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Car been sitting for months in storage? Prime that oil system before firing it up!

Nate_V8

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I don't know if it has been covered but I know there are a lot of fellow members who store their car(s) for the winter. So if your car has been sitting and hasn't started for months, you may want to prime that oil system before firing it up. It's not required but it certainly helps more than hurts.

Before you start it, hold the clutch in like normal but at the same time hold the gas pedal to the floor. Holding the gas pedal wide open (to the floor) while the car is off shuts off the injectors. So with the clutch in and gas pedal to the floor, hit the start button (just one push), it will roll over for about 8 seconds but it won't start and the oil system with be primed then. Once it's done rolling over, simply let go of the gas pedal and start it up normally.

Now you can rest easy since you know that oil that got stretched thin over the months has been re-applied again before firing it up.

Enjoy the driving season fellow hibernators
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ORRadtech

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I've never understood what the difference is between turning the engine over to prime the oil system and just starting the engine. Both methods move pistons and bearings with only residual lubricant. In fact, it seems to me that starting the engine provides full oil pressure nearly instantly where trying to prime it could actually have the engine turning on low/no oil pressure for longer.
 

FreePenguin

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Oil circulates instantly

fire it up. My snowmobiles was 20 years old, everytime fired up no issues of being oil starved. Same with cars etc
 

Balr14

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An engine that has been used regularly will retain lubricant in the cylinder liners for much longer than a few months. A seasoned block can sit for years and still have lubricant in the cylinder liners. If your liners were dry, priming would not prevent scoring. When you rebuild an engine, you make sure you oil the liners and bearings before you turn it over.
 

shogun32

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Both methods move pistons and bearings with only residual lubricant. In fact, it seems to me that starting the engine provides full oil pressure nearly instantly
Oil pressure is only 'instant" to our massively slow brain perception. Yes it's a PD oil pump and yes there are (probably) drain-back restrictors in a couple of places.

Cold cranking is a mere 300 or so RPM. Lighting off the engine results in a 1700-2000 RPM spike and big combustion forces being directed at various journals and bearing faces, during which not every part of the oil circuit is necessarily at full pressure. Is it a source of damaging wear? No, not really these days. Is cold cranking harmful? No.

For all we know Ford prevents lighting the engine till certain oil pressure sensors read green anyway.
 

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GregP27

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Oil does NOT circulate instantly! No way. On racing circuits there are many who have separate ignition and starter switches. The driver runs the starter until he or she gets oil pressure, and THEN turns on the ignition.

Running the engine very slowly on a starter will not do anywhere NEAR the damage that starting an engine dry will do.

The only engine I'd ever run dry would be initial startup of a sand rail engine. Otherwise, many don't seem to be run hard enough to seat the rings. I've seen more than a few that will had wet, black exhaust pipes after a summer of running!
 

Vegas5OH

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cranking the engine on the starter does not turn the oil pump gears fast enough to create any oil pressure what so ever. Ive tried it before, I have an aftermarket oil pressure gauge on my car, the needle doesn't even flinch off 0. The only way to properly prime it is to pull the oil pressure sensor and prime it with an external pump, which is what i do before any 1st start on a new coyote.
 

HeelToeHero

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cranking the engine on the starter does not turn the oil pump gears fast enough to create any oil pressure what so ever. Ive tried it before, I have an aftermarket oil pressure gauge on my car, the needle doesn't even flinch off 0. The only way to properly prime it is to pull the oil pressure sensor and prime it with an external pump, which is what i do before any 1st start on a new coyote.
Interesting and concerning.

It may not be generating pressure but is it moving oil? Doing some research suggests cranking for a long period might only generate 2psi or so.
Hopefully this method of cranking (no start) hasn't caused excessive wear!

Another consideration: is your gauge powered? The accessories don't have power during cranking.
 

NoVaGT

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Spinning the motor without fuel won't save any wear versus just starting the car normally. By the time the engine lights off, the wear has already occurred in the first few dry(ish) rotations of the engine.

But, if you want to do it, go right ahead. The car will do that no problem. Just put the pedal to the floor, and the engine will spin without starting.
 

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Kleiss1

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Supposedly if you put peddle to the floor it will crank but not start. There’s an argument on here somewhere.
 

shogun32

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aleccolin

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The reason why "race" engines are typically primed either manually with the starter or have a prime delay built into the tune for startup is because they have much larger clearances for bearings due to the need for a thicker oil film bearing surface, so there's a lot more opportunity for the oiling system to bleed down.

Not saying a stock street motor can't bleed down some, but it's designed not to, so unless your motor is fully built just let it ride.
 

WildHorse

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After 7 month I just fired it up. Instant oil pressure, business as usual like it didn't even know how many months went buy.
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