I recently purchased a 1982 300D turbo diesel and I'm replacing all filters as business as usual on a new to me vehicle.

As part of this, I bought a new air filter and it had a foam "headband" around the pleated area of the "main" air filter. On the few other filters of this sort I've seen, this foam prefilter is usually coated with clean engine oil when installed. Nothing with the filter tells me I need to do this. Is it necessary?

Thanks!

Joe

Do not soak the foam with oil. The other filters you have seen with foam are "forever" filters that can be cleaned periodically.

Thanks very much.

I discovered that the filter I received (Wix 42194) with the foam surround didn't actually fit the housing, was a different inner and outer diameter and too tall by around an inch. It was supposed to be a correct replacement for a 300D with the 5 cylinder turbodiesel engine

I got the part number off of the one that came out (SA3725) and it crossed over on the web to the Wix replacement that didn't fit even though it was off in every dimension (?!)

I took the old SA3275 and a measuring tape to a local FLAPS because they have a wall of filters and thought I may get lucky.

I took a gamble on an old Purolator in a faded box that crossed over but measured a bit too small on the ID, otherwise okayclose. When i got home, it did actually fit if the filter ID was stretched a bit on that inner baffle in the filter housing. The filter I removed had adhered itself to that inner baffle, now I guess I see why.

Interesting start to trying to return the old girl to life. I've spent enough time working on old Volvos and VW's to not be all that shocked by this development. I've also worked for a German machine company for the last 20 years and their documentation is usually a mere suggestion as to what might be installed or fit.