Oil bath air cleaner / wet air cleaner setups

bexterity · Post by **bexterity** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:39 pm

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/FX-FJ-FE-FC-FB-E ... dZViewItem

im not actually interested in buying this item.. just to clear that up first

but this is what my 55 Dodge runs - a wet air filter setup

it puzzles me how it works... as being an air filter.. it needs un restricted air flow??? .. and to me.... if its soaking in oil.. well thats kinda restrictive!!!!!!????

so does anyone know the purpose of these? why/how they work? and what benefit, if any they have?

Miss Piggy · Post by **Miss Piggy** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 1:55 pm

Most performance air filters are lightly oiled.

The air filter on my MX bike is soaked in oil. It picks up more dust etc.

rosco · Post by **rosco** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 2:48 pm

Hi Bex,
The oil type air filter is actually quite efficient........
All Holdens up to FC had them - I'm not sure, but somewhere in the FC range they may have gone to paper element...

The principle is basically all air passing to the carburettor must pass through the bath of oil - and particles are trapped in the bath................

I feel why it was replaced with a paper element type was for a few reasons.....

1
messy - it required removing the oil filter, cleaning out the old oil and re-filling.

2
It was time consuming to do this - I think you can appreciate the paper element type replacement would not take more than 1 minute - tops.......

3
In the event of an accident and the vehicle being on its side/roof etc - the oil could leak out onto the exhaust manifold increasing the likelihood of a fire.........

I have been told they are a very efficient air cleaner - but have continued to keep the paper element type fitted to all my vehicles......

Hope that clears up some of it - I'm pretty sure others will have more to add.....

frats,
Rosco

DeadSled · Post by **DeadSled** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:05 pm

As has been said.. Oiled Filters are actually pretty effecient and has been stated motocross bikes amongst other things (Petrol RC Cars come to mind..) have oiled air filters as they collect the dust and you can quite clearly see that its in need of replacing / cleaning when it goes all brown.

blue ute · Post by **blue ute** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:54 pm

correct me if I'm wrong but weren't oil filters also optoinal on EK's for dusty/dirty (country) conditions

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:20 pm

They also burn incredibly well when you have an back fire through the carby when you are young and stupid and wash them in petrol and put them staight back on
ask me how I know

DeadSled · Post by **DeadSled** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:42 am

Good onya Craig haha.. trust you to light up a filter element

rosco · Post by **rosco** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:15 pm

Blue ute - yes, forgot that - one at Yamba this year .......thanks......
Memory is fast going to seed......

frats,
Rosco

karsten · Post by **karsten** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:21 pm

i had or rather i still have a leyland truck big tipper one,,, and it had an oil bath air cleaner, and i worked it in dust so thick i couldnt see the ground in front of me ,,, bull dust,,,,, and not one spec of dust got in that moter,,they are a great fillter ,, and you do need to clean em as often as a paper job ,, i never noticed it to be a dirty job as when you own a leyland your allways coverd in shit any way ,,, ,,,,,,, atkinsons are much better

rosco · Post by **rosco** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:30 pm

Yes Karsten,
it would appear this concept has been put into effect even in this modern day...... if I am not wrong, it is my belief that the principle is used to "trap" the nasties when spraying 2K............... I understand that a "water" filter system is incorporated into the venting of the booth...............

Surely oil will attract and "trap" more particles than water.......

my thoughts,

frats,
Rosco

(AUST)Mod · Post by **(AUST)Mod** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:49 pm

rosco wrote:Blue ute - yes, forgot that - one at Yamba this year .......thanks......
Memory is fast going to seed......

frats,
Rosco

Ahh crap our encyclopedia is drying up!!!
Quick start posting to conserve valuable forum resources!!!!!!!!!

karsten · Post by **karsten** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 8:16 am

they work like a precleaner on lots of modern day earthmoving gear air is inducted and made to change direction dramaticly ,as dirt is heavier than air it cant make the turn and gets traped in the vally

, bit like turning air in a v the dirt gets traped at the bottem of the v,,, by putting oil in the v it attracks the finer particles to stick in the oil ,, oil is used in preferance to water cause its far more absorbent of dirt ,and does not evaporate from engine heat,,

i have had my engine running without the oil fillter [air] and then put it on and there was no change in the speed of the moter as to indicate restriction,,,,,, and evan paper one would cause a little air drag but not much,,,,the air that enters your moter still has minute particuls ,they only go down to so many microns of filltration and anything under that is not considerd to do damage,,

i had a glazed up truck engine once,, we took the turbo of ran the engine at full revs and droped a couple hand fulls of ajax down the intake

,,she laboured a bit and blew white smoke,, come good after half a minute or so

,, put turbo back on and left for melboune,, stoped it useing oil as the ajax scuffs the cylinders and helps compresion,,

that goes against logical though , i,know,,,worked but

Post by **Blacky** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:13 am

We have done that with gensets in the past Karsten, if they are glazed up and not too far away from a rebuild you just take the air intake pipework off , kick it in the guts and hold a handful of Bon Ami next to it - its actually listed as a fix in a Cummins (I think) workshop manual.

rosco · Post by **rosco** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:57 am

This'll floor you all.....

good stuff - keep going.....

frats,
Rosco

karsten · Post by **karsten** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:56 am

bon ami was what i was told to use back then blacky ,,, but only had ajax

its a brand thing but your right with the cummins bit ,,, i did it to a formula 290 cummins,,

hey tim i dont know why i remember this but the bath on my leyland [ which lives on our farm near canberra and i havent driven for a fare few years], had exactly that an ac brand bath oil air fillter made in england,,probably cause when i realised after pulling it apart how it worked ,, i had trouble believing it could work to start with,,that i remember looking at it for a while tring to fathom it, and thats what it is ac,,,,,,,,,was my first tandem drive tipper 125 hp natural six 401 leyland with a 610 10 speed road ranger , which i put in after the leyland box fell to bits,, taught me alot of how to be a self taught mechanic,,,,dam leylands,, i kept it all these years cause no one would buy it

albion riever,,,with the l.a.d cab,,,l.a.d means leyland and dodge,,, they shared
bought it for 5 k when i was 17 worked it till i was 18 and went and got my licence

and gave up on it around 20 and a half for my first plastic cab atkinson,, and 350 hp ,,, finally no more going in to first gear when i saw i hill in the distance