[dgwar]

Can someone explain the purpose of the windage tray that fastens to the main bolts on a 96 5.7 vortec ? Not that I built the engine and forgot to put it on...ooops.

 

[That 70 guy]

Its meant to keep, in the simplest of sense, the oil from rotating with the crank. Allowing more oil to stay in the oil pan. Its not directly needed in some cars, but with high RPM engines, its a must to prevent the oil from running dry in the pan.

 

[dgwar]

Thank You. This is in a gently driven pick-up. I was dreading pulling that pan back off.

 

[Splitter]

Pretty sure the windage tray came as part of the Z-71 package, but may have been on all 4x4 trucks of that era.

 

[GRUMPYVETTE]

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=64

this might help, the main function of the windage tray or screen is to help maintain a higher volume of oil covering the oil pump pick-up, and reduce the oil in the crank case dragged around the lower engine with the spinning crank assembly
look at the link