oil bath air filter

[popcorn balls]

Just cleaned mine up - decades of gunge :shock:

What is the correct fill level of oil? there's no fill line or anything - but there is a sloping ridge thing about an inch up from the bottom, i've filled it to the bottom of this ridge, is this correct?


Also the bottom of the air inlets isn't connected to anything - i gather it connects through the tinware to the exhaust? i've got a non standard exhaust which it won't connect to, so what do i do with it?

Thirdly what's the little plunger thing attached to a spring - looks like it opens the top flap at a certain temperature?


Lastly, the thing that connects the filter to the carb is split, i've taped it up, but has anyone got a good one they don't need?


Cheers
Chris

 

[noddy]

Is there a red paint line on the sloping lip, if not the depth is about 25 to 30mm of oil or halfway up the lipped surface approx.

 

[popcorn balls]

thanks for that - no red line i'm afraid..

 

[Bookwus]

Hiya Chris,

Hoo Boy! This is where a picture would really help.

The answers below make the assumption that your air filter is the stock unit for a 1971 twin port.............

Noddy's OK on the oil fill. Many oil filters do not have the red line indicating oil level. What you want to remember is that the oil level should be just at the bottom of the top canister when it's inserted into the air filter housing.

By air inlet, I'm guessing here that you're referring to the 12 mm inlet at the bottom base of the air horn. That inlet should be connected (via 12 mm hosing) to the 12 mm port on the oil filler assembly. It has nothing to do with your exhaust system.

The spring and plunger you refer to is the wax pellet thermostat. This thermostat closes an internal flap in the air horn when the temperature rises. Before it closes the thermostat allows only warmed air from the engine (via the preheater hose attached to the bottom of the air horn) and as the temperature rises the thermostat closes the flap over the warm air port and opens up the filter to fresh air. Truth be told, most of these wax pellet thermostats have long gone the way of the dodo. You can test it by heating up with a hair dryer. Doesn't work? Your best option (besides finding a thermostst that does work - a tough job) is to wire that flap open.

The connecting hose from filter to carburetor is not ( to my knowledge) being made so you'll have to pay a visit to your local factors. One good thing though...............this part is also used on the air filter system for the Karmann Ghia so you should be able to locate one.

 

[ProfessorWheeto]

Personally I was assuming he was talking about the hot air supply hose?

Basically there is meant to be a little elbow that sits between your crank case and the offside head, I think you can buy them but what I've always done is run an flexible aluminium pipe (I get mine from halfords) and run it to the correct location, with a couple of zip ties on the tinwear to hold it in place.

I'm running a glasspack and 4 into 1 btw. I use the same pipes to run from the fan housing straight to the heat exchangers and just bend them round the header.

When your running your oil breather pipe make sure that it isn't kinked or become kinked over time or you'll end up with an oily engine bay.

 

[Bookwus]

Hiya Professor,

Personally I was assuming he was talking about the hot air supply hose?

You could well be correct about that.

As I mentioned before, a picture certainly would clear up the issue and provide for a better answer.

 

[popcorn balls]

Thanks guys, i will take a picture!!!

However i was taking about the warm air supply hose - still not sure what happens to it once it goes through the tinware?

 

[Loxy]

Thanks guys, i will take a picture!!!

However i was taking about the warm air supply hose - still not sure what happens to it once it goes through the tinware?

Should be a metal tube that the hose attaches to that collects air from around the heads - not sure it is available anymore but it looks like this:

 

[popcorn balls]

I'm certainly missing that doodah!!! something else to look out for...


Here's the picture

So if the breather connects to B, what is A for?

Having looked at the thermostatically controlled flap, mines not working - not least because the plastic end to the sprung arm disintigrated as soon as I touched it! So i've removed the arm and will wire the flap in place. But at which position? in it's normal 'cold' position it shuts off the top intake and opens the warm intake. At the 'hot' position it moves to shut the warm intake and open the top one. Which is the better fixed position? or should i fix it half way? (it doesn't really matter at the moment because the warm intake isn't connected to anything so they are both sucking the same air - but i will get it connected up when i can find one of those things pictured in the previous post or i'll just run the flexi hose to the correct position)


Is this about right for fill level?

 

[Bookwus]

Hiya Chris,

Alas, those wax pellet thermostats are not long livers by any means. A friend and I are fooling around with the idea of rehabbing those things. Dunno if anything will come of that though.

That puts you in an odd spot. You will want to wire that air horn flap closed. That will allow fresh (un heated) air into the filter while closing off the preheat. Over here in the States (all kinds of climates) that is the usually accepted way of dealing with this situation. You might want to do some snooping around though. There's just no telling where and when one (or more!) of these thermostats will turn up.

Obviously, if you wire that flap closed you are not really going to need the elbow piece that loxy has pictured. But.............that leaves you with a big hole in your rear tin. That's not a good thing. So, if you get the elbow and hook up the preheater hose (for what reason if the flap is wired shut?) that will take care of the hole. Otherwise you'll need to cover up that hole somehow.

The oil level looks OK to me.

Port A on your air filter is a 12mm port meant to be hooked up to your evaporative canister (part of the M26 emissions control system) that should be mounted in the upper right hand corner of your engine compartment. That it is not hooked up and you are asking about it tells me that you probably don't have an emissions canister where it should be. Do you have a springlatch bracket up there? And a hole/tube coming back from the front firewall? And a 12mm port on the upper right side of your fanshroud?

 

[popcorn balls]

Thanks for that Mike.

I don't think i have the bits you mentioned, but i'll take a look tomorrow. I guess i can just bung up port A then.


Thanks
Chris

 

[ProfessorWheeto]

Pretty sure all that emissions stuff is only on american spec vans and tends to get chucked in the skip when they enter the uk!

PB: As I mentioned in my first post my way round the preheat elbow problem was flexy ali tube from halfords. Not sure if the stock elbow would foul a non standard exhaust?

 

[popcorn balls]

Not sure if the stock elbow would foul a non standard exhaust?

Good point, i'll check for clearance before I try to source one. If not i'll either go with your suggestion of just plate up the hole in the tinware...


Thanks all