Ive done a search but cant find what im looking for.
Engine is 1988 2.0 sierra pinto lump. Ive had head re-built and fitted new spray bar. Sump has been modified and oil pick up pipe shortened and cleaned out. Bottom end and oil pump hasnt been touched. I can remember reading that there is a way of priming the pump without turning engine over - can anyone shed some light on this please?

What oil is recommended for the Pinto? Should i pour some over the top end before filling (i used cam lube when assembling head).

Mark Allanson - i copied you sump mod model - how much oil does yours take now? (only asking so i buy enough)

Thanks for your help.
Darren.

You can whip out the dizzy and spin the hexagon drive on a hex socket or slacken the cam belt, slip it off the auxillary shaft wheel and spin that till you get lube flowing.

Thats what i was looking for - thanks Dusty. I think ill try taking the dizzy out as im sure ive fitted the new one in the wrong position. Is the hex drive easy to get at? I hope it is an easy size.
Do i have to spin it quite fast? Hopefully cordless drill will be fast enough.

Im haveing a thick day - i cant remember what oil to use (grade). Is it 10W 40??

its the same size as all those drill bits

would it be too bad to just remove the plugs, dribble some oil down the hole and turn it over with no compression? i cant see that doing it much harm.

Thanks Joel,

I dont know the answer cos ive never done this before. I guess you are suggesting removing plugs to lose the compression and then just putting a couple of squirts down each plug hole to give some top end lube for cranking it over on the starter- sounds feasible. I guess filling oil in the normal way will also wash fresh oil over the cam and valves as well. I was mailnly concerned about making sure the pump is full of oil and pressure is built up quickly - i can test for pressure by connecting test lamp to pressure switch and watching for the light to go out.

Sump is fitted now so i dont want to remove again to gain pump access for filling with vaseline - am i right in assuming that getting some oil down the filter hole wiill help to fill the pump (i have a squirty can that i can fill with engine oil). iam guessing that the pump feeds to the filter first and then to the rest of engine???

Oil type - trip to Halfords last night showed that the original oil spec was mineral 10W 40, the update ford spec is semi-sinthetic 5W 30 (this is also recommended for my Mondeo's Duratec VE engine).

This weekend we must have spent over 40 mins cranking a rebult pinto over trying to get the oil pressure up, in the end I dismantled an old dizzy, stuck the shaft in a electric dril and within 30 seconds we had oil pressure.

I wish I'd done that at the start, it would appear that you need more than 50 RPM to prime a pinto !

P.S. you need a reasonble dril 500w+