Is it possible on a series 2 to independently spin the oil pump and pre lubricant an engine that hasn’t be started in a long time. I’ve heard of doing this with other engines. I assume that the distributor would have to be pulled and the pump turned that way. Anyone have any experience?
No not possible, the oil pump is gear driven off the crankshaft.
I suggest you remove spark plugs, squirt a little oil in each cylinder and crank it until you see oil pressure. But don’t crank it more than 30 seconds without giving the starter 5 minutes to cool. Then reinstall plugs and start it.
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I pre-oiled my 4.2 by plumbing a cheap garden sprayer into the hole where the oil pressure sending unit goes, and pumped a couple of quarts into and through the galleries.
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Do not overthink: if you’re that worried, remove all the plugs, crank till you get OP, and not a single bit of harm will come to anything.
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Thanks. I’ll give that a shot. I’m somewhat concerned about the cams. Obviously oil can be added to one side through the filler opening, but the other cam race is going to be the last thing lubed. I could pull that cam cover if needed, but I’m not sure it is necessary.
It is NOT neccesarily: the cam lobes are not under a lot of pressure and they will get oil pretty fast, when cranking it (relatively low spring pressure).
Not to worry!
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right idea, wrong approach?? There are several preoiling approaches that are widely available. The simplest is a pressure vessel and valve system that pressurizes the oil system when the ignition key is turned on but prior to starting Caton Accusump is one such product.
One can also use an electric pump which is manually engaged
Both of these are permanent installations. They range in price beginning from a few hundred.
I’m installing one on my S2MOD-class E-type both to address annual storage and the occasional times when the car sits for a few weeks. My view of ‘a long time’ includes the years some cars sit, but also includes the typical periods of inactivity classic cars endure. It isn’t a lot of money for the benefit of peace-of-mind. As an aside, pre-oilers are required on some aviation engines to address the fact that they can sit for a few weeks between uses.
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Just out of curiosity, how much more oil “drains” off a component, such as a cam shaft lobe in one year vs one week? It is really that different?
Tom
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I would say a once-a-week start is just about as “dry” as a once-a-year start. Keep in mind, the oil is hot when you shut the engine down, and watery thin, so it’s going to run-off and drain-back pretty effectively in the first few hours. After that, there’s going to be the drip-drip-drip draining over the next few days.
The thing that always concerns me about a start-up after a long period of time is the potential for oxidation, and components “sticking” to each other.
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Thanks for the input Mike and yes I had thought about a pre oiler as I’ve some experience with one in my old Cessna 210 with the Continental motor. The old adage of 70% of engine wear occurring on start up is kind of sorta true. The highest wear point in any four-stroke cycle engine is the interface between the cam and lifter. The maximum wear does occur in the first part of a revolution. So I guess the 70% figure could be right for this point only. The wear on the crankshaft and pistons is much less critical on start-up. To reduce the wear on the cam and lifter interface, it is necessary to totally flood the parts with oil.
I would be very interested to hear and see photos, if possible of your install.
If you remove the oil line on the back of the engine and “Tee” in a Scharader like valve,
you could add oil under pressure before you start your engine. The convenience of having
that oil line at the back of your Jag engine just became a bonus!
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Or, just use any one of the oil galley plugs… if one must.
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