blue86iroc

iTrader: (2)

I tried priming the oil pump in a freshly rebuilt big block, but I can't seem to get any fluid up to the lifters. I'm not sure if the main bearings or cam bearings are getting any oil, either. All of the block plugs, as shown in my photo, spew oil when removed... I'm getting flow through the filter and along the lower oil passage, but not up top. Any ideas on why this might happen?

sqzbox

Your probably not going to get any oil up-top till you start the motor unless, you know the degree at which each lifter is alinged with the oil groove. I'm guessing your getting oil up-top on a couple of rockers but none on the rest. Right? An old trick is to soak the lifters submerged in oil for about an hour before installation to ease the initial start-up. Have you tried hooking a pressure gauge up to see if your getting pressure on the mains or cam passages? If you used assy. lube you should be good for the first min. after initial start up but if you dont see oil up-top by then I would worry but I think you'll be ok.

ede

filling the oil pan on a SBC or BBC will prime the oil pump. unless you're real unsure of your or your machine shops quality of work priming the oil system is a feel good thing and dosn't do much actual good. if you have the correct tool that block replicates teh distributor you may be losing oil around the distributor bore. it also takes a damn good motor to spin the oil pump fast enough to send oil through the oil system.

blue86iroc

iTrader: (2)

Actually, I'm not getting any oil up top, sqzbox. I haven't hooked a pressure gauge up, but judging by the amount of oil that comes out of the lower passges, there's probably a decent amount of flow to the main bearings.

ede, I remember reading a few threads where you said that filling the pan is enough... but this motor had been sitting, assembled, for about two years and I wasn't sure if the lifters would cause problems with the oil flow. You were right about my priming tool, though. I guess I didn't realize the distributor body sealed off the oil galleys. It was kinda hard to see, but I noticed oil spewing from the upper passage after taking a closer look. Thanks!

sqzbox

I've heard of people modifying an old dist. for a cheap prime tool just for that purpose but I've never done it myself. I have just used gobs of assy. lube on the mains, rod, and cam. and primed the lifters before install.
I had a friend that installed a small block crate motor that fried the rod bearings 10 min. after he started it and the engine co. tried to back out of the warranty saying he hadn't pre lubed the engine before he started it. So even if it's not important, like one stated, a warranty might make it so for good reason; give the engine every chance of survival on the initial start up.

blue86iroc

iTrader: (2)

Yep! I actually took an old Chevy distributor, pulled the gear, rotor, and centrifugal advance, and turned the shaft by hand to see if I could generate any pressure (didn't want to hack it up just so I could hook a drill to it). I still couldn't get any oil up to through the pushrods, but I could hear it squirting around the lifter galley!

That's too bad about your buddy... hopefully he got the warranty thing resolved.

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

you have to spin the oil pump MUCH faster than you can by hand to build oil pressure

fire350tpi

A Impact gun could do it :O

blue86iroc

iTrader: (2)

Yes, that's true. But the viscosity of motor oil prevents the passages from draining as soon as the pump stops spinning, so it's still possible to move oil from the pan to the galleys if turned by hand for a few revolutions. The flow doesn't have measurable pressure by any means, but it's still flow.

sqzbox

on the spin faster w/the drill !! A variable speed would work best because you have to remember the dist only moves half as fast as the crank.
2500 rpm on the dist. is equal to 5000 on the crank and might be a little rough with cold oil. 1000rpm or less should be enough to bring oil to the top-end eventually. If your worried about useing a good dist. get a junker from the bone yard ! Should be able to pull one at the do-it-yer'-self joint for about 10-15 bucks. Might be worth the money for instant oil pressure at start up!!

[R]ogue

I've been an auto mechanic for 14 years and for 14 years I've been trying to tell people its a waste of time to spin the oil pump by hand!!! There are a quite a few people out there who think I'm crazy..... so tell me.... are we just two really crazy people or are we the only two that have a brain!!! Just kidding of course, even the most rational person can do the most irrational thing but hey I just wanted to say thanks cause now I know I'm not alone !!!

the only two times in my life i "primed" a chebby small block cause my boss forced me to, both times we started up the engines with no oil pressure and both times after both bosses shrugged their shoulders and turned their hands up I loosened the filter and cranked it over until i burped the air bubble and oil puked out and now we had oil pressure - i swore after the second time I'd quit my job before I'd prime another engine by hand!!!

ede

[R]ouge i didn't say i never primed an oil system, or maybe i did. on a SBC/BBC i never do, on fords i don't worry about it too much but i do pack the pump with assemby lube. i put a 4cly. toyota together yesterday and the way the oil system is made on it i worry about it priming so i packed the pump, pick up tube, and pick up plus any oil feed hole i could find with lubri plate assembly lube. as for priming an oil system i'd rather not have the oil delute or wash away the assembly lube than worry about a dry start on a fresh engine. i'd worry more about dry starts after an oil change or after an engines been sitting for a few months.

sqzbox

like the man stated, "It's been sitting assembled for about two years"

355gta

I am having the same problem with a small block. So, if I took the shaft out of a dizzy and ground the gear smooth and just used that with no dizzy body I will not have any pressure.

blue86iroc

iTrader: (2)

Well, the distributor body seals off the upper oil passage. With a typical priming tool, the pump driveshaft doesn't have a diameter large enough to do that -- so you never build pressure at the lifters, since the oil just falls back into the pan (as ede explained).

In order to use a distributor as a priming tool, you need to leave the shaft in the body. Cut off the end (where the centrifigal advance springs are, for example), maybe drill and tap a hole, and run a bolt through the top that'll fit on a drill. Seat the distributor just like usual and spin it with the drill. You don't have to grind away the gear, either -- there's a roll pin that holds it in.

But again, as many have stated, priming the pump apparently isn't necessary on a SBC/BBC.

ede

sitting for 100 years with assembly lube wouldn't be a problem to me, assembly lube isn't going anywhere. i meant sitting as in parked or storage.

[R]ogue

spent four years as a toyota tech funny you should mention yotas

this just happened just the other day, my business partner ( i'm in the process of opening my own garage Nov 1 but thats another story ) calls me up and asks me what i pack the pump with on a mitsubishi ( i work at a mitsu, nissan dealer ) anyhow.... i said nothing - i disable the fuel and crank with the starter in 30 sec on 1 minute rest intervals until i see the gauge move or the idoit light go out. i've never had a problem this way, well i stop by the shop after i get off work - well guess what, he packed the pump with white lithium per mitchell on demand and couldn't get any oil pressure - the next day he cleaned it out - did it my way and it worked. so anyways, yea you were talking about chebbies as was i talking about chebbies but since you brought it up... NO I never prime an oil system by hand because there isn't no good reason to. like you said where's the assembly lube gonna go?

355gta

we got it fixed. It was the plug that goes in the block underneath the rear main. It was less then 1/4 of the way in. We ran it down where it goes and buttoned everything back up and spun the drill. 60 psi. Awesome

[R]ogue

open mouth insert foot - yea if you're leak testing the oil system internally then yea that would be a great reason to hand pump the oil sytem but to prime it by hand just to prime it then i still say no.

glad you got if figured out

ProjectIrocZ28

good job for not listening to the people who said dont prime (w/ a drill).
imagine the mess if you didnt prime it and ran it.
thats why priming the oil system is a good thing to do. its a quick and easy double check.

ede

i think the big question would be who took the plug out and then didn't reinstall it correctly. it goes back to waht i originally said. priming is great if you don't trust the quality and ability of your work, or your machine shops work.