The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Starting the truck for the first time this week

I have turned it over by hand several times.

New oil in it. Yesterday, with power to distributor bypassed, turned it over using the starter using a jumper wire. sounds beautiful. She hasn't done that in 15 years, but ran perfect when it was parked.

Does anyone see a major issue with using the stater to prime the oil system? I really wasn't looking forward to removing the distributor to turn the pump manually. I figured i would turn the motor over in 10 second intervals for a few mins, making sure the starter doesn't overheat.

Pull the valve cover and watch for oil on the rocker shaft. Have a oil pressure gauge hooked up where you can see it, don't trust the dash gauge if its been setting the same amount of time. You can buy oil gauges pretty cheap and " T " them into the system.

I am assuming this is a 235 that uses the copper/brass line to feed the rockers? Those line plug over time, so it may never oil the top end, but a oil gauge will show pressure at the crank. Even when new, the pressure was low compared to a modern engine, so don't expect a lot out of it.

If the battery is good and the starter sounds good, no problem with priming a used engine this way. If you want add a extra quart or two of oil so the crank is setting
in it till you know the oil pump is working. At least the mains and rods would be covered in oil.

Joe

The problem with doing it this way is you are dragging those rings down a cylinder wall that hasn't been lubricated in 15 yrs. Even though it sounded nice when you cranked it, you had better do a compression check to see if you damaged the rings or walls.

where does the oil guage attach?

Brad,

You might want to remove all your plugs and squirt some wd40 or something into the sparg plug holes. Then turn the engine over with the starter with the plugs still out to charge the system with oil. It will be much easier on your battery and starter. Don't run the starter for more than 15 seconds or so before you let it "rest" a bit.

She might smoke a little from the oil in the cylinders when you start her.

Kurt

Brad,

I put a table spoon or so of marvel mystery oil down the spark plug holes in my 235. It had sat for 40 years before I started it. A little oil, as others have already said, sure helps things along.

You might want to also squirt some oil over the rockers and valves, and turn the engine over/ start 'er up with the rocker arm cover off, to verify that there is oil up in the rocker tube.

You can "Tee" the aux pressure gauge right at the block where the factory gauge line come off. This is also where the oil filter is "Tee'd" into the oil pressure.
Your FLAPS will have the fitting you need, it should be 1/8" NPT. They should also have a cheap gauge, as fitted on compressors and such, you only need a gauge that goes to 30 pounds.

Awesome. Yeah i used a turkey baster to put some mavel in the cylinders a while back and let it set for two weeks before turning by hand. with a prybar on the flywheel turns over great.

Nice! The mystery oil makes a great smoke screen. When I first got mine running, the neighbours thought my carport was on fire. It was great.