Engine remanufactures have historically had a very small percentage of engine failures related to oil pumps and related parts, but over the past several years these failures seem to be increasing. There seems to be three common denominators associated with these failures; the engines were shipped over 200 miles to the installer, the engine sat in a warehouse for at least a month, and/or the engine was difficult to prime.

Priming the engine prior to startup is even more critical when the bearings and other major components do not have lubrication left on them from factory testing. Examples of this would be if an engine is on the warehouse shelf for an extended period of time, or the oil/lubrication shaking during transit.

Because of constant advances in technology of engines, priming has become more difficult over the years. In the past, installers were able to simply spin the oil pump with a drill before installing the distributor. Today, there are so many variations of engines that are distributorless and/or drive the oil pump off other accessories. Examples of this include Quad 4 GM engines that use an oil pump driven by a gear on the crankshaft, imports like the 2.6L Mitsubishi which uses a chain to drive the pump, and others that use a gerotor style oil pump that is driven directly by the crankshaft.

In these cases, priming the oil system by turning the oil pump can be very difficult or even impossible. To avoid dry start problems and properly prime the system, the installer must attach a pressure primer to the oil galley to pump oil through the engine.

For questions, concerns, or more assistance with priming your oil pump and engine please contact us during our posted business hours.