Priming Oil Injection Line Question

[floatingRyan]

I've read through the shop manual and other posts but i'm still unclear on the priming of the oil injector lines when changing them. What is the best method? The manual says to turn the oil pump to the wide open position while running the motor. This seems odd to me as you would initially be running it with no oil. Should i add oil to my gas and then run it? Or, should I take the plugs out and ground the wires and then hit start button with it in the wide open position such that it isn't actually firing yet still pumping oil? Or am I just being stupid and missing something?

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[mikidymac]

It sounds like a problem but there will be enough residual oil in the engine from the last time it was run to make it safe to idle for enough time to get oil in the lines.

Make sure there is no air in the line from the oil tank to the pump and open the bleed screw on the pump to make sure oil is at the pump. DO NOT Over tighten it! Just start it and as soon as it starts use your finger to hold the oil pump wide open and you will see the oil start making its way up the lines. If it is a new engine you should have premix in the fuel already for the first tank so again you are good to go.

 

[floatingRyan]

Ok that makes sense. It is not a new engine and it is currently working fine. Being that i believe they are the original lines i think I will be replacing them as i've read a number of stories on here about them randomly breaking due to age.

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

Or you can dump a cap full of oil down the carbs or the spark plug holes just to make sure you got enough oil in there while idling and priming the lines

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

For a new engine I add a cap of oil to the fuel filter.

 

[mikidymac]

For a new engine I add a cap of oil to the fuel filter.

With a new engine you should be premixing the oil and fuel so you shouldn't have to add any additional to the fuel filter but a little more will never hurt.

 

[scrisp]

When I changed out my lines, i filled them with oil, using a turkey injector from my kitchen. lol You can pick them up at the dollar store, and they can be used for all sorts of projects in the garage.

I was worried that running the engine with no oil in the lines at all, would harm it while waiting for the lines to fill (they fill really slowly). I am paranoid about the lack of oil to the engine, so I unhooked them at the oil pump, filled them, and reconnected them, I figured, even if they get an air bubble while waiting for the main lines to fill, at least it won't be running completely dry.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

With a new engine you should be premixing the oil and fuel so you shouldn't have to add any additional to the fuel filter but a little more will never hurt.

Correct, I add what the manual says for break in to the tank, and do the cap full in the filter just for the FIRST start of a brand new engine.

smokes.. a LOT, but I'd rather waste a gallon of $50 oil than replace an engine 2x... I figure for that first start 4:1 oil ratio won't hurt... i'm sure it clears the engine quick and hopefully sticks the oil to the bearings.

that way if the tiny oil lines have any air in them, it won't be an issue.

and at idle, i'm not sure how much oil it sucks anyway... if you get it to idle, then use your hand to open the oil pump, it pumps oil FAST at 3,000 RPM... i can't imagine 7K and oil pump wide open.

 

[Krispy]

Well, ultimately too much oil can be a bad thing, it causes less fuel per volume and can actually cause a lean condition in extreme cases.

But aside from that, I always pull the spark plugs, ground the plug wires, turn off the fuel and then turn the engine over with the oil pump held open manually. I prefer to watch the oil pulse up to the carbs, just as a sanity check to ensure oil is actually flowing.

After about 20 seconds of running the starter I stop and wait for a minute or two, and then continue 20 sec on, 90 sec off etc....

 

[floatingRyan]

Ok so i changed my lines today. i added a cap of oil to each cylinder and ran it while holding the pump to the wide open... Oil pumped into the lines pretty quickly... After shutting it off i noticed one air bubble on the nipple of the inlet nearest the bow.... I worked the line around a little and it seemed snug so idled it for another couple minutes with the pump wide open.... Shut it off and bubble still there... I then decided to pull that end off an re-zip tie it.... Ran again with pump open and bubble was still there. is this normal? it appears that i am getting oil as i pulled the plugs and both seem to have an equal amount of oil on them... Fwiw there is also a ton of oil in my driveway that i dont think would all be from my initial capful... Your thoughts?