Got an oiling system story to share that might help others - this problem seems to be all over other forums without a definitive solution.
Monday morning I filled up my garage rebuilt 383 with 10W40 and attempted to prime the oil system using a priming tool (Milodon 23015)
and a power drill. Spent the better part of 2 hours spinning that drill and turning over the motor, with no oil getting to the top end. With some
investigation, I found that oil wasn't even getting to the filter.
I tried filling the filter, and even trying to use an oil can to spray some oil up the passage back to the pump. I knew the problem had
something to do with the pump being dry, which didn't allow it to build pressure and self-prime. I'd heard of tricks like packing it with vaseline
or grease to ensure it's ready to go before install - however, having been installed in my A-body car, it wasn't coming out without pulling the
motor up (exhaust, headers, driveshaft, etc would have to come out).
A friend of mine suggested trying a tool he had built to help prime his mod motor. It was a ~3 qt can that allows you to use air pressure to
force oil into the motor, and a gauge to monitor pressures. We connected it to the driver side 1/8 NPT port at the back of the engine.
Our first attempt still left the oil filter dry; then we remembered how an anti-drain back valve works. Turns out they work pretty well.
So we (brace yourself) propped the anti-drainback valve open with pieces of a WD40 straw - worst case, they end up in the filter right?
The second attempt filled the filter. We could even hear bubbling in the sump, which meant we had been able to get oil through the pump.
Spinning the drill showed the gauge picking up, so we removed the filter, took out the bits of plastic (which stayed put, thank god), and hit the
drill. What a relief it was to see 50 lbs pressure pick up very quickly. This rapidly made a big mess out of the driver valve cover we left off to
check oil getting to the rockers - I also learned that stock shaft rocker systems actually oil quite well!
So if you find yourself with a brand new pump that doesn't work, it might be that its dry and unable to seal up to build pressure. I read
many posts on many forums claiming with some authority that this is impossible and the pumps would always self prime, but it seems like
they were mistaken. I will say despite needing a specialized tool (that actually wouldn't be too hard to fabricate) this was much easier than
pulling the pump and oiling/greasing it up.
Monday morning I filled up my garage rebuilt 383 with 10W40 and attempted to prime the oil system using a priming tool (Milodon 23015)
and a power drill. Spent the better part of 2 hours spinning that drill and turning over the motor, with no oil getting to the top end. With some
investigation, I found that oil wasn't even getting to the filter.
I tried filling the filter, and even trying to use an oil can to spray some oil up the passage back to the pump. I knew the problem had
something to do with the pump being dry, which didn't allow it to build pressure and self-prime. I'd heard of tricks like packing it with vaseline
or grease to ensure it's ready to go before install - however, having been installed in my A-body car, it wasn't coming out without pulling the
motor up (exhaust, headers, driveshaft, etc would have to come out).
A friend of mine suggested trying a tool he had built to help prime his mod motor. It was a ~3 qt can that allows you to use air pressure to
force oil into the motor, and a gauge to monitor pressures. We connected it to the driver side 1/8 NPT port at the back of the engine.
Our first attempt still left the oil filter dry; then we remembered how an anti-drain back valve works. Turns out they work pretty well.
So we (brace yourself) propped the anti-drainback valve open with pieces of a WD40 straw - worst case, they end up in the filter right?
The second attempt filled the filter. We could even hear bubbling in the sump, which meant we had been able to get oil through the pump.
Spinning the drill showed the gauge picking up, so we removed the filter, took out the bits of plastic (which stayed put, thank god), and hit the
drill. What a relief it was to see 50 lbs pressure pick up very quickly. This rapidly made a big mess out of the driver valve cover we left off to
check oil getting to the rockers - I also learned that stock shaft rocker systems actually oil quite well!
So if you find yourself with a brand new pump that doesn't work, it might be that its dry and unable to seal up to build pressure. I read
many posts on many forums claiming with some authority that this is impossible and the pumps would always self prime, but it seems like
they were mistaken. I will say despite needing a specialized tool (that actually wouldn't be too hard to fabricate) this was much easier than
pulling the pump and oiling/greasing it up.
