Versa Windshield Wiper Arm and Cowl Replacement

This how to guide shows you how to replace the windshield wiper arm and cowl on a Nissan Versa.

Recently, my girlfriends new Versa was damaged when a dead tree branch fell on it one windy night. We had the glass replaced a day or two later and recently got the new parts (cowl and wiper arm) in from Nissan.

New wiper cowl: $160 New passengers wiper arm $24

Difficulty level: 1

Time: 30-45mins start to finish.

Tools Needed:
Small Flat Head Screwdriver
14mm Wrench or Ratchet and socket
3M Double Sided Tape
Needlenose Pliers

This replacement was pretty easy and straight forward. Here are some pictures to show more or less a step by step procedure.

Here is what we woke up to one morning after the windy night.

Now for the removal and replacement:

Step 1: Remove wiper arms. To do this you must first pry off the small plastic cover that conceals the 14mm nut. Once that cover is off, use a 14mm socket to loosen and remove the nuts. Then remove the wiper arms.

Step 2: Remove bottom windshield trim. These parts unclip and you will need 3M double sided tape to reinstall.

Step 3: Open the hood. On either side of the cowl, near the hood hinge, are 2 foam parts held on by heavy Velcro. Remove these to gain access to the push pins underneath. With a small screwdriver pop the pin open.

Step 4: There are 5 plastic clips that hold the bottom of the plastic cowl to the top of the fire wall. Remove these carefully, they break very easily. The best way I found to get them out is to take a small pair of needle nose pliers to separate the locking part of the clip, then pry out with a flat head screw driver.

Step 5: Gently pull cowl forward toward the engine, and raise it up enough to clear the attachment points for the wiper arms. Once clear, flip old cowl over and remove wiper fluid hoses and squirters. The squirters will also need pliers to help remove from cowl. Gently squeeze the clips on the squirters so that they can pass through the plastic.

Step 6: Remove weather stripping from old cowl and install on new part. Note: using pliers on the bottom of the retainer clips will help so you do not tear the weather stripping. Also at this point you can snap the wiper squirters back onto the new cowl as well.

Step 7: Reinstall in reverse order. Make sure you reattach the wiper fluid hoses and clip them into place on the plastic cowl. Also make sure the foam is correctly in place when sliding the cowl into place near the bottom of the glass.

Make sure all hoses are correctly routed, all clips are properly snapped back in place and your ready to reinstall the wiper arms. Make sure you try the wipers once or twice to see if they need any adjustment. Hopefully this will help at least one other person in the future!

Article by: jspec603