1948 Lincoln Continental Air Cleaner

[Guest]

My engine was overhauled about 5,000 miles ago and runs fine. Great oil pressure. Starts fine hot or cold. However, the oil bath air cleaner keeps loosing oil onto the exhaust manifold. It is not over filled. A prior owner modified the air cleaner by closing the small side outlet that went to the intake manifold. The tube from the intake manifold now connects high up on the large aluminum pipe that fits between the carb and the air cleaner. A pcv valve has also been fitted to the intake manifold and runs via a hose to a fitting on the oil fill tube. Are these modifications causing the air cleaner problem? It acts as though there is a back pressure in the air cleaner. I have washed out the mesh in the air cleaner, but it really didn't appear to be very dirty at all.

[Rolf]

Hi Tom, have been puzzled as to what is happening with your air cleaner, it is obviously not working correctly, and as this is very low-tech type stuff, the problems must stem from the modifications that were made. I don't think it is desirable to have that dirty oil sucked into your nice new engine, I remember cleaning out those oil baths in the old days, and that oil was always gritty and contaminated, yukko. I believe I would try to adapt a modern dry air filter to your original cleaner, it would look right, and would probally work a lot better than if the original oil bath were restored, I would leave the PCV valve for now, as they carry away a lot of blowby and bad smells, good luck,

[Guest]

Hi Rolf. Thanks for the advice. I have looked into the modern filter conversion idea some time ago. I found an '80s Chrysler K car filter element that appears close to fitting inside the original filter housing. I hadn't pursued it any further, as I was hopeful that the original would work. I have just removed the oil bath filter from the parts washer and I think that there may be a lot more dirt in it than I had thought. I am waiting for it to drain of all the cleaner fluid right now. I think that you are probably right. I know that someone in LZOC or LCOC makes new filters, but they are pricey.<P>Tom