First startup--no oil?

After 9mos of work (mostly due to slow funding) I finished my '01 XJ 4.0 engine and started it up today for the break-in. Fired right off and ran strong but after a few minutes I shut it down. I know, I know, really bad to do that, BUT that engine sounded bone dry. I primed the oil system prior to starting using a long screwdriver on the pump shaft, everything in the engine was coated with assembly lube, double checked cam bearings were lined up with oil holes, etc. I've rebuilt engines before (but this is my first 4.0).

The engine temp was not doing anything funny, right about 210 and steady. The oil pressure gauge was pegged at 80psi. Every few seconds it fluttered but went right back to peg. I relocated the oil filter to the front of the engine bay under the radiator during the rebuild. Pulled the filter and it is seeing oil. I'm at a bit of a loss of what else to check because I don't want to start the motor again to finish the break-in unless I'm sure it'll be ok. Also don't want to waste $4500 worth of work I've spend 3/4 of a year doing. Does it sound like a spun cam bearing? Those are all new and were installed by a machine shop familiar with Jeep motors.

Kinda sounds like something is blocked to me. Should oil be visible at the rockers if I were to pull the valve cover and do the priming procedure again? Thanks for help & moral support...

ya u should see oil at the rockers thats when u know ur priming it right. your sensor and or guage could be bad. some sensors if bad will show 0 or peg. u can always do an external psi check if u can find the kit for our stuff or rig up a psi guage. can also be blockage in the flow near the sensor or it could be actualy pumping at 80psi. i wouldnt say its guna hurt it but being a break in could mess with distribution abd saturation of fresh parts

Found out what it was. I used an Earl's Performance remote oil filter adapter. That part was stamped backwards. Inlet = outlet and vice versa. I installed it all according to instructions, checked and double checked that, but the part is stamped incorrectly.

So, in effect, the blockage was the filter itself because oil was going to the wrong side of it. I completed the break-in after swtching the lines but the engine is toast. Nasty rod knock and runs like crap (but at least it idles...). Not sure what to do with it at this point. It was supposed to be my winter driver...major bummer.

wow bummer man. i'd be calling up earl's and giving them an earfull.

Vanimal said:

wow bummer man. i'd be calling up earl's and giving them an earfull.

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Whoa! I'd get photos of the Earl's filter housing - DO NOT send it to them. Then get some free legal advice on options to at least see if you can get them to cover parts for a new rebuild.

Of course they will bark that you screwed it up by not verifying that oil was in the top end before firing it .. that's why the legal advice.. you might not have a leg. Of course you could massage the story that it was installed on a running engine and starved it.. I'm not recommending, just pointing out that some folks would do that.. and who's the injured party here?

Next time you fire a new engine spend a couple bucks on a tool that fits over the pump gear.. it's like the screwdriver but with a sleeve on it to hold it in place. Then use a drill to spin the pump, verify oil flow, then fire.

I did nearly the same thing on a big buck 455 Buick I'd built for my Stage 1 but did verify oil was there. Had to shut it down on cam break-in due to no oil pressure. Turns out my gauge went bad from tear down to fire up. Pulled the mechanical gauge out of my buddy's Judge and used it for the break-in. I know, antecdotal stories don't help your situation.

Really sorry to hear of your misfortune.

Gary

I did prime the pump with a tool I made and I felt resistance. In all the other engines I built I had a mechanical oil pressure gauge. This one I went on feel alone. Won't be doing that again. It had pressure--but it was just between the pump and the filter, and that is where the gauge takeoff is so having a gauge wouldn't have mattered here. I primed it again once the filter was plumbed correctly, felt the same but the difference was I could hear oil dripping back into the pan from the top end. Earl's will be hearing about this for sure.

When priming watch for oil to the rockers. If oil is not getting to the rockers something is wrong. At least for your future use.

I had almost the same thing happen on a Honda I was working on, we did a cranking prime and it pegged the oil pressure gauge and held pressure, we loosened the remote filter and the filter launched off of the adapter and hit the roof of the garage spraying oil everywhere.

Well here's an update. Sent long email to Earl's, then went for a ride on the motorbike to get my mind off it. When I came home I did a compression test and that looks good. All showed over 120psi on the first shot, 140 or higher the second time around after a little oil got up there. The O-ring on my compression tester was bad so the first crank it showed zero. That was a scare, but I put a new O-ring on and everything was fine. Next step I'll pull the lifters and look at them and the cam. I didn't hear any knocking when I cranked it for the compression test but the cylinders weren't under any load really.

I also have to figure out why the gauge cluster was doing funny things. Lights would flash on and off randomly during the break-in and the gauges hiccupped a lot. But that's for another day, first thing is to get the motor sorted out. The old girl has over 216k and the previous owner wasn't kind to her.

I wasn't there to hear the knock, but I'd be checking the rod bearings.

I hope you were meticulous about checking all tolerances. I've heard discouraging reports about pistons cast in India.