I have done this a couple of weeks back. I did find it was plumbed in wrong so oil was flowing the wrong way thru the filter. This is how it is plumbed in now, which I can do in my sleep. Nearside port on sandwich plate to the nearside port on the remote filter head. Offside filter head to the offside oil cooler. Nearside oil cooler to the offside port on the sandwich plate.
I have also obtained this photo from Westfield showing the hose layout which confirms the above.
mine install is neater pity doesn't work:
ChrisJC wrote:Is it worth doing a sanity check on your oil plumbing.
I.e. make sure that the port on the front cover that oil should come out of is the one you think it should be etc etc, the blocked ports can be blocked with no ill effects etc. etc.
I can double check it as I have three spare front covers here......
Do you fill your filter with oil before fitting it ? how about priming some of the pipe work down to the oil cooler, just loosen the pipe work at the filter housing and top it up till it's showing and fit it back to the housing, it sounds to me as if it might just be a case purging all the air out
If you haven't got any oil flow out of the oil cooler outlet in the front cover, are you not looking at a oil pump which isn't primming? I know you had oil pressure but if the oilways were airlocked maybe this would cause the symptons you are seeing.
With all the grief I had with oil issues. When I got my new created lump I wasn't going to take any chances....
I couldn't remember if you have a front cover with a dissy or if you are running coil packs.
To prime my new lump I filled the engine with oil and using a piece of hose and a funnel filled with oil to act as a header plumbed into the oil cooler outlet in the front cover. I slowly turned the engine over anti-clockwise by hand. This backfilled the oil pump, filter and pickup strainer.
Then when i wound the engine over on the starter the oil pump had a good head on it and primmed up with no problems. I did have a workshop pressure gauge on the engine and had the rocker covers off to check that oil was getting to the top of the engine.
It did take a good three or four 30 sec bursts to get this to work.
Is funny how the early V8 manuals say about packing the pumps with petroleum jelly to help them to prime. but the later 3.9 range rover manual dosnt say anything about packing the pumps?
That's the strange thing, nothing! Well I say nothing, I was changing the fuelling map on the megasquirt to get the lambda correct. I was also looking at the static timing to make a couple of degrees adjustment. Then I turned the engine off and the next time I started it I had no oil pressure.
ged wrote:Hi Adam,
I had a look on your website, when you fired it up in May you had approx 3bar pressure at fast idle. So can you tell me what happened between then & no oil pressure?
I did fill the cooler, filter and hoses with oil. When tuning engine over by hand I can hear a kind of gurgling noise so I think you may be right. I'll disconnect the hoses and re-check.
JSF55 wrote:Do you fill your filter with oil before fitting it ? how about priming some of the pipe work down to the oil cooler, just loosen the pipe work at the filter housing and top it up till it's showing and fit it back to the housing, it sounds to me as if it might just be a case purging all the air out
Like the sound of this i'll pit that on my small list of things to try. I have NAS spec cover which uses the crank driven oil pump which I was told I do not need to prime manually or pack with vaseline.
v8alligator wrote:If you haven't got any oil flow out of the oil cooler outlet in the front cover, are you not looking at a oil pump which isn't primming? I know you had oil pressure but if the oilways were airlocked maybe this would cause the symptons you are seeing.
With all the grief I had with oil issues. When I got my new created lump I wasn't going to take any chances....
I couldn't remember if you have a front cover with a dissy or if you are running coil packs.
To prime my new lump I filled the engine with oil and using a piece of hose and a funnel filled with oil to act as a header plumbed into the oil cooler outlet in the front cover. I slowly turned the engine over anti-clockwise by hand. This backfilled the oil pump, filter and pickup strainer.
Then when i wound the engine over on the starter the oil pump had a good head on it and primmed up with no problems. I did have a workshop pressure gauge on the engine and had the rocker covers off to check that oil was getting to the top of the engine.
It did take a good three or four 30 sec bursts to get this to work.
Is funny how the early V8 manuals say about packing the pumps with petroleum jelly to help them to prime. but the later 3.9 range rover manual dosnt say anything about packing the pumps?
adamnreeves wrote:I did fill the cooler, filter and hoses with oil. When tuning engine over by hand I can hear a kind of gurgling noise so I think you may be right. I'll disconnect the hoses and re-check.
You are turning the engine the right way I assume? Gurgling suggests bubbles being blown in the sump!
You haven't by chance disconnected the battery and connected it up backwards, spinning the engine the wrong way on the starter? I know it's a long shot, and I'd expect to see lots of magic smoke escaping if you did this!
Clockwise, yes. I have an isolation switch so never disconnect battery. Regarding gurgling noises, I initially thought that, its coming from the pump itself.
I have today spoken to one of the main engine builders and apparently the crank driven pump does not prime until the engine is turning sufficient fast enough which can only be obtained by actually firing it up. So in other words connect it back up and just go for it. That's going to be a long 10 seconds.
jefferybond wrote:
adamnreeves wrote:I did fill the cooler, filter and hoses with oil. When tuning engine over by hand I can hear a kind of gurgling noise so I think you may be right. I'll disconnect the hoses and re-check.
You are turning the engine the right way I assume? Gurgling suggests bubbles being blown in the sump!
You haven't by chance disconnected the battery and connected it up backwards, spinning the engine the wrong way on the starter? I know it's a long shot, and I'd expect to see lots of magic smoke escaping if you did this!
Connect the pipes back up and tow it in gear at 10 mph in 1st with plugs out and ignition off (I'd say less than 50 yds)
Plenty fast on the pump
Used to do this at the motor circuit after building formula Ford engines with dry sumps
IAn
Owner of an "On the Road" GT40 Replica by DAX powered by 3.9Hotwre Efi, worked over by DJ Motors. EFi Working but still does some kangaroo at low revs (Damn the speed limits) In to paint shop 18/03/08.
the manuals do suggest the pump will self prime but in practice they just dont. Back filling the pump is the way to go. I had loads of flow and really good oil pressure with just the engine spinning over on the starter with the plugs out.
I also lubricated it all, the cover, the housing, oil everywhere. With these posts it makes me nervous that I may still have a problem other than simply the pump not priming. So I'll go with the less risky approach that v8aligator suggested. If this works then I will then know that I fixed the issues and was only a priming issue. I can then startup.
ChrisJC wrote:Mine primed on the starter with the engine still on the engine stand....... I just lubricated the pump when I had it apart.
Adam, I recently fitted a 4.2 serp engine to my toy, having had years with the old style oil pumps I was concerned at the apparent lack of pressure when cranking, but I was confident that all was ok and went for a start. Pressure buillt almost instantly the engine fired! This was on an engine that I had blanked off the factory cooler pipes on and just squirted some oil down the cooler port before running. Hope this gives you some confidence to press the button!!
I've built / re-built 4 of these now (well last style front covers (the non disy version). And have a £150 SPA digital Gauge, and with a fully charged battery can get 3-5 PSI just from the starter. (this is with the plugs in) but with the in injectors turned off. you may get better results with the plugs out.
on none of the builds the only thing I've done is fill with oil and run on the starter 3 x 10 seconds (with no fuel).
The other option as said before fit a drill driven pump to one of the oil cooler lines and fit the other end of the cooler to a catch tank. and the other end of the pump to a tub of oil. once you get flow block the cooler end, and see what pressure you get.
Current V8 car TVR 400SE 240 BHP
Current Project TVR Tasmin Race, with 3.9 running at 230 BHP
Currently building a 4.6 300 BHP Xbolted Engine for it. Solid Lifters and Group A rockers, Stange 4 heads, Pocketed piston, fully balanced.
