my "new" truck came with what I assume is the original air cleaner that is the "oil bath" type. what is the verdict on these? should I keep it installed or switch to a more modern paper type? thanks in advance

 

Hey Knuckle, you can "modify" your air cleaner by cutting the bowl in 2 and removing the area where the oil lays and then placing a paperfilter in its place. A member showed us how to do this on an earlier thread. Mabey he'll chime in or you can search "oil bath" on the search tab.

 

Personally, I'm going to keep my oil bath air cleaner as is, they work very well. You can always buy an after market air cleaner with a paper filter if you like. I'm not aware of the oil baths being reproduced, so if you want to keep it stock, I would hold on to it as it is. Once you modify the original, it may be hard to reverse if you ever change your mind.

 

The key to making the oil bath type work as they should is insuring that the upper, mesh part is clean.

Soak it in Kerosene or something that has the solvent properties of Kerosene....get it good and clean, and make sure that the oil is clean as well, and it'll do a great job.

People run into trouble with the oil baths when the mesh gets filled with gunk and doesn't allow air to flow.

 

Here is a link to the earlier thread. See post #8 or 9. I am actually using the oil-bath to see how it does before I cut into it. You can't go back once you do. I may well do it later on. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...l#post10494649

 

You should sell it to me for a good price and then buy a paper style aftermarket setup.

 

The nice thing about an oil bath is...you NEVER have to buy a paper filter!

 

BK,
I bet you'll get pros and cons regarding whether or not the oil bath works adequately.

As SW indicated, the wire mesh can get plugged off and, if not kept clean, it will restrict the air flow through it. Which may or may not be a big deal - depending on the engine displacement (cubic inches) and the required operating rpm. If you not trying to feed a large (400+ cu.in.) or trying to spin your smaller engine at 4000+ rpms, I doubt you'd notice any 'air / fuel starvation' issues due to wire mesh blockages.

Another factor when using an oil bath air cleaner - that is easily overlooked - is keeping the motor oil in the oil bath air cleaner maintained at the proper level. Realize that an oil bath air cleaner depends on the air being drawn down vertically then making the sharp bend (over the oil, which causes the larger particles to be lodged in the pool of oil) and then go up vertically through the oily wire mesh which catches the finer particulates. Over time and frequency of use will cause the volume of oil to evaporate off, causing the oil level to drop and thus causes the air gap to widen and lessen the speed of the passing air to fling off the larger particulates into the oil. As I recall many of the owner manuals suggest to change the oil bath oil (remove and refill, not just top off) at every engine oil change. If your engine does a lot of idling or if you operate it in a hot climate, the oil bath oil level will drop off faster than in cooler climates and you likely need to top off the oil level between engine oil changes more often. Another factor with oil bath air cleaners that I've heard is if you do any off-roading, you may experience some oil bath oil spillage. It seems unlikely, because it would require some serious angling of your rig, but I've heard it said.
Lastly, the argument that, "If they were any good, you'd still see them being installed on new equipment." However, I don't believe the decision to discontinue using the oil bath air cleaner was based on their air filtering ability, rather it was based on it being simply easier & faster to change out a paper element than to check, maintain and wipe clean and refill an oil bath air cleaner when it was time to do preventative maintenance (PM) service.

It wasn't that long ago (or maybe it was) I recall most agricultural engines, construction heavy equipment and even early rider lawn mowers were equipped with an oil bath air cleaner.

Personally, I think they are different & cool looking - another example of times gone by. If you can & will do the required maintenance and you don't use your truck rock-climbing off road or drag racing, it will work just fine. Give it a good cleaning, give it a coat of fresh paint, spring for a fresh decal from one of the sponsors, and it will likely be a point of conversation with your buddies when you pop the hood.

BarnieTrk

P.S.
Here is a bit more info regarding oil bath air cleaners: Air filter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I done this one a few years back. The original mesh was damaged and I have a couple extra so I figured what the hey..If your oil bath is in good shape,I'd leave it alone and use it. my 2 cents

 

Yea, its like Barnie said, you can't go wrong w\ an original oil cleaner. Not many guys have em , and everybody looking under your hood will want to ask about it. I'm just not a big fan of dirty oil soaked air being sucked into the motor

 

Nope only oil

Sorry had to

 

check on craigslist, i found a extra one for my 352 2bb and one for a 1bb carb for really cheap. (dirt cheap) i looked on ebay and they want $80 for the same 2bb that i paid $10 for lol.

 

One pint of oil every six months vs a paper filter every six months, which will be cheaper?

And, the oil can be the cheapest brand of non detergeant.