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

[CJJon]

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

False! I just tried it...

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[HeelToeHero]

papers like this suggest to me that at slow crank (eg. cold crank of <300RPM) the pressures generated are very small and you would need a sensitive gauge to measure. And further that depending on design anything less than 1000 RPM generates negligible flow.

https://engineering.purdue.edu/Maha/docs/gerotor_research_maha.pdf

Are you referring to slide 16 and 17? The pressures on slide 17 are high but I assume that's internal to the pump and doesn't translate to effective pressure in the downstream oiling system.
The flow rates on slide l6 are low, but that pump displacement looks low too. I can't find data on the displacement for the coyote pump to see how that compares.

 

[Nate_V8]

To be honest I found a thread on this in the gt350 section over the winter

 

[Triton54]

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

Hmm, Two-stroke or four? must be two, in which case it is sort of irrelevant, plus there weren't hardly any 4 strokes twenty years ago. My sleds only fired right up if the fuel was properly prepped for seasonal, or long-term storage.

 

[Hillsndale]

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.

OMG! Your engine is going to die at 188,472 miles instead of 188,475 miles. How could you!

 

[Vlad Soare]

So I'm thinking the best way to protect the motor after storing it is to never start it again

Actually, I was thinking of the exact opposite. The best way to protect the motor is to never stop it.

 

[Cory S]

Just fire it up. There's zero difference in oil residue letting an ICE sit for 10 days or 10 months. 10 years.....OK, now we want to prime the system beforehand...

 

[HeelToeHero]

So, I think this works. I did some reading in the gt350 section and folks there have been doing this for some time.

I just completed an oil change and I thought that's the best chance to try it. Normally after an oil change the is a big hesitation before oil pressure comes up (even though I pre-fill the filter).

This morning I ran a full crank cycle and you could hear the starter speed up once the bearings came up on the oil film (friction drops). Then once I started, the engine oil pressure was instantly up (note the performance pack gauges do not work during the cranking cycle).

 

[EFI]

Just fire it, no reason you need to prime an engine that's been sitting for a few months.

Sitting for a few years...sure it's probably a good idea. A few months...don't even bother.

And if you're going to prime it, prime it through the oil port on the side of the block with an external pump. Cranking the engine over with no spark/fuel isn't going to do anything meaningful.

 

[Rapid Red]

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.

To split hairs, cause I do this for my HotRods. Can be said that fireing a dry motor could load rotating parts. Stressing, it could be said here, and getting oil up top to the heads.

I guess if one wants to watch the oil pressure gauge on a dry start. You just might see a delay.

Is it a worry, concern, your choice, but personally I see the point & have used it for years.

Why do they prime a motor just built, new or rebuilt ?

 

[FreePenguin]

I bought my 2017 in 2019. It had 5 or 10 miles, it sat in showroom over 2 years lol. Just charged battery up and fired up and drove it across American

 

[ORRadtech]

Why do they prime a motor just built, new or rebuilt ?

So Ford primes every new engine with oil before they roll off the assembly line?
Serious question. I wouldn't think so but truly don't know.
Last engine I built was a long, long, long time ago but I know we didn't prime it other than the assembly lube.

 

[Rapid Red]

So Ford primes every new engine with oil before they roll off the assembly line?
Serious question. I wouldn't think so but truly don't know.
Last engine I built was a long, long, long time ago but I know we didn't prime it other than the assembly lube.

Assembly lube is good, with prime even better. Most likely you fired the motor (with oil) ran it 2K for a specific time. Shut down change oil and hit the road to seat the rings.

Don't work for Ford, so not sure how the line works. But I garente that motor gets a lube.

 

[mustangdriver]

If you think there is low flow and low pressure at cranking speed , remove your oil filter
and crank the engine for a few seconds and get ready to clean up a big mess.

 

[Bigpaulie79]

The real reason race cars have a separate ignition and start control, is because of locked out distributors. Extremely hard to start a hot engine with a locked out timing system at 36° or more advancement in timing

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