Here is an explanation on how they work.

In extremely dusty environments, the oil might have to be changed every day.

From the second link:

"Potential Problems

The first problem comes with using the wrong weight oil. Use of oil that is too light will cause the oil to be drawn beyond the filter and into the engine. Use of oil that is too heavy will not allow the oil to be drawn up far enough and much of the air cleaning surface area ends up being unused. Manufacturer owner manuals always show the oil weight that is designed for the system. Engineering of the system (we hope) will have picked just the right weight for the size of the cannister, cup, and vacuum pressure."


I have used this style of filter for many years. Being simple-minded, I just use what was recommended by GM. I do almost no cold-weather driving, so I stick with 50 weight oil.