I just want to make sure I did not do something stupid. Question: In cleaning my engine (see posts above) I have finally put the oil sump back on and decided to douse the head and valley area with diesel fuel to loosen up the last remaining stuff that may have fallen in places I could not reach. I then brushed everything I could with a brush and let it sit till tomorrow where I will remove the sump to dump whatever fell to the bottom. Was that a smart thing to do or is diesel not good for something down in my block (some seal ?) ? I then plan to put back the hydraulic lifters (soak them in oil?) and the rocker assembly. Then the oil pump (find a way to prime it)..... then it should be set to run soon
I haven't been following this thread completely. Did you remove the 4 bolts that hold the cover to the pump??? If you did, remove the cover again & pack the gears with Vaseline & re-install the cover. Don't FORGET the gasket between the pump & block. After you have everything buttoned up, except for the valve covers, get the tip of the rotor to point to the rear of the firewall & mark the firewall with a crayon, or. Before removing the hold-down bolt for the dist. put a mark between the dist. body & block. This will help to keep your timing close on re-installation. As you lift the distributor from it's home the rotor will turn counter clockwise. After the rotor stops turning put a mark on the firewall again. This will be your reference points for re-installing the dist. Note the location of the slot in the oil pump drive-shaft. Now take an electric drill with a long screwdriver blade & turn the oil pump clockwise. If you have a wide enough blade you could slot it so it fits the shaft & slot & over hangs some. It's less likely to keep jumping out of place this way. This will start the pumping process. Don't stop until you are satisfied that there is plenty of oil getting to the rocker arms/shafts. Doing this you will NOT have to pump up the lifters as the oil pump will fill them. Also you now don't have to worry that the lifters may be TOO full causing other problems. Doing priming this way pre-lubes the engine BEFORE starting & will help to flush away any debris that you didn't catch. Start it up when done & let it run for awhile until the engine has reached operating temp. Not just coolant temp. but also hot oil. Will take a good 30-45 minutes running at a fast idle, 1200-1500RPM's, then change the oil & filter again. You should then be ready to go unless there are other problems that crop up. Good Luck!!!!! Havin' fun yet???? Learnin' anything??? Tom T.
Yes, I know Doc. How did I reply to make you think I WAS thinking of something else??? Just need some clarification. Tom T.
The part about packing the pump.... I have never had to do that on a nailhead....I put oil in them and prime them up with a drill motor...yes on the bbb and sbb s but I have never had to do that on a nail....and I might add,, have never had one to fail to prime up.....there aint nothing wrong with putting vaseline in a nailhead pump,,, but that is what made me think that you had in mind a bbb or sbc.... just trying to help a friend...not trying to smart off....guess I should have just not said anything.... sorry.... sniff, sniff,,, sniff:ball: Dont want to offend my friend.......
No offense taken Doc. Was just wonderin'. And, yes, I also in most all cases use oil only in the ole "Nail". I have also NEVER had a problem with them priming, but you & I sometimes do things differently than others. Most times when I oil prime the pump I'm not to far from buttoning up the engine & doing a priming once more before starting in the chassis. Again, who knows how long it would be before he actually starts the engine. I feel in his case Vaseline is the better choice. Just my humble opinion. Tom T.
Yeah, that is the same line of thinking that i do when i say to use moly grease on a cam and lifters.... it does not drain off over time.... I have started engines a year later and the cam did just fine....
RJBT, Is this running and out of the parking garage yet? I was wondering about the progress of our French contingent. Cheryl
Not running yet... unfortunately !!! I had a little mountain biking accident (4inch gash on right leg) and need to take it easy and let it heal correctly (i'm not 18 anymore ). So instead of working on the car, I fabricated an oil priming tool and have finished rebuilding my power steering pump (it was leaking... no wonder, o rings were missing on outside bolts). I hope to prime the engine this weekend and get it all together to run ....
