Thread: Pre oiling a chev

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For a new or freshly rebuilt SBC engine or even an engine that has sat for a long time without running you need to prime the oil pump and send some oil throughout the oil galleries to avoid a "dry start". A lot of damage can be done in a very short time if you start an engine "dry". Cut the handle off a large flat blade screwdriver and chuck it up in an electric hand drill and after adding oil to the crankcase, put the flat end of the screw driver down the distributor hole (after removing the distributor) and rev it for a few minutes. That should turn the oil pump and send oil throughout the bearing system for a "wet" start after the distributer is reinstalled. As stated above the clockwise motion of the screwdriver should rev the oil pump as if the engine were running. Some engines other than SBC may have an oil pump in another place. For a VW, pack the oil pump with grease before assembling, but DO NOT use the kind of grease with particles in it!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder