I was driving down the road last week when my van went into “limp mode”, and a warning came up. I was able to only accelerate slowly, and not engage the turbo. I thought the turbo went out, but it turns out a sensor detected water that apparently was making its way in to the air filter. The baffle (?) at the bottom of my windshield that diverts water was apparently loose, allowing water to get in the air box and soak the air filter. It’s a 2018 3.5. My dealer told me it’s not a warranty claim because it was tampered with by the oil change shop that did my previous oil change. After i explained just how dissatisfied I was with that, he relented and “pulled some strings” and had it fixed and the sensor replaced. So, 2 questions. Do I need to worry that water made its way into the motor (it runs great now), and is it normal for water to get into the air box? Thanks
I have a 2015 Ford Transit Cargo Van. Water getting into the air intake is definitely an issue with my van. Water saturates the air filter, the Air Flow Sensor fails. In one incident water got into the engine oil. I considered myself lucky when the van didn't start. Otherwise I am sure there would have been engine damage.
I bought the van in 2019. Without warranty as it was 4 years old.
Recently after an overnight wet snowfall I started the van to clear the vapour off the inside of the windshield while I brushed the wet heavy snow off the windshield and hood. The engine sounded like crap, so I popped the hood latch. The second the hood lifted that little bit the sound of the engine idle returned to normal.
I lifted the opened and closed the hood a few times to clear the snow that was stuck in the louvered vents on the hood. As I looked around suspiciously to find the cause of the wierd sounding engine idle, I quickly saw that water had come from the vent on the hood on the passenger side right above the air intake. I dried out the opening of the vent under the hood with a towel. Then I noticed the vent on the drivers side has a plastic cover over it on the underside of the hood. I thought that the cover on the passenger side must be missing so I went to Ford to check it out with the parts department and order a new one. Turns out they don't have a cover on that side. It is meant to allow air into the air intake, so no cover! Logically, the same vent allows melting snow and rain to enter the air intake as well.
Totally dumb design in my opinion. Not that I am a mechanic by any means but this isn't rocket science. There has got to be some responsibility on "FORDS" part to fix this mistake.
It is only as I've been pondering this dilemma for the past few days and googling the problem that I've figured this out. The air intake is right below the wipers on the passenger side. It could get water blowing in when the vehicle is in motion as well. Water or melting snow from the windshield or wiper fluid, who knows?
I am determined to get to the bottom of this before the next break down. In the meanwhile I am thinking a spare air filter and air flow sensors are going to become as necessary as a spare tire and a jack! It seems to be inevitable that this will be an ongoing issue.
I may put a shower cap on the air intake when the van is parked and a big sign taped to the dash to remind me to take the shower cap off before starting the engine. Not a brilliant solution but it might save me the inconvenience and expense of repairing the damage that is likely to reoccur every time it rains or snows!
