VW used oil bath air cleaners up through the 1972 model year. Even the twin carb 1.7L bus pancake engine had them. I guess they worked somewhat as all the type and type engines did not have any oil filter unless you wanted to count that screen. 

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Dave Mcneely
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 10:28 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Was Motor Oil (Synthetic), now Ail Filters

I remember the oil bath filters.  At least one manufacturer stuck with
them until the late fifties.  My mother had a  Rambler Classic, and it
was my job to perform such minor maintenance as oil changes, filter
changes on her prize car.  It also had a canister type oil filter, which
was a can that could be opened, and the filter inside removed, dripping
with oil.  So, both of those filters were messy jobs to change.  I
remember that I cleaned the air filter compartment (which was a circular
canister on top of the carburetor) with gasoline.  Since that was my
only experience with vehicle maintenance, I was surprised when I learned
that a friend's Pontiac did not require oil for the air filter.

David

On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 11:41 PM, Tom Hargrave wrote:

> David,
>
> The oil bath filter was a completely different technology and a K&N is
> not a
> oil bath air filter!!!!.
>
> With the oil baths on my old Mercedes diesels, the air was directed
> straight
> down at the oil then it made an abrupt 180 degree turn. The air would
> make
> the turn but any suspended dirt would not - the dirt was driven into
> the oil
> by the sharp 180 degree turn. There was a steel mesh filter right
> after the
> oil bath that trapped anything big & light that traveled past the oil
> bath.
>
> Your Dad's Ford oil bath air filter worked the same way. Your dad also
> had
> to drain the oil bath filter, scrape out the fine crud in the bottom
> (the
> dirt, far more than any paper filter would catch) and refill the
> filter 4
> times a year. Then he had to dispose of the jet black, dirt filled oil
> -
> usually in the back yard somewhere.
>
> Oil baths are the most efficient filters to-date and the auto industry
> only
> went to pleated paper because of the air flow restrictions posed by
> oil bath
> and the extreme mess involved in clean-up.
>
>
> Thanks,
> Tom Hargrave
> 256-656-1924
>
> Our Web Sites:
> www.kegkits.com
> www.stir-plate.com
> www.andyshotsauce.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On
> Behalf Of
> David Beierl
> Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 11:03 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Was Motor Oil (Synthetic), now Ail Filters
>
> At 11:21 PM 1/13/2010, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>> This was enough of a test to convince me that K&N filters are junk
>> and that
>> they do not perform the superior filter job they claim to do. And,
>> yes I
>> oiled them per the instructions with their special red oil - this was
>> not a
>> user issue.
>
> CU tested air filters a few years ago and K&N had the I think the
> best breathing but by far the worst filtering ability of any filter
> they tested.  I immediately went out and deep-sixed the K&N filter
> I'd bought the week before for my Honda.
>
> Yours,
> D
> PS -- I remember my Dad checking/filling the oil-bath air filter on
> our '52 Ford Tudor.