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To Prime or Not To Prime

VFilms

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I'm getting ready to start my POLY for the first time after a complete rebuild. While looking online for an oil priming shaft I came across a post that said 'priming the engine is not a good idea as it washes away the assembly lube.'
It's an interesting thought and I'm wondering what you engine builders think about this.

Also, is it really necessary to slowly rotate the engine while priming the pump? Seems to me the oil would find its way through the galleys and passages regardless.
 
That guy is a moron. Good assembly lube will not wash away, there will still be a microfilm of it. Hook a gauge to it.It's always good to check your top end for oil making sure all your rockers get oil.So yes,I rotate it enough to see oil everywhere it needs to be.Then put the valve covers back on.lol
 
You want to pre-oil a new engine. You need to rotate it to oil the rocker shafts, they only oil in one position so that’s why you turn the crank slowly two revolutions.
 
I have Moroso accumulators on 3 of my vehicles. I like to prelube every time I roll an engine over! These vehicles all will sit for months at a time, like many of our cars.
Mike
 
I prime mine before I put the pushrods in. Roll it over slowly while priming to ensure all the crankholes get oil from half groove main bearings and ensure the rocker shafts are filled. Yes I know they drain when not preloaded, but most of the air is out.
 
When i have a nice engine I preoil it after sitting all winter. Nothing like having lubrication where it’s needed and 10 minutes well spent in my eyes.

No ticking and rattling on startup for me.
 
For the A/LA engines, I have an old drive gear with the teeth ground off and an old distributor with all the advance mechanism removed so its just a shaft that I put a drill onto. Spin it over, clockwise, while hand cranking the engine so all of the galleys get filled, see pressure on a mechanical gauge plus see it coming out of the rockers. Watch how fast you spin the drill as you may get oil shooting over the fender.
 
have Moroso accumulators on 3 of my vehicles. I like to prelube every time I roll an engine over! These vehicles all will sit for months at a time, like many of our cars.
I've been kicking this idea around for awhile now. I'll have to add it to my winter car projects.
 
I'm getting ready to start my POLY for the first time after a complete rebuild. While looking online for an oil priming shaft I came across a post that said 'priming the engine is not a good idea as it washes away the assembly lube.'

Priming is a good idea. And, some folks use oil as an assy lube.

.........is it really necessary to slowly rotate the engine while priming the pump?

No.
 
You've spent presumably a few thousand dollars building this engine. Do the final stages properly - prime the engine. You don't necessarily have to rotate the engine slowly while you're priming (if you're doing it alone for instance), but I would definitely rotate it a quarter turn at a time and then re-prime, to ensure the oil is getting everywhere.
 
UPDATE on the A318 Poly: So I began priming the system and just as the drill met some resistance indicating, I'm guessing, that the pump was starting to pick up the oil, I heard a sound like air escaping and then a steady stream of oil started coming out at the corner of the oil pan gasket just above the filter. I tightened down the pans bolts slightly, ran the drill again, same oil stream.
I removed the bellhousing inspection cover, the flex plate/converter is dry and there is no oil in the bottom of the bellhousing. It's just coming from the corner of the pan.
What baffles me is I don't understand how there is pressure in the pan that will cause oil to be pushed out the gasket. I'm going to investigate further but the pan may have to come down. Something I'm not looking forward to doing.
 
Could be an oil gallery plug missing further up and it's just running down to there and then dripping?
You are right it should not begin to leak from the pan gasket.
 
Could be an oil gallery plug missing further up and it's just running down to there and then dripping?
You are right it should not begin to leak from the pan gasket.
Thanks Don, I plan to have a friend come over today and run the drill while I am under the car to see exactly where it's coming from.
 
A couple other possibilities:
Oil pressure sending unit? or Gallery plug opposite the sending unit?
At least on a B or RB there are two on the top rear of the block.
 
A couple other possibilities:
Oil pressure sending unit? or Gallery plug opposite the sending unit?
At least on a B or RB there are two on the top rear of the block.
On the POLY the sender sits next to the distributor. I've checked and it is clean and dry. No signs of oil dripping down the back of the block. There is an O ring gasket between the filter base and the block that I will look at. I found this pic for a 70-71 but I believe it also applies to the poly

gasket.JPG
 
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