Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

General engine tech -- Drag Racing to Circle Track

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PackardV8
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by PackardV8 »

Can the OP clarify if he's asking about prelubing the first firing of a newly built engine or going through this process every time the engine is fired?
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by jdperform »

On dry sump sprint cars with. Front cam driven opumps. We put 2 gts in a goodson preluber then put shop air in tank. Connect to gauge fitting and turn motor backwards for oil to go around pressure gears and start filling the tank. We use a screwdriver next to to our ear and hold it against the prelube tank to listen for air then shut off valve.

PS you cannot use oil filter w/anti drain back valve
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by Circlotron »

Some engines e.g. Chrysler and Holden have the oil pump gears above oil level so they have to actually suck the oil out of the sump and that can be an issue on first start if the pump is dry. Undo the oil pressure switch and use vacuum from another running engine to draw the oil up into the gallery. Use a clear tube so you can see when to stop.
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by swampbuggy »

Joe 90...wasted money on what ?
CRS...nothing at all.
Blykins...neither one, limited street running (no street racing).
Jack V....first time on the dyno...and EVERY time there after. :wink: Mark H.
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by jsgarage »

Swampy, I built one back in the '70s for a longevity study- which I assume is your reason too. I used a convertible top pump attached to a tee fitting on the oil pressure block drilling. It's sump held about a qt. and was self-refilling. With such things, you're trying to prove a negative, so after a few years of no problems, zero visible wear on bearings etc and realizing the pump ass'y weighed 8 lbs, I took it off when I sold the car. If I was to do this today, I'd use a tiny pump without its own sump such as the commercial one built into an oil filter adapter & spun with a drill, then drive it with a cable extension in a convenient place.
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by swampbuggy »

Ok, thanks Jas garage for the tips I appreciate it
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by cjperformance »

https://www.scintex.com.au/products/ele ... sMQAvD_BwE

Just fit a 12v electric pump and one way valve. Pick up oil from the existing pan, and pump it into a gallery. Just switch the pump on prior to cranking and off after startup. Simple.
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by user-23911 »

Electric fuel pumps work too but not very well if the oil is thick.
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by cjperformance »

joe 90 wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:00 pm Electric fuel pumps work too but not very well if the oil is thick.
That pump i linked will just about pump warm road tar , 500cst rating.
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by smeg »

we prime every engine we do, with serious drag race engines it is something that should be done on every first fire up of the day, seen way too many pushrod tip failures from not priming, my own engine included. It used to take an unreal amount of time to get oil to all the rockers, believe it! We use everything from Tilton electric pumps which I have hooked to the dyno and have used them on cars, straight from the pan to a filter with one way valve, then to the pump and T'd to the oil pressure fitting, flick a switch and you have 45 lbs, prime for 30 seconds, this fixed a solid roller 351W that spun cam bearings in the block from dry start up, stuffed the block and broke the cam in half that one, to peterson primer filter housings on most of our dirt cars, the only problem with those on dry sump systems is you have to watch the oil level in the tank.
When we get our engines back for the yearly freshen, the push rod tips are good where they were ordinary before priming. Cam bearings will love you for it as well. This is something that is not negotialable for me.
To say it is not worth doing is a she will be right attitude and incorrect IMHO. Your results may vary.
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by greenhj »

cjperformance wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:14 am https://www.scintex.com.au/products/ele ... sMQAvD_BwE

Just fit a 12v electric pump and one way valve. Pick up oil from the existing pan, and pump it into a gallery. Just switch the pump on prior to cranking and off after startup. Simple.
Thanks for the link, as an owner of an infrequently used Holden this is something I have considered often along with a preheater.
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by cjperformance »

greenhj wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 8:00 pm
cjperformance wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:14 am https://www.scintex.com.au/products/ele ... sMQAvD_BwE

Just fit a 12v electric pump and one way valve. Pick up oil from the existing pan, and pump it into a gallery. Just switch the pump on prior to cranking and off after startup. Simple.
Thanks for the link, as an owner of an infrequently used Holden this is something I have considered often along with a preheater.
No problems. Yes preheat is a nice option for sure particularly if in a very cold area but not a 'must', just having oil pressure available on start up is the biggest bonus.
Craig.
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Post by dwilliams »

Some engines, the only direct access to the oil galleries is a 1/8 NPT sensor port. It can take a long time to force five quarts of cold oil in even with 100psi of shop air behind it. I installed a water heater element and thermostat to speed things up.

It wasn't until *many* years later that I realized the proper method of attaching the hose would be to use one of those spin-on remote oil filter adapters. They're not expensive, come with big ports, and a handful of sizes will do most common engines.
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by jake197000 »

I made mine out of an old 30 lb Freon tank works like a champ.i also turn the engine by hand as it is pumping
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Re: Idea for pre lubing oil galleries

Post by Lizardracing »

Why not just terminate the ignition and crank it for 10 seconds or 15 seconds or until when the gauge twitches a couple pounds?
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