I have primed my engine on a fresh build but can get oil out of the push rods?

I ran the primer for a significant amount of time, the tool is the kind with the bushing to simulate the distributor being installed, drill ran at about 2000 rpm. oil pressure is excellent and will blow across the shop if I remove the plug on the block behind the intake. Why cant I get oil out the rods?

thx
Jeff

 

Does your primer look like this: http://store.summitracing.com/partde...6&autoview=sku

Or just have a stabilizer bushing on the top?

 

looks like the one in the photo.

 

Let me throw this out there. . .does this sound like a case of someone forgot to put the front oil galley plugs in?


Jeff

 

I'd be wondering if the rear cam bearing is aligned correctly.

 

you are only supposed to prime the oil pump untill it builds preasure and slows the drill down dramatically

what type of assembly lube did you use

if your motor starts and gets to operating temp and there is no oil coming out of the push rods shut her down

 

Exactly. Keep one valve cover off and watch it. If you don't get anything after a few seconds, then shut it off and rebuild it. I ran mine on the stand for this purpose, check everything over before putting it in the bay.

 

I just bought this engine. . .it is a crate engine and is still on the pallet!

 

Well, then what are you waiting for? Get going! It's already june, don't you want to be driving this soon!

 

iv never been able to get oil out of the pushrods until the motor was running i was told that the lifters are little individual oil pumps themselves and dont pump unless the cam and oil pump are turning .

 

If you rebuild your engine because oil doesn't reach the pushrods within a few seconds of firing, you'll be rebuilding just about every engine you build. It'll take a good 5+ minutes for oil to reach that area on any normal engine.

Priming your engine with a drill causes more harm to your drill/wrist than it does good to your engine. Nobody in their right mind assembles engines without using a ton of assembly lube, right? A much easier, and just as effective, way to "prime" your engine would be to take out the spark plugs, unplug the distributor, and bump the engine over with the starter until you get pressure on the gauge. Then take off both valve covers and pour oil over the valvetrain.

In the end, you'll be doing this just to make yourself happy, your engine (assuming properly built) won't care either way.

 

I agree a whole pile of assembly lube and no priming is all I have done in the past.... An SBC has a submerged oil pump anyway, so prelubing isn't too crucial.

5+ minutes you think? That sounds pretty excessive! I would have guessed a few minutes and you'd be soaked!

 

sonix, are you TPI? if so how did you run the engine on the stand?

The reason I am so leary is because the engine I had built last year failed after 20 min. I dont know what caused it but the roller lifter on the #7 intake and #8 exhaust failed catastrophically. the skirt area fore and aft of the roller was gone and the cam lobes were completely wped out to the base cirlce. I just spent big bucks on this engine and dont need a repeat.

 

No, i'm carbed. Made it easy to run on the stand.

 

I got a little scared after reading this and staring at my 385 on the stand thinking, did I put those oil galley plugs? do I have oil pressure? will I have to take it back apart a realign a cam bearing. So since I can't wait till tommorow for my oil pump priming tool to get here from summit I grab a junk distributor and made my own. after about 45 seconds of spinning it oil started coming up through the rocker and I was so exicted! Try a distributor shaft and housing for a tool seems to work better than the priming tools I have seen used.

I hope you have the same exictment I had a few minutes ago very soon.

I understand about being far to invested to take chances, I don't think I could just start it and see. It took longer than I would have wanted to being running the motor for me to get pressure to the rockers and who know what else.

good luck sorry I don't have a miracle answer for you.

 

I too am having this problem but have heard that it is, in fact, difficult to get oil through the pushrods. Especially with the tool, sometimes. I was showing 65 psi via my mechanical gauge mounted atop the front timing cover but NOTHING through my pushrods. I am not too concerned unless no oil spits out when I fire it up for the first time.

My front oil galley plugs are definitely in and my cam bearings are aligned correctly.

 

what priming tool are you using? Iused a home made tool and the one linked to above and I got oil top the rockers with both tools it just took a little time of spinning it.

 

Unless you have other issues, pickup,oil plugs,pump
have always done it this way.

Oil shaft tool. Cheap.
1/2 '' Drill
Starter in place, functioning.
Pressure gauge hooked up.
Spin shaft until pressure comes up, should be less than
10-15 seconds ( Unless your drill spinning wrong way)
Spin starter for about 30 seconds with plugs out while
spinning pump.
If all correct, all set.

Can do this on a pallet, engine stand or in car.
Rather do in car as closer to startup.
But if problem better out of car. Can always repeat
procedure once in car.

HTH

Later

 

I ended up priming mine while it was on the engine stand just in case I had any leaks. Used an old distributor, 1/2 drill and poured oil on the rockers prior to start up.

 

I did mine on an engine stand and with 1/2" drill as well and an adapter. One thing to mention is that if you have assembly lube covering over the pushrod holes, conventional oil doesn't seem able to push through it. I used a syringe to clear the one pushrod and rocker that weren't flowing and it worked like a charm.

HTH.

 

I do need to spend some more time priming it just to make sure it is getting to the heads but kind of figured the assembly lube would act as a barrier.


And I didn't know moly assembly lube clogs oil filters and leaves residue on the pan or I would have NOT used it!!!

 

Nothing wrong with Moly.

This is why you should always change your oil and filter
after a couple hours of running and tuning on a new
motor.

Later

 

are you spinning it in clockwise direction