First start on a new engine

[Robyn]

There has always been some sort of mystique about what the best way to start up a new engine is.

I will give the run down on how I do it. I was taught this procedure many years ago by several old mechanics who had been in the racing business many many years.

Once the engine is fully assembled,or nearly so. (leave the valve covers off)
(and with a diesel also the injector lines)

Fill the crankcase with your favorite lube and install the filter.
If the engine has oil cooler provisions,connect the two lines together with a suitable jumper hose that can handle 100 PSI.

Install a manual pressure gauge on the engine at the normal sender location.

Now we are going to manually PRIME the engine.

I will detail the task for a 6.2/6.5 engine and others will just be obvious.

Scrounge up and old rear mount vacuum pump and tear it apart.
The pump can be tossed.

Remove the soft plug type thing in the top of the unit and then press the shaft out and down to free it from the accentric cam.
Once the shaft is free of the housing, wash the thing up in a suitable solvent.

Be careful not to lose the bearing needles in the housing as some times they can fall out.

Saw the top area that housed the cam unit off the thing and clean things up.
The shaft can be left long. (saw just above the top bearing)

You need to remove the teeth from the drive gear, I did it in the lathe but a grinder will work, just be sure to clean it up well so there is no crud left anywhere on the gear that might fall into the engine later.

Removing the teeth flush with the body of the gear assembly is all thats needed.

Now with this done you need to look at the housing where it plugs into the block.
The area that has the groove around it that permits oil to pass the gallery area has a small hole in it that was used to lube the pump drive.

Clean it well and plug it with a bit of JB weld or tap it and install a set screw.

This will stop oil under pressure from flowing out the top of the shaft area and making a BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG mess. ( ask me how I know this)

Reinstall the shaft into the housing and fit an appropriate hex nut onto the top of the shaft. Press the nut on (if you need to drill the nut a little do so
Place a brass washer on the shaft followed by a steel washer then press on the nut.
Leave about 1/32" slack so the shaft will not bind.
Be sure to grease the bearings well with some molly grease before you button it up because this is all it going to get.

Tack weld the nut to the shaft.

Poof you now have a perfect preoiler primer tool for your Little Diesel Rat motor.

Install the unit in the engine and clamp with the standard clamp and bolt.

Using an electric drill ( 3/8 or 1/2 inch medium speed) drive the oil pump .

Run the unit and check for oil leaks at the filter and cooler hose. Watch the gauge from time to time (should read about 50 PSI)

IMPORTANT
Do the priming process untill you have oil coming out of EVERY rocker arm lube hole.
Turning the engine with a bar every 2-3 minutes will help with expelling air as the lifters will be in different positions.

This is not a 30 second quicky.
I had to spend 30 minutes on my 94 6.5 before I had oil to the last lifter.

Once this is done and all the rockers have oil you can stand down and button up the rocker covers and finish things up.

I plug off the turbo line and prefill the turbo just before fireup as it will drain off anyway.

In doing this the engine is fully primed with oil and you dont need to worry about a dry rocker or any other parts not having oil during the initial start up.

Another plus is the fact that the engine is out on a stand and you can get at it easy.

Its easier on the starter too. All you need to do is prime the fuel system and spin the engine with the glow plugs out until you get fuel mist coming out the glow plug holes ( 15 -20 seconds usually)
Install the glow plugs and fire up normally.

This is probably the easiest way to assure a safe and easy start up on a fresh engine.

Plus you have a useful tool that can be used again.
I have one for the 6.2/6.5 as well as the Mouse/Rat chevy's (Old distributor)

[rustyk]

Well done!

That's almost exactly the procedure we used on my new Peninsular/AMG engine.

It's really quite simple once you've "machined" the Robyntool...

[Bnave95]

Very well said. Now if we had pictures along with these step that would be cool.
I had a better time putting christmas toys together by looking at the box than reading the Instruction:D

[Robyn]

I will dig the little beastie out of the tool box and snap a pix of it.
The steps are self explanatory if you see the finished product.
We used to to use old distributors for all the engine rebuilds.
Fords dont need a special tool, the Olds and buicks are similar to Chevy

[john8662]

Seems like A LOT of extra work to me.

Personally, when assembling the new engine, I make sure to use assembly lube on all the crank journals, and lube all the other components appropriatly.

- Cylidner walls get a light coating of engine oil via soft paper shop towel
- Crank journals and bearings coated with assembly lube grease.
- Cam bearing journals (not lobes) coated with assembly grease like crankshaft
- Roller's on lifters and lifter body coated with Melling Cam lube (red)
- Pushrods and rocker arm pads coated with a dab of assembly grease
- Front and Rear main seal lip lighly coated with molly grease

Timing chain and or gears coated with oil (guess when) when you fill the crankcase with oil via filler tube.

So...

I feel the engine is well lubricated.

In this Diesel situation, if the fuel system is dry (likey after rebuild), you'll be priming the fuel system via rotating the engine over. Which is priming the oil system at the same time?

Yes.

Turning an oil pump via a drive while the engine isn't rotating isn't going to lube properly anyways.

I think it'll probably wash my assembly lube off anyways, which I would have likely rotated the engine over while assemblig anyways right?

Just my comments.

I don't pre-lube before initial start.

Does starting an engine for the first time make anyone here nervous? It does me, for no good reason either...

J

[simon]

I have rebuild many engines of all types and hp over the years, and if one uses plenty of lube and oil when assembling , I feel there is no reason to go to the lenghty procedure to get oil everywhere for a first startup. I just crank the engine over without fuel till it registers oil preasure before i let her fire up. But I always install a manual gauge to make sure i get the right preasure.
The first one has to come apart yet doing it like this

But this is my opinion only and one has to do what feels the best to him or her. So don't feel offended.

[john8662]

Interesting coincidence...

The Oil PSI gauge works while the ignition switch is in the "Start" position.

So, Simons Point of waiting for oil pressure before giving it fuel is accurate.

On the 6.5's (electronic) you can remove the Fuel Sol fuse so the engine won't get fuel. Crank over the engine until you see oil pressure on the gauge in the dash. Re-connect, finish priming, let it fire!

Just thought I'd throw that one out there...

[Robyn]

Many points

I always use lubriplate 104 on all the bearings and the smidgin on the rockers and such too. Cam gets Moly cam lube
The engine oiling prime is done to do a couple main things.
1 You flush all the air from the oil galleries and pre fill the block, crank ect.
2 After you prime the engine there is no doubt that all the rockers are lubricating.
The rockers are a high load area and even with assembly lube they can fail especially if there is a failure to lube or one or more that are very slow in getting oil.

There are other benefits too. If one makes a goof and forgets to install any inner gallery plugs, its much easier to fix than if the engine is all back in the truck. ( Oil pressure gauge will show it right off)

I must say I have never had that happen but I know of a couple that it did.

I certainly wont tell anyone that they absolutely have to do things this way, but it assures that oil is everywhere almost instantly just as though the truck was just parked a few days earlier.

Its also a lot easier on the starter too.
I prime my fuel system up with the lift pump and bleed the air out at the pump connection as well as the water drain.

Once this is done the truck will start in a very short time.

I feel that there is much peace of mind and good benefit from doing the procedure.

Learned it back about 1975 when we got into racing the Big Chevies.

Just a good common sense thing that hurts nothing and can save a lot of grief.

Robyn

[Robyn]

John8662

Oh yesss always have the prestart jitters.
I go over the "prelaunch" check list several times before the switch is flipped.

I have never had any issues over the years but I intend to keep it that way.

I dont settle down until its been running for a few minutes with several look sees under the rig for the dreaded oil leak nobody wants to find.

Just a thought or two

Robyn

[gmctd]

I've always preferred the pre-lube method - as in any dry hydraulic system, the head of oil has to push a lot of air before getting thru the last passage to the furthest exit point.

Pre-lubing primes everything, incl the oil filter, for instant oil pressure at any cranking event.

Just never liked spinning a fresh engine over with all that air in the passages - and the 6.2\6.5 has the added load of the Inj Pump.

[moondoggie]

Good Day!

Wow - as always, you can learn more here by accident then elsewhere on purpose. (Shamelessly plagiarized from a local radio show.)

[COLOR=black]Please take this in the spirit given - feedback from someone who knows you've likely forgotten more about such things than I know. Here goes...

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]"[I]Turning an oil pump via a drive while the engine isn't rotating isn't g[SIZE=2]oing to lube properly anyways. I think it'll probably wash my assembly lube off anyways[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]

[Robyn]

Well now

The prelube is needed to be sure the bearings and such have lube when they first rotate and of course during assembly.

The reason I was taught to use 104 lubriplate is that it does not run out of the bearings during any long term storage from the time the engine is built untill its started.

The preoil as I have mentioned as well as others forces all the air from the system and gives the engine the advantage of having oil to all points in the system upon startup.

Just because the gauge comes up when your cranking the engine does not mean that all the bearings have oil instantly. An air filled system can starve many areas of the engine for longer than you may think.

The rockers on a new start especially with new lifters can take a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOng time to bleed out fully and get oil up top to the fulcrum on the rockers.

As far as washing out the assmbly lube, Taint gonna happen.

The assembly lube is spead over the entire bearing surface as well as the cam and such too.
There are so many parts that get lubed strictly by oil throwoff from the crank and also run back from above.

cranking the engine on the starter is certainly a no choice thing with the diesels but I want oil in the thing and ready to go and then all I have to worry about is the fuel system.

My 94 had full oil pressure on the starter in about the first 5 seconds of cranking and I knew that the top end had oiled well a few days prior to installing the engine.

My engine was at least a week from the prime untill it ran on its own.
Working alone and having to work when time was available meant the engine sat a fair time before it got to go.

Still this is no different than leaving the car in the drive for a week.

A wont beat anyone for not doing it this way but I believe its a great way to go and I will preach it to all the newbies and anyone else who wants to learn.

For the old timers that have done it other ways, if you are happy with how things work for you, this is good.

I personally dont know any local racers or performance builders that dont preoil there engines prior to startup.

One engine builder that sells rebuilds has a tag right on the engines that says

"WARNING" FAILURE TO PRE PRIME THE ENGINE MAY RESULT IN INTERNAL ENGINE DAMAGE

Anyway
whatever makes your boat go putt putt is ok by me.

I originally offered this post as a helpful item to those who are building there own engine.
So many things that I take for granted have come from many many years of learning from others who came before me.

My first engine was an old flathead Ford back in High School.
From that point on I have long since lost track.

Never lost one yet.

This is in no way meant to toss cold water on anyones campfire.
Just an offer of advice that has served me well.

[aloharovers]

One engine builder that sells rebuilds has a tag right on the engines that says

"WARNING" FAILURE TO PRE PRIME THE ENGINE MAY RESULT IN INTERNAL ENGINE DAMAGE



The GM crate 5.7 engine I got from Pace had the same instructions.

I have a long 1/2 diameter metal rod that has the end ground down to a flat screw driver tip that I use to prime the system. Have had the thing for at least 15 years now. Works great on GM, International, Triumph, and Rover engines.

[gmctd]

One oddity concerning the use of lubriplate 104 -

Guy called about an engine I had been looking for, said he'd rebuilt it about 10yrs ago, but it never left his garage, and I should come take a look at it before his significant other went all lorraina bobbit on him.

He had all the peripherals and paraphenalia left from the overhaul, as required to install it and get it running, so I thought 'why?'

He'd recently tried to spin it over, only to find it totally locked - crank wouldn't budge, or even rock back and forth, a lilttle, dead locked up.

Pulled the distributor to prime the oil pump - dead locked.

So, foregoing the usual obligatory haggling over the price - FREE - as She Who Must be Obeyed was keeping a rather jaundiced eye on the progress of the proceedings, I scurried home with a new acquisition and an interesting mystery in the back of my truck.

So, onto the stand for inspection, and of course I tried a little of my own magic on it for a bit, but even the starter wouldn't budge the crank .

Roll it over, pop the pan, no rust anywhere, but could not budge that flexplate - then I noticed an unusual thin coating over everything, rod and main caps, crankpin throws, cylinders, timing chainset, oilpump, everywhere.

Popped a rod-cap, then a main-cap, pulled the oil pump cover to find that stuff in everything.

Turned out, he'd lubriplated every friction surface to prevent oxidation, corrosion, and rust for short-term storage, but the oil-base had evaporated during the long-term storage, leaving the fiber as a very sticky adhesive.

Required complete disassembly, knocking all the pistons out with pine drifts, even removing the gears and scraping the oil pump.

That engine would not have spun over, had gabriel blown his horn.

It was a very thin coating, just a slight haze, but the stuck was compounded at each interfacing surface of every component.

He had done the job well, originally, and it later - much later - ran and gave good service with no problems.

Me, I use STP mixed with 10W30 for assembly lube, then pre-prime the oiling system - and, I seldom wait 10yrs to crank the thing.

[Robyn]

very interesting.
I too have never left an engine sit more than a month or so before firing it up.
What you say makes sense though.
The STP and oil surely will work and probably be good even over the long haul.

[JohnC]

Me, I use STP mixed with 10W30 for assembly lube, then pre-prime the oiling system - and, I seldom wait 10yrs to crank the thing.


I use STP mixed 50/50 with 100 weight (SAE 50) aviation mineral oil. It'll stick to just about anything....

As far as priming goes, I'm of the "git 'er done!" ilk, I guess. I pull the glow plugs, spark plugs, or wwhatever out, spin it with the starter until I get oil at the end of the line, spin it another minute or so for good measure, then fire it up.

[bigeasy]

Ok so now you have it fired up. What now ?
On a fresh gas engine you are supposed to run it at about 2500 RPM for a half hour to break in the cam and set the rings.
What is recomended for the diesel for initial run in ?

[Robyn]

Pretty much the same.
The cam and rings dont know you are feeding it diesel.
The roller cam is not quite as fussy though but keeping RPM's up a bit to be sure plenty of oil throw off is available for the cam and such and to keep the cylinders well lubed for the first few minutes.

Slow idleing is not good for any new engine untill the cam and such are broke in.
The procedure for the cam is most important with a flat tappet cam as opposed to a roller.

The biggy is a flat tappet with heavy valve springs.
The 6.2/6.5 is not nearly as critical.

Robyn

[rustyk]

Another good point! Idle for the first 30 seconds (checking oil pressure), then speed 'er up to 1,500-2,000 RPM, for any new engine. This doesn't have to be a prolonged ordeal, but my procedure is nothing below 1,200 for the first 10 minutes (and don't hold it at one speed for more than a few seconds).