Help Priming Motor!!!

[3.8L V-8 eater]

Hey guy's

I just dropped in my freshly rebuilt motor and I'm having problems getting it to prime. At first I used a priming tool and saw 10 lbs of pressure. Had oil coming out the turbo feed line and also the oil cooler lines. Happy with that I stopped for the day.

Woke up the next morning primed it again with the tool saw the same 10lbs of pressure. Stuck in the cam sensor timed it and put the rest back together. Later that same day after installing the battery I gave it a few cranks without the orange wire hooked up so it wouldn't start. To my surprise i saw no oil pressure

I figured since I knew it had oil going through it from the priming tool I cranked over the motor thinking that would bring up pressure and nothing Only had it running long enough to see it wasn't going to get pressure and shut it down. Less than 10 seconds run time total.

Early the next day I took apart the oil pump packed it full of vasiline and tried to crank it over again no start just crank. Through this whole ordeal the oil filter was full everytime I took it off and I put some oil in the oil cooler lines as well.

How is it an electric drill can get oil pressure but starting the motor or turning it over gets me nothing All this after getting pressure twice before ever cranking it

Hope someone has some ideas what could be going on :frown:

Thanks!!!

 

[thadeal4real]

where are you taking your readings from also sounds like a plug might be out??

is there oil up top?

 

[3.8L V-8 eater]

where are you taking your readings from also sounds like a plug might be out??

is there oil up top?

Taking readings from a oil pressure guage. All plugs are in and the car will start.

 

[williambavila]

Taking readings from a oil pressure guage. All plugs are in and the car will start.

pack some vasaline in the oil pump and spin the drill on the oil pump primer until you have oil coming from the pushrod rocker area on top

 

[pacecarta]

electric or mechanical oil gauge ?

cranking with the plugs in and no oil isnt good either
a safer way to crank is pull the plugs disconnect the ign module and crank until gauge shows good
the engine will spin much faster without plugs

and seeing 10psi is nothing you should be seeing 60 wth a drill and keep it spinning for a minute or so , i can get 60 psi hand turning the pump with a spinner wrench which is much slower than a drill

 

[WSLN 6]

That is quite low. I can get 60psi with a drill priming it.

 

[3.8L V-8 eater]

Thanks for the replys!!

Did not realize you could get that kind of pressure with a drill. It's a mechanical guage with the small plastic line that connects to the back of it.

I will remove the plugs, pull a valve cover, and pull the cam sensor again and prime till I see oil coming from the top!!

Will disconnecting the orange wire by the battery do the same thing as disconnecting ign module and crank??

 

[Jerryl]

........ I just dropped in my freshly rebuilt motor and I'm having problems getting it to prime. At first I used a priming tool and saw 10 lbs of pressure. Had oil coming out the turbo feed line and also the oil cooler lines. Happy with that I stopped for the day.

Hope someone has some ideas what could be going on :frown:

Thanks!!!

Here is an idea. Allow me to share my most recent experience, ONLY/JUST to give you something to think about.
Brand new motor, priming on the stand, with a drill /mechanical gauge, 50 PSI, straight 30W oil . . . . Oil out of all the pushrods. (I am used to/more confortable with 60-70 PSI as seen on previous builds)

Drop the motor, Crank it (no start), no pressure. (Hmmm!! – DING DING DING!!! )
Thought about it for about ½ day, said “Screw it”, Started it . . loud ticking noise, oil pressure 50.
About 10 minutes no load, still ticking, oil pressure at 5. Shut it down, bearing material in the filter.
Motor still in the car. HAHAHAAA!

 

[thadeal4real]

lol

Taking readings from a oil pressure guage. All plugs are in and the car will start.

thats not what i meant i mean an oil galley plug and where is the gauge hooked up? and is there oil on the rocker arms when priming/cranking???

 

[EatM up]

maybe when you where putting the motor together something didnt lined up like a rod in the wrong spot or something dumb like that??

 

[Heg87t]

Did your drill bog down when the oil pressure came up? My 3/8" drill wouldn't cut it for prming. I had to borrow a buddies 1/2" drill and run it a looooong time (maker sure you have a sandwich and beer within reach :biggrin before I had good sustained pressure and oil out of EACH pushrod. I also would stop and rotate the engine a quarter turn or so while priming. I was able to achieve over 60 psi.

I don't think you can prime it too much.

 

[pmoore4321]

Make your your priming rod is actually it tight in the chuck and spinning with the drill. Ask me how I know.:smile:

 

[3.8L V-8 eater]

Did your drill bog down when the oil pressure came up? My 3/8" drill wouldn't cut it for prming. I had to borrow a buddies 1/2" drill and run it a looooong time (maker sure you have a sandwich and beer within reach :biggrin before I had good sustained pressure and oil out of EACH pushrod. I also would stop and rotate the engine a quarter turn or so while priming. I was able to achieve over 60 psi.

I don't think you can prime it too much.

Heg87t,

That is a good point I think my 3/8" drill is not cutting the mustard or oil I mean I'm going to borrow a 1/2" drill and hpoefully I'll have room to operate it As it is the 3/8" drill is turned upside down so i could clear other obstructions and engage on the oil pump gear

 

[Otto J]

If your drill is turning a reasonable speed and your getting 10#s with new oil, you my freind, have a problem.
Like Pace said, you should easily see 50-60#s with any decent drill that is turning.
Dont start the car and DO not crank the motor over to do it either!!!!
If there really is no pressure while cranking there is no oil getting to
the bearings and they will dry up and this will start the downfall of your new motor before its even fired!

The motor i just primed I hit with a drill and 10-30W and had oil out hte pushrods in less the 5 secs with a 3/8 air drill.

 

[3.8L V-8 eater]

If your drill is turning a reasonable speed and your getting 10#s with new oil, you my freind, have a problem.
Like Pace said, you should easily see 50-60#s with any decent drill that is turning.
Dont start the car and DO not crank the motor over to do it either!!!!
If there really is no pressure while cranking there is no oil getting to
the bearings and they will dry up and this will start the downfall of your new motor before its even fired!

The motor i just primed I hit with a drill and 10-30W and had oil out hte pushrods in less the 5 secs with a 3/8 air drill.

When I purchased the new oil pump it came with 4 different springs. Because there was no instructions that came with the kit I just put one of them in. Could it be possible the wrong spring is in it and that is why it won't build much pressure??? My plan was to get the car up and running and change over springs if the oil pressure was to low or to high.

 

[WSLN 6]

I seem to remember a yellow one being correct, but do a search to be sure.

 

[pacecarta]

heres the spring chart

 

[3.8L V-8 eater]

Well, I took back out the cam sensor and tried to prime the motor again. Also changed over to the yellow spring in the oil pump. I have oil coming out of the turbo feed line but nothing up top... Hell i cannot even get any oil pressure to read on the gauge today.

 

[Heg87t]

Getting Stranger

Where is your gage hooked up to? If it's in the tee by the turbo oil feed line then I would think you should have pressure on the gage. Do you have pressure coming out of the turbo feed or is it just trickling out? Maybe the gage is bad or you are missing a oil plug and it's just dumping out of the galley into the block.

Stock front cover or replacement?

I am running out of ideas other than open the engine up for inspection.

 

[Nick Micale]

Here is another possibility to check.

Pull the by-pass spring and the plunger. Make sure the plunger is clean, moves free and seats properly.

To prime the engine, no need to pack the pump with Vasoline if you still have an oil cooler. Dis-connect the line oil line near the top of the radiator and pour oil into it until full, that should prime the pump if the filter is full of oil too.