Priming an S50 oil pump...

Post Fri Oct 24, 2008 12:46 am

So I prepared the S50 for the swap recently(ish) by replacing the oil pump with a new one from an M50 complete with an E34 pickup pipe. I fitted the ARP bolts and bolted the E34 sump on.

It's just dawned on me that It is completely dry. The pickup pipe and pump itself will have no oil in it when I first rank it, even if the pickup is dunked in the sump oil. Is it in my interests to invert the engine again (it's on an engine stand atm) and pour oil into the pickup whilst turning the engine over by hand? Obviously this wont create much (or any) oil pressure but it will fill teh oil pump up with oil ready for its first cranking (oneday).

Opinnions??

Cheers guys.

Jai

Post Fri Oct 24, 2008 8:56 am

Pour oil down the filter housing once the engine is in the car Jai

Post Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:11 am

DanThe wrote:once the engine is in the car Jai

Post Fri Oct 24, 2008 4:58 pm

Sometime next week??

Post Fri Oct 24, 2008 6:39 pm

I'd heard there was a one way valve in the oil system to prevent it draining from the head's oil system when not running. There are on other engines (notably my Golf engine).

My other concern is that the airspace in the pickup tube and pump wont generate enough vacum to draw oil up when first cranking. One engine building friend of mine says he fills his pumps with oil and then plugs the pick up with grease for this reason.

Perhaps I'm being over cautious after seeing the car crash that was Jhonno's 'prepared' S50 fire for the first time...

Post Fri Oct 24, 2008 6:49 pm

DanThe wrote:Sometime next week??

Post Fri Oct 24, 2008 7:21 pm

Even if you just crank the engine it will pull the oil up no problem. I usually just pour the oil over the cams/lifters on a dry/fresh engine/head

Post Fri Oct 24, 2008 7:46 pm

If it's on the stand still then do it and plug with grease link your chum says.

It's not that long a job with the engine out of the car

Post Fri Oct 24, 2008 8:41 pm

Even if you take out the spark plugs and isolate the injectors, then crank it over until oil pressure registers it should be fine.

It is a nerve wracking wait though.

I do this when I've changed the oil on my cars too as removing the filter lets the oil drain from the galleries.

I thought the beemer engines with the filter mounted up the front there had a valve in the bottom of the housing which let the oil drain into the sump when you take the filter out.

Post Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:32 pm

May be a daft question but what do they do in the factory?

Post Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:45 pm

You'd hope that everything's daubed in assembly lube to protect things for the first start-up.

Post Tue Oct 28, 2008 4:40 am

I got my s50 running last week, i filled the oil filter bowl with oil and allowed it to flow into the pipe which leads to the the pump from here it made it's to the sump most likely through the pickup tube.

I removed the sump stud to ensure oil had flowed through to the sump, and it had.

Not a bad idea to fill the supply lines to the oil cooler and the radiator with oil also

Just crank it over for a little before starting and I had no problems, there will be residual oil on the bearing etc which will protect the bearing etc, etc until the oil pump via the filter supplies it.

Post Tue Oct 28, 2008 8:43 pm

Just fire the bugger up , i did and its still running and no growling noises appart from the driver

Post Tue Oct 28, 2008 11:59 pm

The only reason I was particularly concerned is that I've had the bastard upside down, drained, new oil pump and seen with my own eyes the horror that was dan's dying... LOL

Just being very careful and amusing myself with things to do that are cheap till I can get work enough to finish the bugger!

Jai