CHAMPION FLATHEAD ENGINE OIL PRESSURE HELP

If you have a Champion engine that has been rebuilt and you are confident all the crankshaft and camshaft clearances are where they should be and you still have low oil pressure and or high oil consumption this restrictor may help you. The Champion engine is a brilliant design; light weight, compact, durable and inexpensive to manufacture. However there were a few weakness, one of these is the lifter bores wear. The lifter bores wear in an hour glass shape, wider on the top and bottom of the thrust side of the cam. If not corrected the engine can have low oil pressure and or high oil consumption. Studebaker was aware of this problem and offered .001 and .005 oversize tappets. These oversized tappets are not readily available. If your starting an overhaul and have access to multiple engine blocks check the lifter bores and choose the best engine possible Before we go further I am not telling you this will cure all your oil pressure problems, but if your engine is in good shape this could help in a big way. What is it? It is a restrictor that reduces the amount of oil that is pumped into the lifter bore. That is important because Studebaker made a large galley front to back in the Champion engine that absorbs a large volume of oil. If your lifter bores are badly worn there is then little to restrict this large volume of oil from escaping around the lifters. When this happens there is a chain reaction, first you loose oil pressure, second if your valve guides are badly worn, or your rebuilder did not reinstall the baffle plates your Champion engine begins to smoke and burn oil. The restrictor fits into the rear of the engine at the top oil galley plug. The plug is removed and the restrictor is turned in with a screw driver as far as it will go then the plug is re-installed. The bell housing and flywheel must be removed in order to install this restrictor.