[Dwain]

Hello everyone, the other day I was driving my 1991 GT and i noticed loss in oil pressure and heard lots of valve lash from the lack of oil in the lifters, so today in an empty parking lot where got it towed to with almost no tools i dropped the steering rack, the oil pan and the oil pump without taking out or jacking up the motor. I took out the old oil pump and it was locked and the shaft was twisted until it snapped. I finished the job and put everything back together and I don’t have the right equipment to prime the oil pump can i just start the motor to prime it??

No, you should prime it. Unless you rev it up you wont have enough suction to pull oil into the pump but youll be revving is so long and so high youll likely cause bearing damage. With that said, you dont need any special tools. You need to make sure you installed a new driveshaft with the retainer facing upward towards the distributor FYI. All you need is a drill, the correct 1/4 drive socket that fits over the drive shaft and enough extensions to reach the drive shaft. I always use electrical tape to wrap the socket and the extension so there is no chance of the socket falling off . You turn the shaft the same direction that the distributor turns which is counter clockwise.

 

[Dwain]

you can get an oil pump to push oil to all rocker arms with just a ratchet. ratchet, extension and a socket (Forgot size).

Not in my experience.

 

[Dwain]

Try it and then answer.

Ive tried it using a speed driver. It doesnt work. An engine idling at 800 rpm cant produce enough suction to lift oil into an unprimed pump. A drill running at high speed takes 20 to 30 seconds to create enough suction to get oil into the pump but somehow a turning a ratchet by hand creates enough suction to prime it? Nope, not in my experience. The only time a ratchet might work is if the pump is already primed.

 

[Dwain]

I always install the oil pump primed, thought you had to, guess not.

Ive seen people take the bottom/back plate off and pack the gears with Vaseline since its petroleum based to get a pump to pick up fluid faster. I learned that trick from a subaru guy who would do it on every oil pump he changed. They always seemed to start right up and pick up fluid for him. I think in those cases just starting the car will pull oil up into the pump fairly quickly on a SBF but I personally have never tried it since just using a drill has always worked for me.