I am in the final stages of wiring up the 5.0L in my Jeep, but is there anything I should do before starting it up? It has probably sat for a year or so. I know change the spark plugs, wires, dist cap and rotor, but I am wondering about maybe putting a little bit of oil or something into the cylinders or something like that?

What would you guys to do an engine before starting it up if has been sitting?

pull the distibutor and prime the oil pump.

I've been waiting to ask this question, and get it all in one thread.

Ok, pull the dist and spin the oil pump. How exactly?

What is the specific tool used on which engine? SBC, SBF, 22r/e, etc?

How about an answer for these engines:

SBC
BBC
SBF - Windsor
BBF - 390/460 (same family there, right?)
Toy 20/22r/e
Jeep 4.0....other Jeeps?

For the chevy I get a piece of threaded rod and I grind the end to the shape of a flat screwdriver ,then stick one end in the drill and the other in the pump, I think i used 3/8" rod

I tried to prime the pump with a long screwdriver bit attatched to a drill for my SBC, didn't work:(


I borrowed a tool from a friend made from a distributer just for this, worked really nice;)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rusted
I've been waiting to ask this question, and get it all in one thread.

Ok, pull the dist and spin the oil pump. How exactly?

What is the specific tool used on which engine? SBC, SBF, 22r/e, etc?

How about an answer for these engines:
SBC
BBC
SBF - Windsor
BBF - 390/460 (same family there, right?)Toy 20/22r/e
Jeep 4.0....other Jeeps? [/QUOTE

SBC-buy or make the tool.

BBF-(not the 390)370,429,460 use an 8mm socket tape it to some extensions(so you don't lose anything in the motor) and prime away.

i don't know the rest, off the top of my head.

Use a spare distributor with the gear removed.

you can easly make the tool on a lath

Originally posted by Chief yelling alot
you can easly make the tool on a lath

Right on. Let me get my lathe out of the attic and fire it up. :rolleyes: :flipoff2:

Originally posted by rusted


Right on. Let me get my lathe out of the attic and fire it up. :rolleyes: :flipoff2:

well you must know sombody who has one

Originally posted by larryboy
[QUOTE]Originally posted by rusted
[B]BBF-(not the 390)370,429,460 use an 8mm socket tape it to some extensions(so you don't lose anything in the motor) and prime away.


Whoops. It's 390/428 right? And no one's building a BBF 427 except for show purposes. Ford has so many BBs I can't keep up.

Originally posted by Chief yelling alot


well you must know sombody who has one

I do but not here.

Another thing, pics would be cool....

crane, moroso, and a few others make a shaft for priming the pump - if you don't have the stuff to make one - check out summit racing (http://www.summitracing.com) orJegs (http://www.jegs.com)

Originally posted by rusted


Whoops. It's 390/428 right? And no one's building a BBF 427 except for show purposes. Ford has so many BBs I can't keep up.

There are only two types of big block Ford
- FE (Ford/Edsel) series which are 332 352 360 390 406 427 428
- 385 series which are 370 429 460

If the engine has been sitting that long I would also take an oil can and squirt some oil in each cylinder through the spark plug holes to lube the rings - oh yea, and change the oil while your at it, before you prime it.

http://pics.montypics.com/alexisguy/2003-03-07/pum_primer.jpg

Made my sbc primer with an old dist and a hacksaw been using it for 20 years did the same thing for a sbf took about 10 min to make.

Originally posted by KWTMECH
Made my sbc primer with an old dist and a hacksaw been using it for 20 years did the same thing for a sbf took about 10 min to make.

Got pics?

Ok, change the oil, yank the dist and turn to prime, clockwise or counter?, then put a little oil in every cylinder.

That's it? I take it if I yank out the dist. just make a piece that matches the end of the dist. to use for priming right?

OMG, I haven't worked on ann old Y-Block Ford in more than 20 years and now get to share what I learned back then.


The 390 series Ford big blocks Use a 1/4" hex shaft to drive the oil pump! Just tape a socket to an extension and chuck it up in your drill. It was so easy that I didn't bother to make a tool, in spite of having a South Bend tool room lathe in the basement.

Oh yeah, as for starting an egine that has sat for awhile, after priming it, pull the plugs and squirt some oil/diesel fuel in and crank it around a few times. Thrwow the plugs back inn and away you go. I prefer an oil/diesel fuel mixture as it flows well and burns out right away. Gasoline would work as well, but far less safely.

Peace,
Paul

go to autozone.. primers are part of their loan a tool service.. perfect for the job and no cost to you!

A 5/16" socket will drive the oil pump on a 5.0L Ford. just pull the distributer and stick the socket in there and run it with a drill clockwise. Make sure there is a something in the oil sender hole to keep it from squirting out.

On a chevy V8 (SB or BB), if you just use a screwdriver or similar tool, you will not get any oil to the passenger side lifters. There is a boss on the distributor body that plugs off the distributor hole in the block where it goes throught the lifter galley. If that boss, or a proper tool that includes the same boss, is not there when you turn the pump, all of the oil on that side of the engine just runs back in the pan.

IMO, if the engine has only been sitting for a year, just fire it up. If anything, unplug the power to the ignition, and just crank it with the starter for a few seconds.

i've always used diesel.......... it spreads easier in the cylinder and burns out quicker when i fires.leave all the plugs out and whirl it over a little while after you prime it.

If it has been sitting for long enough - check the fuel and make sure it isn't bad. Also if you left fuel in your, fuel lines and such - make sure they aren't all gummed up too.

Other than what has already been covered if it has been inside and only sitting for a year crank it over and run it.... In a year you shouldn't have developed many of the issues that a really long term sitting engine might have developed.

I made my SBC oil-pump primer tool from a peice of 1/2 cold-roll

rod, with one end ground to a flat in the middle (like a screw-

driver blade but square and thicker) I use a small peice of

fuel-line on the end to keep the spinning primer shaft from

coming off the end of the oil-pump shaft. had it for 20 years,

took all of about 15 minutes to make. and cost nothing.

--Sherpa

another cheapo item for SBC motors, take an old pair of

valve covers, cut the tops out for access to adjust the rockers,

it keeps the oil in the motor, not in the engine compartment.

cost: an old pair of valve covers and about 15 minutes with

a hacksaw.

another cylinder tip: if the motor has been sitting aloooong

time, fill all the cylinders with diesel, and pour a bunch into the intake also. let is sit for a couple days. drain it all out, "try" to

turn over the motor with a socket and ratchet on the crank

before using the starter. make sure the plugs are out.

we've successfully started motors that sat for 20 years.



--S