I have owned a 1955 S88 for 5 days now, so this may seems dumb, but what is the differnce between the standard and heavy duty air cleaners? I have the dual snorker type with a metal mesh type filter. Is this the standard type? Is heavy duty an oil bath? The shop manual says to oil it with SAE 40 oil.

 

Yes, the heavy duty cleaner was an oil bath type cleaner.
The standard cleaner had the metal mesh.
The mesh can be cleaned in solvent, blown dry, and then dipped in oil.
Before being re-installed.

 

Thank you! You are the man!

 

There is a conversion to a paper inter filter that is an easy swap and nondetachable without opening up the batwing and having a look inside, much easier to clean and change... Tedd

 

I have the standard air cleaner. This is my label on it. Compare to the other one labeled Heavy Duty. No one makes a duplicate of my original decal. Jim Osborn does not carry it. Seems like EVERYONE is using the wrong decal on their restored bat wing air cleaners! Am I not seeing this right? Thoughts?

 

The types of air cleaner assemblies both two and four barrel are part of a package of primarily three parts on Oldsmobile cars. Heavy-duty is oil bath but also includes the larger, serviceable breather on the oil fill tube and a filter canister intended as generally non-serviceable on the road draft tube at rear of engine, not referring to the canister in side the lifter valley at tube entry point. Standard including your dry air filter assy has small mushroom shaped cap on oil fill and road draft tube which is a pipe only.

The dry mesh elements intended to run oiled turn up on ebay fairly often. Call Fusick, they may have one or some. With age and heat cycle use they become brittle and start falling apart. Yes, a modern paper element close to the size of the original mesh depending on year is pretty easy to find with the help of a cooperative parts counter man.

Today we don't see many cars factory equipped with standard filtering packages remaining intact. See if Fusick has a decal more closely resembling the stenciling on your air filter assy, they make and stock acceptable 1950's style stick on replacements. For 1952 the dry air filter stenciling is also not available as a replacement in any form. I might do something about that.

 

I thought there were only two types of air cleaners for the 54-56 Oldsmobile and that was the round one for the 2-barrel 88 and the bat-wing for the 4-barrel Super 88 and both were oil bath. When I had my 54 I bought a paper filter to replace the oil bath element which was a great improvement. It is a great improvement in that it filters better and is way cleaner. As Tedd mentioned, nobody can tell without opening the air cleaner and it doesn't require any modifications.

 

On the types, no, not correct. Heavy duty is a extra cost option, both two and four barrel engines.

 

I did this in MS Paint last night and sent it to Jim Osborn, we will see what he says. I need to fix the background still if we want to make it transparent less the lettering.