hammeron

I'd like to hear how people typically prime
their engine. I have a plan, but if there is
a better way or I'm forgetting something,
please let me know.

While the engine is still on the stand:
Pump oil into the stock oil pressure sender
location and watch for oil at the cams.
Disconnect the pump and pump tubing
and install the cam covers.

Is this going to do the job, or is there
more?

Here is a pic of the oil priming gear. I took the
well known idea of using a pump sprayer and
added the valve. The valve is so just before
starting the engine, I could hook the pump back
up and pump a little more oil if I thought it was
necessary.


Note: the oil pressure sender is normally grounded to the engine
when installed in it's stock position. so if you start the engine
with the setup as described below, you may get a "low oil
pressure" warning on the cluster. what i did was attach a clip
lead on the valve handle and attached it to one of the studs
on the timing cover. this gets rid of the warning until after your
first oil change and you return the sender to it's normal
location.

BruceH

I primed the pump while the motor was on the stand upside down. Poured oil in the pump and turned the crank by hand. Repeated until I was sure the motor was lubed. Did this before installing the pick up tube or pan. I also poured oil over everything in the block and filled the oil filter before installing it.

Unconventional but it worked for me. The way you are doing it has been proven to work many times over. You should be fine.

hammeron

thanks BruceH, i guess i just wanted to hear that
it should work and i wasn't leaving out something
important.

BruceH

one-eyed willie covered it pretty good in his build thread.

Does this mean the motor is going in today?

hammeron

not today, but maybe tuesday or wednesday. then
figure another week or two, to hook everything up
and get her ready to start.

hammeron

the pump worked great. after slowly pumping
about 1.5 quarts of oil, i began to see it
weeping out from the cam towers.

i'm also hoping that priming the engine
this way, builds up a little pressure in the
chain tensioners.

if i had it to do over i wouldn't get this
particular sprayer, it required some
modifications and there may be a better
unit to start with.

here are a couple of pics to show the setup.

BruceH

What kind of oil did you use?

hammeron

that is an excellent question. i called ford racing
to see what they wanted for initial startup and
they told me 5w-30 for startup and the same
going forward.

this is fine with me since costco sells it and now
it'll be more convenient to pick up.

moosestang

5w30, that's priceless! I've been using it for the past 12,000 miles.

hammeron

it might be priceless and i hope it is, but it could
also have something to do with main bearing
clearances. in a way i was hoping they said 5w-20,
cause that would mean the aluminator was nice
and tight...but sadly it's 5w-30, which seems to be
the preferred weight for rebuilt engines.