LS oil pump priming

XJsavage

XJsavage

CounterCulture
Joined
Aug 15, 2009
Location
Lyle's Ford SC
Just at the completion of my recent oil pump install, I've come to a snag. The engine(6.0) is reassembled with a Melling HP oil pump, stock truck oil pan and appropriate pickup tube. My steps towards initial crank up since reassembly have included installation of correct pick up O-ring from GM service parts center, adding correct amount of oil, disconnecting power to fuel pump to insure it doesn't crank while dry, and spinning the engine over in 5 second intervals, hoping to see oil peeking up through the mechanical OP gauge tube. I'm not seeing any signs of oil pressure or the pump picking anything up from the oil pan. I've seen kits online that inject oil into a pressure port to prime the oil pump but they are rather expensive for a one time use and I don't see sense in spending a few hundred dollars on something I'd only use once in a while. Im not 1,000,000% sure the O'ring is perfectly set and is something I'll check here shortly. Is there anything else I should take note of? Any other tricks that would help prime this pump that don't involve buying a kit? And I should mention, I dont' have any sort of compressed air supply at the location.
 
Thank you very much!! That makes perfect sense :smokin:
 
What they said. Otherwise, you have to pressurize them with the fancy oil primer deal.
 
ai1266.photobucket.com_albums_jj521_XJsavage_Mobile_20Uploads_IMG_20150105_195344486_zpsfe210a35.jpg
The ole Vaseline trick worked! Had a hard time keeping a straight face texting, explaining to my buddies what I was doing exactly.... Jamming my hole up with Vaseline... Mmkay.. :lol:
Thanks for sharing a cool trick guys!
 
Yeah you will get strange looks from not in the know folks with a mondo tub of the stuff sitting around the shop haha!! Glad it worked for you.
 
can you fellas help me understand the mechanics of this. if we are plugging the 'pickup' side wouldnt we be preventing the pump from sucking up the oil? Wouldnt it make more sense to plug the "out port" or whatever to create the vaccum on the pickup side until there is enough pressure to punch through the vaseline on the "out" side of the pump?

^hope that made sense
 
im gunna do it cause i trust you guys. Just trying to understand *how* that works
 
ckruzer said:
im gunna do it cause i trust you guys. Just trying to understand *how* that works
Click to expand...
You apply a petroleum product into the pump so it has substance to pull/push as it spins. The Vaseline will be forced through the outlet and allow the oil at the end of tube to be sucked up into the pump.
 
This.

rockcity said:
Drop the pan, pull the pickup, and pack the pump full of as much vasoline as you possibly can. Assemble, and give her a go. ;)
Click to expand...


ALWAYS this, not just engines either. Working EDC piston pumps. you never want an air pocket running through the charge.
rodney eppes said:
Weather or not you changed the oil filter, is it Full? Never put on a dry filter, & wait for the pump to fill it up.
Click to expand...
 
Back
Top