Tried helping a buddy with underhood water leaks

[puppetmaster]

Now I'm scratching my head,
Alright, so I usually do all my own wrenching and help friends out when I can, my buddy's got a transit (2020, I think) and asked me to take a look, he's been getting water under the hood after it rains. I figured, no big deal, probably a clogged drain or a bad seal. Well, I pulled the cowl, checked the usual suspects, everything looked fine, but sure enough, after a good rain, there's water pooling around the battery and creeping near the fuse box and its totally not ideal, we even did a hose test, and the leak seems to be sneaking in somewhere near the top of the firewall.
I'm used to chasing leaks, but this one's got me guessing, would appreciate any tips before I go tearing more plastic off and cursing ford's design team.

 

[SmartHaul]

It's really annoying that I also have those drips accumulating around the middle of the engine. I doubt that water seeping around the valleys between the head and block over time is a good thing. If it persists, it will inevitably lead to corrosion or dirt accummulation

 

[VanDamme]

Now I'm scratching my head,
Alright, so I usually do all my own wrenching and help friends out when I can, my buddy's got a transit (2020, I think) and asked me to take a look, he's been getting water under the hood after it rains. I figured, no big deal, probably a clogged drain or a bad seal. Well, I pulled the cowl, checked the usual suspects, everything looked fine, but sure enough, after a good rain, there's water pooling around the battery and creeping near the fuse box and its totally not ideal, we even did a hose test, and the leak seems to be sneaking in somewhere near the top of the firewall.
I'm used to chasing leaks, but this one's got me guessing, would appreciate any tips before I go tearing more plastic off and cursing ford's design team.

It looks like you're dealing with a common problem in Transits. Check the seams around the cowl for any leaks and use some seam sealer to fix them up. Don't forget to clear out the drain tubes too. Once you've got that done, do a hose test to make sure the leak is fixed

 

[FTAdventurer]

Now I'm scratching my head,
Alright, so I usually do all my own wrenching and help friends out when I can, my buddy's got a transit (2020, I think) and asked me to take a look, he's been getting water under the hood after it rains. I figured, no big deal, probably a clogged drain or a bad seal. Well, I pulled the cowl, checked the usual suspects, everything looked fine, but sure enough, after a good rain, there's water pooling around the battery and creeping near the fuse box and its totally not ideal, we even did a hose test, and the leak seems to be sneaking in somewhere near the top of the firewall.
I'm used to chasing leaks, but this one's got me guessing, would appreciate any tips before I go tearing more plastic off and cursing ford's design team.

I can relate, those cowls might look nice but they can still let water in. Make sure to check the seam sealer at the top of the firewall and the corners of the cowl. Some 2020 models had problems with that. A little RTV sealant could help you avoid messing with the plastic

 

[Thomas E.]

Now I'm scratching my head,
Alright, so I usually do all my own wrenching and help friends out when I can, my buddy's got a transit (2020, I think) and asked me to take a look, he's been getting water under the hood after it rains. I figured, no big deal, probably a clogged drain or a bad seal. Well, I pulled the cowl, checked the usual suspects, everything looked fine, but sure enough, after a good rain, there's water pooling around the battery and creeping near the fuse box and its totally not ideal, we even did a hose test, and the leak seems to be sneaking in somewhere near the top of the firewall.
I'm used to chasing leaks, but this one's got me guessing, would appreciate any tips before I go tearing more plastic off and cursing ford's design team.

I had a similar issue before and it ended up being the seam sealer above the cabin filter tray. It's barely visible till it lets water in.

 

[haul&howl]

Water leaks around cowl seams are a common issue in Transit vehicles. To avoid corrosion damage, it's important to properly seal the seams, maintain the drain tubes, and check the hidden filter tray sealers regularly