Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

I have done a search of this forum and others but I can't seem to find a straight answer. I have a 1946 Business Coupe (my dad's car, but he recently passed away and I am taking up the project) and I tried getting the oil bath air filter ready today but it became a big mess.

how much oil goes in and how do I actually put the oil in? When I tried putting oil in, it went everywhere. VERY nervous about putting it on the carb with oil dripping out of it!

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

You do NOT put oil in the filter. the oil will move thru a tube to the filter and back to the engine..Make sure you have at least 4 quarts of oil in the crank case, might even be five quartes dpending on what engine you have in the car.
Hal

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

Thanks for responding.

the motor is the stock flathead v8, it starts and runs great but we never had the air filter situation lined up correctly. Dad had a couple of different oil bath air filters in the garage and I found the best looking one. I don't see how a tube runs the oils between the filter and the crankcase. It also has the original oil filter resvoir as well.

MORE HELP PLEASE!

Thanks!

Jeff

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

The one I have has a fill line on the inside and on the 42 I had it was on the outside almost 1/4 the way up. Do you have any markings? There is not a line to the oil bath air filter to the crank case. An oil filter does though.

Enough oil to cover at least the inside bottom openings.

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

The filter appeared to me to be all one piece, I didn't try taking it apart... I know, lame on my part! I am actually a lot more experienced with this kind of stuff and not normally this confused! I promise! lol

I will check and see if I can separate. It looked to me that the filter assembly was all one piece, aside from the top piece and wire mesh element.

Thanks!

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

http://home.comcast.net/~sarahdyoung...aircleaner.jpg

Does it look anything like this?

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

I believe you guys are getting confused. Hes's talking about the air filter on top of the carb. Not an oil filter. On mine I remove the element and brush some oil on the fins and than put it back in place and make sure the oil that i brush on the fins does not drip back into the pan above the oil fill line.

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

Tinker: yeah it looks like that.

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

Sorry for not posting pictures. Right now the car and the shop where I am working is my mom's. My dad just passed away a few months ago and I am working on getting the car up and running well to go back with me.

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

Remove the wing nut at the top, and just pull up the center section, straight up. There should be a fill level line inside. If not, just put enough oil in it to go above the bottom edge of the sheet metal piece. It only takes a cup or two.

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

As russ said. Wing not labeled A on the picture and that center piece will come out.

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

Thanks guys! All good now!

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

Oil only goes in the bottom of the pan. As air is drawn into the filter it bounces off the oil before moving into the carburetor. Dust and dirt will stick to the oil allowing clean air to enter the carburetor.

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

Not trying to confuse the issue, just clarify things...
Many people find the old style of oil bath air cleaner to be a big bother... When the majority of the roads were gravel and/or dirt, oil bath air filters made a lot of sense.. Wash it out with some solvent, fill with oil to the line indicated and drive on.
It has become very common to alter the inside of the oil bath filter to accept a modern paper type of air filter.. Much easier to service, yet it keeps the stock look to the engine.

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

One thought on oil bath filters - if you take one off, make sure you stand it upright. You might end up with oil all over the place.

Don't ask me how I know this.....

Mart.

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

Right now I am running a cheapo aftermarket chrome filter just to have something on the car, until I decided which route I want to go. I saw a really nice complete filter assembly at the Charlotte Auto fair for 30.00, I should have bought it! lol.

Thanks for all the info guys!

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

A second feature to the oil bath air filters that I forgot to mention in my earlier posting to this topic...
Oil baths are much quieter than the "bonnet" style and/or paper filter type. The EFV8's have such limited engine compartment sound control, between the engine fans and small bonnet style air filters, the EFV8's justly garnered the name of being "Screaming 8's.

Re: Help! I am failing at Oil Bath Air filter
 

I too was wondering how to oil these accesory air filters. It would make sense to me to brush some oil on the screen mesh too instead of just reling on the air boucing off the oil. But reading the directions on the decal, it does not mention to do that so I will just put oil in the bottom.