Priming Oil Pump
 

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to prime an oil pump, short of removing it from the motor?

Thx

What type of car are talking?


Jim

It was for my Escort (not a Protege I know). However, I've solved the problem. I just took the plugs out and cranked it until I finally started getting oil to the head.

Just for future reference....if you are doing this right after a fresh overhaul....the best thing you can do is follow what you just did..

PLUS...if the car is an overhead cam engine....do this BEFORE you put the cams in, that way the cams are not turning against the valves dry either..

and if its a pushrod motor....leave the rockers off for the same reason. then oil them up good when you put them on


IF this were a car with a REAL distributor that drives the oil pump. what you do is get an OLD distributor out of the junk yard....either remove or grind off the drive gear that mates with the cam.....make the top to fit into a electric drill and just stink in the top of the oil pump and run it to prime up the whole oil system.

just a few ideas to pack away for a rainy day.

Those are some good points, Nuke. I'll remember those for referance. The lifters in this particular car were hydraulic, BTW. I put about 1/2 quart of oil throughout the head before I cranked. I was just worrying that the oil pump may be bad for a few days because when I first ran the motor, I was getting no oil to the head. After about 10-15 mins or so of on/off cranking, I finally got good oil pressure in the head.

Thx

I learned a long time ago from an old engine builder I know, that you should ALWAYS preoil an engine with no load on it before you EVER fire it up. and when I say with no load on it....I mean with no plugs in the cylinders or load on the valve train....it just makes good sence.

I did that but I was unaware that the pump wasn't primed before I cranked it to run the first time. Before ever putting the plugs in, i got another 10mins or so of plug-less cranking. thx again.

yes...but what I ment by PREOILING...is turning the engine over with the starter to do what you JUST did...presure up the system with its own oil pump....not just pour oil over everything...but actually fill every oil galley....so that the first time its cranked its just as its going to be for the rest if its life, as though it was just turned off.

I did (or attempted) both..coated the head with oil and cranked the engine before I ever put the plugs in.

I probably did a total of 15-20 mins of (intermittant) cranking before oil finally made it to the head. I was afraid I was going to end up having to take the engine half way apart this weekend to put a new oil pump on there. The engine sat at least two years before I got it.

that probably had a lot to do with it then.....as I have never had to crank one more than a few minutes in the no load configuration to get full oil presure...but then again that was engines that I built...and had not sat for an extended period of time.