Anyone have experience with cracked/broken factory windage trays? I had to drop the oil pan in my wagon due to an oil leak between the engine and the transmission. It turned out to be a portion of the rubber oil pan gasket on the bottom of the semi-circle was missing (about an inch was gone!). That's a separate issue. Car would heavily smoke right after a launch Back to my main question. I dropped the pan only to discover the windage tray had broken around one of the bolts. Why would this happen? Some have suggested the engine reaching a frequency equal to the natural frequency of the tray, causing it to vibrate like mad and crack. My mind's thinking maybe the engine is twisting or shifting - enough to break a thin piece of sheetmetal??? But then wouldn't I see more major damage if it's "moving" that much? Or am I living on borrowed time? Should I be worried about this or am I reading too much into this? Any comments on the oil pan gasket apparently blowing out would be appreciated as well. For background, this is a fresh motor that went into the car in April. Engine is a 1973 .030 over 455, stock 1973 stage 1 heads, actual compression is 12.25:1, stock rods - I'm guessing the engine is making about 475 hp.
Windage tray Could be main bearing cap walk - there was a thread on this earlier, like last summer some time. Try the search and see if you can find it - there are netter answers than I can give you!
Been there done that. Read the thread LWT atHERE Since then Dave Dechent has lost another one, didn't put washers on it. Like we heard back in May, may be a harmonics problem, and Bruce Wilson did like I did and put washers under the bolts. The ultimate solution is the windage tray built into the oil pan.
Hello, How fast are the cars going that break the stock oil baffle? I have been running mine since 1993 and still have not had one break. I could see main bearing flex breaking the baffle. Tom
Welded 1/4" washers on mine, was fine after approx. 350, 10sec. passes, has main studs, never been a problem.
If I do start to break them I will do the washer deal to, thanks for the info John. I also have ARP studs in the mains. Tom
Thanks for all of the comments/advice! I have already welded the old one just in case this happens to the one that's in the motor now. And I think from now on I'll use washers. As for main bearing cap walk and/or flexing, what should I be looking for? I've got about another 3 weeks of racing, so the motor's not coming apart now; but this winter I'll probably take a look inside - at least drop the pan. Is there anything I should really be looking at? The engine does have main studs but no girdle - I don't think it's making that much power that I need to go that route. Any comments about the oil pan gasket blowing out? I've got about 80lbs of pressure on startup, drops to 70lbs total when it's warm @5000rpm. That shouldn't matter in the pan - that should only see crankcase pressure. I've got just a basic breather in each valve cover. Never had a problem like this before - maybe it was just a fluke. Thanks again for all the responses.
The only other issue I had, I pulled the pan with the motor in the car before Norwalk this year, didn't run it much before I put it in the trailer. At the track I decided to drive it around some before making a pass, to make sure I had no oil leaks, what a good move that was, as the oil pan gasket I replaced was not as thick as the one that was on it and hence had a bunch of leaks, with some washers and shorter bolts we fixed it before I made my first run of the year. Thanks to Dave Dechent, John Stevens, Jerry Vavro for the assistance. Mostly Dave, he figured it out for me after he broke is tranny, then the rest of the guys proceded to change his tranny on the trailer in the rain at the hotel that night. What a bunch of great folks! RV
Anyone have experience with cracked/broken factory windage trays? Yup, like Roberta said...they are very weak in HP applications....you need to modify them by strenthening the mounting tabs with washers welded to them, and use locktite on the bolts. Pretty common...at least to me it is.....pain in the A@S too!!! :blast:
