Budman II

iTrader: (1)

I figured with a few quarts in the sump it would be enough to cover the pickup sufficiently to pump oil through the engine and prime it. Added 3 more quarts and still hearing the sound. SB, the sound is similar to the sound of air bubbling through fluid. Kind of a sputtering sound. Tried to video it with my phone, but not sure if it came out very good. Might try to post it.

abones

WITHOUT BEING THERE TO HEAR IT FIRST HAND, I would speculate that you are hearing the normal sound of the air purging I have heard this many times in the past, due to the fact that the crank is not turning to allow the cross drilled passages to fill with oil and bleed out the air, along with the rockers have to pivot to allow the holes in the push rods to properly align with the rocker holes to pass the air. (that is why if you adjust a solid cam/lifters while running they will squirt then not as the rocker pivots, we would put shields on them so we could adjust them hot and running) I would say you are hearing normal noises!!! Sorry for the rambling!

f_inscreenname

Especially with that hole in the oil galley plug you could be hearing all kinds of bleed down.

Budman II

iTrader: (1)

If it's air purging out, shouldn't it go away at some point when the engine is completely primed? I have probably spun the drill ten times in this thing, and I hear it every time as soon as the drill stops. Obviously, I can't hear it when the drill is running because of all the noise. It does seems to be coming from behind the timing cover where the pipe plugs have the holes drilled in them. I guess it might just be air bleeding back into the upper air galleries when the oil tries to drain back to the pan.

abones

Not necessarily an air bleeding noise as the oil itself needs to equalize with the drop in pressure within all the clearances throughout the motor, and you will hear this "bleed down sound" as the oil leaks out of all the "tolerances" from 40-60 lbs of pressure to no pressure. Once again without hearing it I'm speculating from my past experiences!!. Please keep us posted.

fbc25el

When I prime mine with a drill and stop the pressure in the system will spin the drill backwards for about 4 or 5 revs. and make noises. Warm it holds 40 lbs. at idle and 65 cruising. You need a gauge on it to tell what it's doing.

Budman II

iTrader: (1)

OK, I will be installing a gauge on it this evening, but if there is air getting into the oil from somewhere (such as under the main cap, through the pickup, etc.), would this be reflected in low oil pressure? It is a 10778c pump, and I have read that these can produce lower than normal pressures at idle, so I'm also wondering if this will skew my results.

Probably overthinking this (hey, it's how I roll), but the sound I am hearing makes me want to verify that I am not introducing any air into the oil flow through the engine. thinking about putting in a brass barb fitting at the port above the oil filter and attaching a piece of clear plastic tubing to it. That should tell me if any air is getting into the oil.

fbc25el

I would think as long as the oil pump does not "skip" while you are priming you should not be pumping any air.

Budman II

iTrader: (1)

fbc, I would agree, as long as there is nowhere for any air to get into the system. Most common places for these are in the main cap/block interface, at the attachment point where the oil pump meets the main cap, and the oil pickup where it goes into the pump body. I thought I took appropriate measures to make sure none of these could be an issue (i.e., remembered the o-ring under the cap, had the full circumference of the pickup brazed to the pump body, etc.), but with the kind of klusters I have had with this thing, nothing would surprise me at this point.

Budman II

iTrader: (1)

Found some REAL interesting info about performance oil pumps and particularly oil pickups in this article. Very informative reading material. Check it out - http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2009...mp-technology/