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Priming rover v8 oil pump
Bigboystoys - 15/2/18 at 12:56 PM

Afternoon all, after having my sump off and engine out I'm now rebuilt and looking to start the refitted engine this weekend.what I'm wondering is how people have found it best to prime the oil system on a 4.6 rover v8 before initial start.

Thanks Sam

mark chandler - 15/2/18 at 01:10 PM

If you have an early front cover with distributor just pull out the distributor, get a steel rod and cut a slot in it and put in a drill and spin the pump from above.

Later distributor less all you can do is wind it over with the plugs out until you see pressure.

[Edited on 15/2/18 by mark chandler]

Irony - 15/2/18 at 01:10 PM

Fill the oil pump with vaseline, pack it good and tight. Buy or make a Rover V8 oil pump priming tool. I cut the bottom off a old distributer and hammered it onto a metal dowel. Take the distributor out and stick your tool down the hole until it mates with the oil pump shaft (arf arf). Get a drill and spin the system up. Take a rocker cover off and watch the oil come out of the rockers. Job Done!

benchmark51 - 15/2/18 at 01:49 PM

With the engine ready for start and filled with the correct amount of oil, disable the ignition and spin it over. Oil pressure light will go out - primed.

SuperV8 - 15/2/18 at 03:57 PM

Depends on what oil pump you have?
Shaft driven oil pump are not self priming. Take out dizzy and spin shaft with drill, easy to make an adapter to fit in your drill - pipe with squashed end. Pump needs to have been packed with vaseline otherwise it will probably never prime.

Crank driven oil pump is more difficult to pre-prime. As long as you built the engine well, lubing all the rotating parts, then just start it (keep an eagle eye on the pressure gauge) and in a couple of nervous seconds later you will have pressure. These pumps are self priming.

If that scares you (that's all they on the production line) then the only other way is to back fill the oil system via one of the holes on the front cover to try to prime it.

Cranking the engine to try to get oil pressure to me doesn't make sense. Most of the time it won't work as it won't be spinning fast enough, and if it does prime would take longer than just starting the thing anyway. A slow spinning engine has more load on the rockers, needs to be kept at 2,2.5K rpm to bed the CAM (if new cam/followers) in on first start up so avoid prolonged cranking/idling.

Tom.

Simon - 15/2/18 at 07:02 PM

If you're using a remote filter, disconnect one hose from remote housing, and fill with oil. It's what I did and it worked fine

ATB

Simon

Bigboystoys - 15/2/18 at 09:24 PM

Thanks for the inputs, I will back fill via remote oil filter and oil cooler as they are higher than pump so hopefully gravity will help me out then spin it over without ignition to make sure I'm getting a bit of flow/pressure before firing it up, engine only has 9k from new so hoping the pump will be strong

Thanks Sam

MikeRJ - 16/2/18 at 05:22 PM

quote:
Originally posted by benchmark51
With the engine ready for start and filled with the correct amount of oil, disable the ignition and spin it over. Oil pressure light will go out - primed.


I can see you aren't familiar with the joys of the Rover V8 oil system. They are notoriously difficult to prime, hence Vaseline in the pumps and spinning it with a drill etc.

02GF74 - 16/2/18 at 06:23 PM

^^^^^ vaseline method, it dissolves in oil so safe unlike grease.

Tool made as above.

When spinning with a drill, it will kick back once the pump is primed due to the resistance of pumping the oil so be careful.