Woody,
Today, I again looked for a cabin air filter. On a hunch, I removed the passenger side cowling just below the windshield. Taking out 6 screws will allow the black plastic cowl to be removed. Voila! There in view is a filter-like device, but not a filter, I will call a non-filter. After trying to remove the non-filter and being unsuccessful, I took out 2 more screws holding a metal bracket just below the windshield. With that bracket removed, the non-filter can be readily removed. It is about the size of a cabin air filter but without the filter media. It is made out of plastic with large rectangular openings about 1/4" square. Adjacent to the right side of the non-filter is a screened opening to the driver side cowl volume. It is surrounded by a rubber gasket material and can be removed. The screen openings are also large, larger than in window screen material. On the driver side of the non-filter is another rubber gasketed device but this one is solid aluminum rather than screen material. It is meant to block air flow from that direction. Consequently, all the air entering the non-filter must come from the driver side cowl volume.
This answers a few questions but begs a number of other questions.
I checked with RockAuto, a filter supplier I have previously used to see if they have cabin air filters for the Transit Connect. They do list a cabin air filter for these vehicles. It would seem possible that a cabin air filter could be procured that would replace or be installed inside the non-filter. For some reason, Ford declined to install a filter in this area where a filter could be logically placed.
I have taken several photos of this arrangement and will try to figure out how to upload them to make them available. Photo 00 shows the opening with the cowl removed. You can see the non-filter below the black bracket. Photo 01 shows the screen on the driver side of the non-filter. Photo 02 give another view of the screen and non-filter. Photo 03 shows all the parts removed including cowl, metal bracket, non-filter, gasketed screen, gasketed aluminum air blocker and fasteners. Photo 04 shows the opening with all parts removed. Photo 05 shows another view of the area with all parts removed.
Curious!
Bob