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Priming oil system with a drill question

greycharger

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Bringing back a 1969 with 100K. Neglected and forgotten, but always cared for, so I hope a rebuild isn't needed at this time. The car is so nice and unmolested, I didn't paint the pan or valve covers, but left them original. Dropped the pan, cleaned out the sludge, new pump. When priming with a drill, I felt when it primed and I spun it for a few minutes after, but never got oil to the rockers. Does a drill not spin it fast enough to get sufficient pressure?

Next will be: pull the plugs, Marvel/Sea Foam/witches brew in the cylinders, turn it over by hand a few revolutions, let it set for a couple days, then turn it over with the starter, then fire it.

Any advice or witches brew recipe welcomed and appreciated.
 
1. If you have a big block....is your drill spinning COUNTER clockwise?
2. I've analyzed both products you mention......use the SeaFoam "witches brew" to de-carbonize your cylinders. Expect it to smoke like crazy for 5-10 min. when you fire it up.
 
Try counter-clockwise. Put grease in the pump rotors.
 
Oil to the rockers comes from camshaft journal .... you'll need to rotate the crank until the holes line up to fill the rocker shaft and then rotate it some more the fill the other side.
 
Oil to the rockers comes from camshaft journal .... you'll need to rotate the crank until the holes line up to fill the rocker shaft and then rotate it some more the fill the other side.
10 4 rubber ducky thats the way.
 
Oil to the rockers comes from camshaft journal .... you'll need to rotate the crank until the holes line up to fill the rocker shaft and then rotate it some more the fill the other side.
Yeap, and it's not a big margin at all where they get oil. To give you an idea.. there's 2 holes in the cam bearing (maybe 3/16" dia) that have to line up with a L shaped hole drilled through the camshaft in order for the shaft to get oil. Best thing to do is have a buddy slowly rotate the motor while your priming it until you see oil, you'll only get oil to one head at a time too.
 
Great info, one and all! I knew there was something I didn't know. I'll put a ratchet on the crank bolt and nudge it, run the drill (ccw this time), nudge it, drill,nudge,drill....
In the past I just fired things, but I don't want to start this one dry.
 
A helper makes it a lot easier.
 
Next will be: pull the plugs, Marvel/Sea Foam/witches brew in the cylinders, turn it over by hand a few revolutions, let it set for a couple days, then turn it over with the starter, then fire it.
I always worry that using that procedure will gum up the rings. Water injection works very well to de-carbonize the combustion chamber. Just get a glass of water and plug a vacuum hose into the vacuum nipple on the carb. Stick the other end into the glass of water and run the RPM up to 2000-3000 and let it suck the glass dry. BE SURE THE ENGINE IS AT OPERATING TEMPERATURE BEFORE DOING THIS.

When I bought my car it was carboned up so bad that I could not shut it down without letting out the clutch in gear to prevent dieseling. It seemed like it would never shut down. One application and it shuts down like it should, by simply turning off the ignition.
 
I just dumped old oil, filled up with last two quarts poured over both sets of rockers, pulled plugs to dump compression, and used the starter to roll it. Had pressure within first 5 seconds.
 
Great info, one and all! I knew there was something I didn't know. I'll put a ratchet on the crank bolt and nudge it, run the drill (ccw this time), nudge it, drill,nudge,drill....
In the past I just fired things, but I don't want to start this one dry.
Yep what he said. The rockers oil through the cam and you have to line the oil holes in the cam with the hole in the cam bearing. You must turn the engine over when pre-lubing.
 
Boy, is that ever a oxymoronic statement if I ever read one! Good Luck
It was loved and then lost it's master passing on to kids who think it was a stupid, clunky car. Didn't know why he kept it all those years. They put it in the local Green Sheet for $500. I didn't even see the ad until the second week. I said: "I'll take it" before I got within 100 yards. A shallow scrape dent a foot long, a rear bumper corner bent in slightly that touched the body, and not a rust hole anywhere. The paint is gone, but thanks to the Rat craze, that will be the last thing I have to spend money on. If I sell it, seeing it in original paint, even if some is gone and showing surface rust, is a plus. Rally wheels, 4 speed, Posi rear, and SE interior. Funny how one person's trash is instantly another's treasure.
 
This guy on YouTube has allot of videos of comparing cleaners, testing stuff, ect. Very good videos.

Here is one comparing Seafoam to Water

 
To prime the pump first I take off the oil filter so it will pickup oil quickly, then screw the filter back on and continue. You can verify that you have oil pressure. Big block= counter clockwise dist shaft rotation.
 
This guy on YouTube has allot of videos of comparing cleaners, testing stuff, ect. Very good videos.

Here is one comparing Seafoam to Water


Interesting comparison, but I don't think it is apples to apples. On an automotive engine, it will drink a glass of water in about 30 seconds, as opposed to the drip technique that he used on a lawn mower engine. I think "steam cleaning" requires a bit more water intrusion.
Here's another view.

And here's another
 
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Great info, one and all! I knew there was something I didn't know. I'll put a ratchet on the crank bolt and nudge it, run the drill (ccw this time), nudge it, drill,nudge,drill....
In the past I just fired things, but I don't want to start this one dry.

You don't have to do it that way. You'll get oil to the head when the engine is at TDC #6. Then you have to rotate the camshaft 225 degrees to get oil to the other head. To rotate the camshaft 225 degrees you have to rotate the crankshaft 450 degrees. Or if you prefer, one full rotation and then another 90 degrees. Once you know how to do it you'll find that it only takes a few minutes to oil a big block. Oh, by the way, you don't need to use a drill. Just spin the pump shaft counter-clockwise with a speed wrench and you'll have plenty of pressure.
 
If the pump is making pressure it will essentially stall the drill. So something was not right when you said you primed it for several minutes? You must have been turning it clockwise.
 
If the pump is making pressure it will essentially stall the drill. So something was not right when you said you primed it for several minutes? You must have been turning it clockwise.


You don't have to do it that way. You'll get oil to the head when the engine is at TDC #6. Then you have to rotate the camshaft 225 degrees to get oil to the other head. To rotate the camshaft 225 degrees you have to rotate the crankshaft 450 degrees. Or if you prefer, one full rotation and then another 90 degrees. Once you know how to do it you'll find that it only takes a few minutes to oil a big block. Oh, by the way, you don't need to use a drill. Just spin the pump shaft counter-clockwise with a speed wrench and you'll have plenty of pressure.

Cool.
I had an English car with a V8 and the shop manual had that info. I utilized it after a rebuild, worked just as one would want.
 
If the pump is making pressure it will essentially stall the drill. So something was not right when you said you primed it for several minutes? You must have been turning it clockwise.
You are correct. I had the drill going the right way without realizing. It spun without resistance at first, then after about 10 seconds, it bogged down. When I checked the dip stick, it was down a quart when it had read full before running the pump. It's a 1/2 inch Milwaukee Magnum drill, so it didn't stall out.
 
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