I have a 1987 Vanagon Syncro with 176K on the clock.
Yesterday I removed my air filter box to gain better access to the fuel
injectors so I could replace the injector seals.  When I lifted the filter box
out, water came gushing out of it.  When I removed the top cover of the filter
box I found the filter element was soaking wet.  So wet in fact, that when I
laid it on it's side a puddle formed around it.  It appears that the water was
trapped and stopped by the filter element and did not enter the intake
manifold but what if I hadn't found it when I did?  Let's not go there for
now....
I also found water in the short rubber section of duct between the filter box
and the removable, Syncro only, dust/water trap but NO water in the trap.  The
connections between the intake duct components seem tight.

I live in the Northwest and we have had quite a bit of heavy rain in the last
week or so.  I have been driving in the rain but haven't encounter and swollen
rivers or even large puddles lately.
It is obviously somehow coming in though the air intake duct assembly.  As
most of you are aware the duct runs up the side of the van in the rear pillar
and the air enters the duct about 5 feet from the ground.  The end of the duct
it also positioned so it faces away from the vent grill and away from direct
rain water coming into the vent grill.
I have owned the van for 3 years without this problem.

Anyone else had this experience??

Thanks,

Andrew