oil pump priming

[chevythunder]

i made a tool out of an old distributor to prime the oil pump on my rebuilt motor before i started it..i dropped it in place and just turned it by hand for a minute and i noticed as soon as it got pressure built up it turned real real hard so i put a drill on it and spun it clockwise and it spins so hard it started making my drill smoke... i only had oil coming out of the pushrods on one head...i have a brand new high volume oil pump but i still dont think it should be so hard to spin it and prime it.. i had my buddy put a couple of welds where the pick-up screen meets the pump could something have gotten hot and screwed up the pump?? like i said it spins easy at first then when it builds up pressure it gets real real hard....any suggestions or comments are appreciated...

[Blazin]

It will spin hard. I made the same tool and use a 1/4 HP 1/2" drill to spin it.

Edited by: Blazin at: 9/6/06 7:51 am

[VileZambonie]

The worst thing you can ever do is weld the pick up to the pump!! If you are going to weld it use a cold weld. If you heat the pump while welding it you can cause the spring to lose it's temper which it probably did and warp the cover. If he didn't remove the spring I'd replace it and check to see that the pump is still flat.

As far as your home made tool goes, you can buy one for like $20 bucks and will prime the upper end also by sealing off the oil galley. Don't worry about not seeing oil on the upper end with your primer because it won't get the oil up there unless it's sitting exactly where your distributor sits.

It should put a good strain on your drill especially if it's a weak drill to prime the pump though.

Edited by: VileZambonie  at: 9/5/06 3:59 pm

[RSBAD454]

When you prime the motor....you should rotate crank as you do so to distribute oil around. The pump will be hard to rotate when oil is flowing through it(funny thing about viscosity). I always tack weld the pickup on both sides of pump once it is in position. I agree, a full bead weld isn't good on the pump, but a tack weld is all that's needed.

Toys are my game

[VileZambonie]

I seriously suggest not welding the oil pump pick up. A base arc is about 5,000°F! At the very least remove the spring!

I scored a brand new 454 that needed a new crank and oil pump because the mechanic welded the pickup on and caused the engine to fail before it's first oil change. His loss my gain but seriously be careful welding the pick up tube on!

[roundedline]

I agree.  Welding a pickup to the pump is a bad idea.

Chris Lucas
www.73-87chevytrucks.com
www.captkaoscustoms.com
Project Su
Jimmy 2WD Project

[RSBAD454]

I have yet to see any failures from a tack welded pickup tube.....My stock pickup tube was tack welded from the factory. key word is *Tack* welded......Many many motors have had these tube tacked on withour any probs what so ever. Sometimes a failure will occur and may look like something else caused it. Pump could have been bad from the get go or bearing clearences could have been wrong....too many variables to just blame a small tack weld on a pickup tube.

Toys are my game

[VileZambonie]

A bluish spring and warped pump cover with a precision straight edge revealed the cause. I'm pretty good with failure analysis. I've never seen the pickup tube welded from the factory either but there are so many alternatives to risking damaging the oil pump and or spring. A cold weld or JB weld will even work just fine without risking it.  

[RSBAD454]

Well, like I said.....too many variables to just say a Tack Weld causes a pump to fail. Who welded it, How long was weld held in one spot? I do well with failure analysis as well......Pickup tubes are typically spot welded for the fact they could potentially move and your distance from the bottom of oil pan will be too close or far away. To each there own though....  

Edited by: RSBAD454  at: 9/7/06 10:13 pm