I've got a new oil pump on order for my Z and it should be here soon. While waiting for the pump, I've been searching the forum for info about how to prime the new pump after installation, and I've found some threads that talk about it, but I'm not sure I get it.

I got the general procedure: Bolt the oil pump to the block and then spin the pump with a drill from above down the distributor hole. But... It's my understanding that the distributor drive shaft has to go in from the bottom before the pump is bolted into place, right? And if that is the case, if you try to spin that shaft with your drill, you would be trying to spin the engine with your drill, so...

Of course, I could install the new pump without the distributor drive shaft, prime the system, and then drop the pump again to install the drive shaft. But is there a better way? Has someone got a magic way to prime the new pump without having to take the pump back off again to install the distributor drive shaft? :bulb:

You'll be installing the pump before you stab the distributor shaft in. Pour oil down the distributor shaft hole and fill the pump that way. All else should be pretty simple....

You'll be installing the pump before you stab the distributor shaft in. Pour oil down the distributor shaft hole and fill the pump that way. All else should be pretty simple....

Wait a minute... Are you saying that I can drop the distributor shaft in from the top? It doesn't have to go in from the bottom?

The idea of spinning up the oil pump with a shaft in your electric drill is to get oil to all the moving parts before attempting to start the engine. You could use an old screwdriver with a suitable flat at the end and the handle removed and in the chuck of your drill for this. The shaft needs to be long enough to drop through the hole in the case and down into the oil pump.

Of course you need oil in the pan first. And the oil pump in place, withought it's shaft.

After having done this, remove the oil pump, fill it with oil, replace the dizzy shaft, and time it as normal.

You cannot fill the oil pump by pouring oil down the hole. All that will do is fill the pan

You cannot install the shaft from the top.

Edited March 11, 201213 yr by olzed

Further to this.--- If you are installing a new oil pump on an engine that is NOT new, you do not need to spin the pump to pre oil the engine. The engine is already primed with oil.

Just fill the new pump.

So the bottom line is that you cannot put the drive shaft in from the top, so the only way to prime the system is to drop the pump a second time to install the dizzy drive shaft from the bottom when you're done. No magic bullet.

If you are installing a new oil pump on an engine that is NOT new, you do not need to spin the pump to pre oil the engine. The engine is already primed with oil.

I was wondering about that... I have not drained my oil and my filter should still be full from the last time I shut the motor off. Except for what has drained from gravity and siphon effects, all the oil passageways should still be full as well. I plan to do an oil and filter change when this is all said and done, but I was planning to wait until after the pump replacement was done.

So you're thinking that if the filter and passageways (and hopefully bearing journals) are already full, then there's really no reason to prime the engine at all. It's already done. Just fill the new pump before I put it on and be done with it, right?

No, you can not drop the shaft in from the top.

Yes, just fill the pump and you are good to go.

Your bearing journals will be fine. It only takes a second or two for the new pump to start its job.

olzed, Thanks again. I appreciate the attention.

I'll let you know how it turns out when the new pump arrives.

My engine was rebuilt in 1980 they put 96 miles on it for break in, then it sat for 28 years. I was worried about dry bearings journals etc. I removed the oil filter, it was completely drained & dry, the gasket had shrunk, drained the pan, now that was stinky. Replaced filter & oil then turned over by hand at the crank, within a revolution I had some oil coming out of the holes in the cam. All is good. When spinning over with the starter I could see the oil pressure gauge rise. Still all good.

In the end, I was confident that there was oil still in the journals, bearings and galleys.

Good luck.

Bonzi Lon

So my new oil pump arrived, and even though I probably did not need to prime anything, I figured since I've never done it before, it would at least be a learning experience. Instead of using a long screwdriver, I machined a primer shaft that fits into the oil pump drive just like the normal drive shaft. Overkill? Yes. Did it work great? Yes.

It's an 88 Magnum:

Here's the end that fits into the oil pump:

Here it is in position. Yes, it's a little longer than necessary, but what do you want for prototype #1?

Trying to work the drill with one hand and the camera with the other:

I salute your ingenuity! That is called taking care of business right there! You could sell those!

And to think someone refered to him as a "shade tree mechanic". Now that's funny.