 

How can you tell them from all the other warm fuzzy noises ?

Visually speaking, where does one check?

 

I just looked at mine for the first time. I was afraid to look and my fears were dead on. The driver side is cracked and has about a 1/4" gap and the pass has a crack with no visible gap. I don't think I'm going to fix it because I just found a 4 door d350 with a spare cab. They both need work but I should be able to get them pretty cheap.

Is there anything that I should watch for or be very concerned with since I don't plan on fixing it, especially since the crew cab is going to be awhile.

Ryan

 

Well, I get alot of rattles and things from plastic trim and such, but I still cant see any cracks. Would there be some behind the dash where I can't see? The door jams are clean!? Do they destroy the truck or make it unsafe, I live in a relativeley "rain free" zone! So do I need to worry?

 

I don't know where your looking but on mine I can see it clear as day. Open your door of choice and do it on both sides. With the door open look just above the top hinge and towards the engine compartment if you have a crack you should be able to see it. I would take a pic for you right now but I think my door is iced shut and also its dark out. If you would like I will try to take a pic of both cracks tomorrow afternoon.

Ryan

 

Since I rebuilt my truck it's had that loud creaking noise from the passenger's side. Never knew what it was until I found an article in the sticky about it a few weeks ago. Mine will creak one day and the next day I won't hear it once.

 

Pics would be nice. I have looked above the hinges on both sides and no cracks. Is this the only place they manifest themselves?

 

Look between the fender and the cowl cover, the cracks usually come up the cowl from near the hinge towards the lower corner of the windshield.

 

I will try to post some later today when the light is better

 

Well I looked again past the hinge jam inside the fender where what I would say is where the fire wall meets the fender and there is a 1/2 " crack coming down from where they made a relief cut to form the sheet at the top. Only on the passenger side. The driver side is clean. Is this the only place? At this early stage could I drill the end of the crack for relief and weld it?

It looks like just a pinch point in the metal from when they formed it around the curve. Its a sharp cut and that makes it highly prone to stress cracking. Sure is thin stuff too! Is this the only place for cracking on the 1st gen? Ill snap a photo tomorrow.

 

I had a loud creaking noise for a while when I first got my truck and it turned out to be the rubber bump stops that the hood sits on buy the windshield. There are 2 of them and I just lubed them with dielectric grease and noise is gone. It was really load and driving me nuts.

 

On my 1st gen. I also had the Cowl cracks but also noticed that on my doors, the bottom hinge bracket was starting to pull out from the door. I needed to weld it a little from inside the door to strengthen it some. Cheap metal in those spots.