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Priming an oil pump without a distributor?

akelts

akelts

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Leadville, CO
Getting ready to put a new oil pump in my 2000 XJ....most of the discussions I have seen on priming involve taking of the top of the distributor and priming pump with a drill.....

I dont have a distributor, I have a coil pack....so how should I go about priming this thing? Pack it with vasoline, take the wire off the coilpack and crank until pressure comes up? Any other ideas?

Thanks
 
Agree, you are just going to have to make a "bit" for the drill that will be long enough to reach the pump's drive.

Good luck.
 
I always thought the oil pump priming must be done with distributor out. Otherwise the distributor gear will be engaged with the camshaft and it won't turn. As Joe says, find or make a bit with a big flat end.
 
A short while back, 5-90 gave me some good advice on how to prime an oil pump...

"Before you put the cover plate back on, pack the rotor cavities with grease to "prime" the pump (this will allow it to develop suction when you first run it.) Actually prime the pump by running it through the distributor mounting hole - you can use a flat-blade screwdriver or use a dedicated oil pump priming rod that has a drive tang (1/2" wide) and either no collar or a removable collar. Plug a mechanical oil pressure gage into the hole for the gage sensor, then run the pump (with a drill motor) until it develops pressure - then not less than two full minutes afterwards. (Naturally, this is after you've bolted the sump on and filled it with oil again.) Once you have consistent pressure, you can reinstall the distributor and finish the job."
 
cruiser54 said:
How about disconnecting your CPS and cranking it over til oil pressure shows on the gauge? Then hook the CPS back up and start it.
Click to expand...

Because you'll be turning the engine "dry" - and the idea is to ensure that you have solid oil pressure before you start turning heavy parts and screwing up bearings.

Ivan - thanks for that. It saves me typing it all out again.

ADDENDUM: I'd long since secured a tang-drive priming shaft (1/2" shaft, 1/4" shank for drill motor,) but a couple of oil pump jobs ago I found I had an extra distributor. The distributor shaft is also 1/2" diameter, so I popped the roll pin and gutted the housing. Now, I don't have to work so hard to keep the tang in the drive slot! I can just drop the housing in place, put the shaft & drill motor in place, hand-turn it until the tang and slot mate up, then set it to run at speed. Once I'm getting pressure, I lock the drill ON and rest the handle against something solid, and let it run for a couple of minutes - I don't have to hang on to the thing!

This would probably work for all years, you just have to find a distributor housing (doesn't matter what year - you're going to gut it out anyhow.)
 
When I replaced my oil pump, I coated the pump gears and cavity (didn't completely pack it) with vaseline and cranked it over with the plugs out until I saw oil pressure.
 
CaliGold said:
When I replaced my oil pump, I coated the pump gears and cavity (didn't completely pack it) with vaseline and cranked it over with the plugs out until I saw oil pressure.
Click to expand...

Not the best idea,see 5-90's post above!For those of us that like to keep what we build there are even more options after the motors been run.You can buy permanently installed pre-oilers and/or shut-down oilers(required for turbo users).They are definately worth every dollar in engine longevity.
 
5-90 said:
Because you'll be turning the engine "dry" - and the idea is to ensure that you have solid oil pressure before you start turning heavy parts and screwing up bearings.

Ivan - thanks for that. It saves me typing it all out again.

ADDENDUM: I'd long since secured a tang-drive priming shaft (1/2" shaft, 1/4" shank for drill motor,) but a couple of oil pump jobs ago I found I had an extra distributor. The distributor shaft is also 1/2" diameter, so I popped the roll pin and gutted the housing. Now, I don't have to work so hard to keep the tang in the drive slot! I can just drop the housing in place, put the shaft & drill motor in place, hand-turn it until the tang and slot mate up, then set it to run at speed. Once I'm getting pressure, I lock the drill ON and rest the handle against something solid, and let it run for a couple of minutes - I don't have to hang on to the thing!

This would probably work for all years, you just have to find a distributor housing (doesn't matter what year - you're going to gut it out anyhow.)
Click to expand...

I agree with this procedure when initially firing off a new motor, I figured since he's just replacing the oil pump on an existing motor, there should be plenty of oil in the system and bearings would be broken in already.
 
I've always just taken a long flat screwdriver, lined it up with the chuck on a cordless drill and duct taped them inline together. If all I did all day was prime oil pumps I'd come up with something better but almost any garage you find yourself in has those 3 items.
 
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