Priming 304 oil pump

[Morton]

Okay, I've had no end of bad luck trying to prime my oil pump. Anybody have any tips?

: I've packed the entire thing with petroleum jelly
: The sump is full
: The oil filter is full
: I have an external mechanical oil pressure gauge hooked up

And it's reading 0psi. The dial doesn't even move when I crank it.

For the record, I'm cranking with spark plugs out and no fuel pressure. I've cranked it for about 60sec twice, and nothing.

Halp

[Blown V6 Hatch]

If you've filled the pump with vasaline and primed the filter, put the plugs back in and hit the key. Most of the time on a Holden V8 they wont pick up oil pressure on the starter motor, they need to be started. I've never tryed to get oil pressure by just cranking, i just prime it all up and start it....Trust me, it will get oil pressure instantly as soon as it starts.

Also, if you have been cranking it, pull the pump back off and make sure its still full of vasaline. Then start it.

[Morton]

Ahhh thankyou I'll give this a try with the mechanical gauge hooked up. Thankyou I've been thinking something was terribly wrong!!

For the record, the pressure switch hole (which I did NOT fill with jelly) was packed full of jelly when I removed it, so I figure there was some good movement happening in there

Time to re-pack it and see what happens!

[Morton]

You're a bloody legend!

I gravity-fed the pump with oil through the pressure sender hole, didn't even bother to repack the pump. Within 5sec it picked up 50psi, dropping down to 45 at idle.

Hawt damn diggity!!

So let that be on the record for all V8 owners: Prime the pump with petroleum jelly (home brand stuff, cheaper than vaseline) and then hook up a mechanical pressure gauge and start the car up

[Blown V6 Hatch]

Good to hear....Turning engines over on the starter with the plugs out is an old wives tale.

Prime them and start them.

[greenfoam]

I was wondering if you had actually started the car, I rekcon I could turn mine over and wear the starter out before it showed any pressure, hey it hardly makes any pressure when the thing IS running

[delcowizzid]

Good to hear....Turning engines over on the starter with the plugs out is an old wives tale.

Prime them and start them.

not quite its normally the best way i do it with all engines i build never not had one show oil pressure its allways good to crank till pressure with no plugs cause the engine doesnt have any strain on the bearings without there lube seperating the bearings from the crank. my last 308 had an isolation switch that stoped the ignition firing untill pressure was reached to help with engine life oldschool petrolheads all do the same

[Blown V6 Hatch]

not quite its normally the best way i do it with all engines i build never not had one show oil pressure its allways good to crank till pressure with no plugs cause the engine doesnt have any strain on the bearings without there lube seperating the bearings from the crank. my last 308 had an isolation switch that stoped the ignition firing untill pressure was reached to help with engine life oldschool petrolheads all do the same

No way, the best way is to start them straight up....If all is good, it will get oil pressure instantly.

[greenfoam]

Straight ups gota be the way to go, at least then you get some oil on the cam instead of cranking it around and around without any oil action