Oil Baffle Plate, What does it do? Options

[VaccaRabite]

I have the option of putting an oil baffle in my engine when I put it together this weekend. I have the baffle and the correct pickup.

My guess is that the baffle is there to keep oil in the sump while under hard cornering? Its just a guess. McMark said to open it up so that oil would get back into the sump faster. It is better just not to use it?

I am planning on running a tuna can, if that matters at all.

Zach

[TravisNeff]

Yes it helps keep oil in the sump - use it. I think there is a mod to the baffle where you drill some large holes in it to help let the oil leakback to the bottom of the case quicker - I am sure someone will chime in on that.

[degreeoff]

So Zach did you go with ur case or mine?

[VaccaRabite]

I used mine. Both cases needed a little machine work, and my existing case was cleaner, had all the cam bearings and had the galley plug mods.

However, I am going to use your crank and rods (once I put new bearings on it to fit my case, they will come in tomorrow). Yours was in much better shape then mine was. I'm also going to use the baffle, since it seems to be a good thing to use. And your tuna can and flywheel.

I'll get it to the point where I am checking deck height friday night. Measure rods satruday, and hopefully get it all back together saturday evening or sunday.

Zach

Zach

[McMark]

The oil baffle plate is a two sided issue.

Side 1: The oil baffle plate keeps the oil down near the oil pickup tube under hard cornering. Otherwise the oil flows up one side of the case and flows down the pushrod tubes and into the valve cover/head.

Side 2: The oil baffle plate prevents oil from returning to the sump. Under high RPM and with a high volume pump there is a lot of oil going into the valve cover/heads. This oil flows back through the pushrod tubes and can collect on top of the baffle plate. The louvres can also be pinched/bent in a previous rebuild, further reducing flow back into the sump. This not only starves the engine of oil, but also aerates/foams the oil do to the crank/rods whipping around in close proximity.

Adding holes to the baffle plate will help Side 2 (increase drainage), but those same hole will, under hard cornering, also allow oil to flow back UP on top of the baffle plate.

Leaving the plate as stock will better prevent oil from rising up under cornering (Side 1), but will prevent drainage.

[Dave_Darling]

There are people who cut long U-shapes into the baffle plate ("windage tray") and bend the insides of the U downward. This creates long fences sticking down. If those fences run fore and aft, they can help with oil slosh, and the holes let oil down from on top of the plate.

At least, that's the theory....

--DD

[Brett W]

Drill holes over the pickup and leave the edges of the plate solid. This will allow oil to get back to the pickup and it will keep the oil from sloshing up the pushrod tubes.

You can also add a vertical baffle that runs parallel with the split in the crankcase. It will also help control side to side oil movement.

[craig downs]

Here is what I did to mine. The slots are right under where the oil drains from the pushrod tubes.

[Cap'n Krusty]

Don't forget the 4 rubber gaskets ........................... The Cap'n