Having a real tuff time getting my oil pump primed. Have tried vaseline - it worked several times. Now I have a new gasket on now I cant get it primed.:mad3:

Please share all your prime tricks. I am working on a 94 RRC.

Thanks

Having a real tuff time getting my oil pump primed. Have tried vaseline - it worked several times. Now I have a new gasket on now I cant get it primed.:mad3:

Please share all your prime tricks. I am working on a 94 RRC.

Thanks

Well, on the earlier trucks, it's easier as you can remove the bottom of the oil pumps without disassembling the engine.

You can try sucking on the discharge line. I've heard at least one person having had luck with this method.

I mix 90 wt with white lube and use that to prime oil pumps. so far, it's 100% for me.

I have heard of people use a long piece of metal at the end of a drill to turn the thing.

Do you just prime the gears or the lines also. It seems I got a far amount of vaseline in the lines now from priming the gears. I am worried the main lines might be clogged now.

Vaseline has always worked... On big pumps we used a priming tool that was made from the end of a distributor ran it with a drill motor.

A 1994 RRC should have an external pump. For priming this pump on the car without disassembling it, I pull the plug on the pump that holds in the pressure relief valve, remove the spring & valve and squirt most of a tube of Lubriplate into the pump. This will fill the gears. While you are at it, make sure that the pressure relief valve is not sticking. I would also clean out the lines and prefill the oil filter.
On another note, the older engines with the external pump take a different front cover gasket than the newer engines with the crank driven pump. If you put the wrong gasket into an older car, there will be a gap at the suction side and you will never get it to prime. I hope this isn't your problem. :cool2:

That is what I am afraid of. I have had luck about 15 times priming with no problems but as soon as the new timing cover gasket was put on I am having no luck. The gasket seemed to line up with no problems with the coolent lines and the little metal pegs. I failed to look to see if all all the other holes lined up. Is there an way to find out besides pull the cover off.

What part number gasket did you use? I believe ERR1990 fits the older cars and ERR7280 fits the newer cars. The blocks are all drilled the same, the difference is in the timing cover.

err 7280 is what I received and what I think I need is a err 4936.

Man that pisses me off that rover gave me the wrong part.

You're right. I double checked...ERR1990 is an oil pump gasket, ERR4936 is the older front cover gasket. I misread my information.

Thanks for checking for me. This will make the 3rd time pulling off the timing cover to fix the origianl problem.

If you put the wrong gasket into an older car, there will be a gap at the suction side and you will never get it to prime. I hope this isn't your problem. :cool2:

You say that putting the wrong gasket into an older car means that the pump will never prime. Is this true of the newer style front covers as well? I just finished rebuilding an 89 3.9L, but put a 95 front cover and serpentine setup on it in the process. The rebuild kit I bought was for an 89 motor. Any advice on if I should pull the front cover and change the gasket, or will the older gasket work ok in the newer style front cover? Thanks for the help.

I looked at an old & new timing cover. Visually, it looks like the older gasket will work on the newer cover...there will just be some extra gasket material where it is not needed.

Yep, that is what I found out today. The engine picked up the prime rather quickly, filled the oil cooler lines and the cooler. So I threw the spark plugs in it, and cranked her up just for a second. The mechanical OP guage picked up right away. Glad to know that I dont have to pull the front cover.....

I pack the gears & w/ the dizzy out used a 12? mm socket on a long ext & put the cordless drill on it.