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Crossflow no pil pressure
jonno - 21/6/11 at 08:28 PM

Hi all, just replaced big end bearings in a crossflow but now have no oil pressure.. i'm thinking the oil pump my have given up causing the big end bearings to fail in the 1st place ? (they had failed before i bought the car) but is there anyway to bench test the oil pump... or do i just chuck a new one on ?

Cheers

snapper - 21/6/11 at 08:46 PM

One the Pinto you drive the pump with a drill.
Most oil pumps will benefit from being filled with vasaline to prime them for first startup.
In reality if you have spent money on a rebuild, fit a new pump

David Jenkins - 21/6/11 at 09:28 PM

Xflow oil pumps are an absolute bar steward to prime and get working!

As above - take the cover off the oil pump and fill it with vaseline. Refit, then fill the oil filter to the brim with oil and screw that on. Crank the engine with the plugs out until you see oil pressure on the gauge (or the light goes out, if you haven't got a gauge). If you have doubts about the pump then replace it.

It helps if you reassemble the engine with graphite lubricant - it'll keep the engine happy for the short time there's no oil circulating.

jonno - 21/6/11 at 09:48 PM

I did'nt rebuild the engine, just put new big end bearings in.
I did fill the new oil filter to the brim thou (with 10/40 as thats all i could get hold of on Sunday)... i'll try the vaseline trick. (to fill it do you mean remove from the engine ?)

jollygreengiant - 22/6/11 at 06:24 AM

quote:
Originally posted by jonno
I did'nt rebuild the engine, just put new big end bearings in.
I did fill the new oil filter to the brim thou (with 10/40 as thats all i could get hold of on Sunday)... i'll try the vaseline trick. (to fill it do you mean remove from the engine ?)


To prime the oil pump with vaseline:-

As you are looking at the oil pump on the engine, from the side of the engine, you will see 3 bolts (either 7/16" or 10/11mm spanner size) retaining a flat triangular plate. This plate retains the internals of the oil pump. Mark this plate with a paint dot beside the upper most bolt.

Undo the three bolts and remove the plate revealing the pump internals. Open the vaseline pot and with your fingers, force vaseline into all the spaces between the the centre lobed drive and the outer annular ring. Now refit the plate exactly as it came off (hence the paint dot) and tighten the bolts to the same torque as the sump bolts were tightend to.

The oil pump is now primed and the engine is ready to turn over with the spark plugs out until oil pressure is achieved.

jonno - 2/8/11 at 08:12 PM

Just a update... I tried priming with no success so brought a new oil pump, and that's works a treat