Do I need to prime my engine?

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olddog12

olddog12

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I have a 318 that was running and a vehicle being driven several weeks prior to me buying it. All Ive really done since I got it was change the oil pan & pump cleaned it up and dropped it in my Scamp. The carb is not original to the engine either.
It will be about a year or a little over since it was last running and Im wondering if I need to remove the distributor and prime it before starting it?

I was asking a mechanic that I know if he would have the tool to prime it and he told me to just cut the fuel off, crank it over and prime it that way?
 
I've started many engines without priming them.

If you are so worried about it, take out the spark plugs, and put 2-3 squirts of oil in each cylinder, then crank it up...
 
I asked this same question awhile back. After consideration I took the pull distributor and prime option. Not that difficult. Just for peace of mind.
 
In your case, with the oil pump changeout, priming would be insurance that you had it installed it right, and did not mess up the pump gasket or something.
 
this and kill the fuel for the first 8-10 cranks.. then hook it all up and go easy on it after it starts.. an old trick is to use Marvel Mystery oil in the cylinders.. just a little in each one - a friend of mine once got a 340 running with the stuff that had been sitting for so long he couldn't hand turn it with the plugs out at first..
krazykuda said:
I've started many engines without priming them.

If you are so worried about it, take out the spark plugs, and put 2-3 squirts of oil in each cylinder, then crank it up...
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Pull the distributor and prime it. It's not that hard to do and it's worth the time and effort.

I fired up an engine that hadn't run in a year with out priming and flattened a cam.

Your result may vary.
 
the MAIN reason to prime an engine, is when you have installed a new flat tappet camshaft which needs to be broken in
since your cam and lifters are already broken in you may not "need" it
would it still be a good idea?

of course

the time it takes you to pull the dizzy and prime the engine is nothing compared to the time it would take you to pull the motor and fixed it if something is not right
 
diymirage said:
the MAIN reason to prime an engine, is when you have installed a new flat tappet camshaft which needs to be broken in
Click to expand...
You might want to add 'whenever any major assembly has taken place'; priming can catch all sorts of errors and problems..... like leaving a critical plug out!
 
If it were mine I would prime it first, put a gauge on it you can see while priming it.
 
nm9stheham said:
You might want to add 'whenever any major assembly has taken place'; priming can catch all sorts of errors and problems..... like leaving a critical plug out!
Click to expand...

good point
there are a few pitfalls that can be easily caught by priming an engine
it is cheap insurance
 
My HO360 sits idle from October to early May.Each spring I fill the primary bowl, slosh an ounce into the intake,stab it til the accelerator pump gets primed, and hit it....Badaboom! I keep the revs down, til the oil light goes out, about 3 or 4 seconds
Been doing it that way for 12 years.

Kidding! :) the oil light doesn't work...

But yeah, I agree with others; if the oilpump and filter are empty then it's cheap insurance to prime the system.
 
Ok, one more take on this just in case there isn't enough opinions already. :D

If I was the least bit concerned about the time it hadn't run I'd pull the plugs, oil the cylinders and crank it till I got oil pressure.
Then put the plugs back in and fire it off.

The cylinders won't have oil even if you do prime it, so oiling them and having already having had pressure from cranking as soon as it fires should be plenty of insurance.
 
TrailBeast said:
Ok, one more take on this just in case there isn't enough opinions already. :D

If I was the least bit concerned about the time it hadn't run I'd pull the plugs, oil the cylinders and crank it till I got oil pressure.
Then put the plugs back in and fire it off.

The cylinders won't have oil even if you do prime it, so oiling them and having already having had pressure from cranking as soon as it fires should be plenty of insurance.
Click to expand...

Good plan.
 
FWIW, I have never primed an engine that has just been sitting, even for years. I only do it after assembling an engine to look for issues and help the first startup get oil ASAP. And of course, some engines, like the /6 can't be primed unless you rig up a pressure primer... they get started up newly assembled all the time with no priming.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. I am having a bit of a time trying to find someone who will come to my shop and prime it then set the timing anyway so from these suggestions I think I have a plan of attack now.

Thanks.
 
Don't use that stupid oil pump gasket... been hashed out here a lot before.

If the engine has been run in the last 6-8 months, priming it may not be an absolute necessity. If you the tools and feel better priming, do it. It sure won't hurt anything doing so.
 
The tool is so CHEAP and it is so EASY to do, why would you not?
 
olddog12 said:
I was asking a mechanic that I know if he would have the tool to prime it and he told me to just cut the fuel off, crank it over and prime it that way?
Click to expand...

This is almost doable, but
1) lots of work to cut the fuel off, and
2) easier to disable the fire, and
3)does not address the dry rings and skirts, and
4)the starter hates that, and
5)so does the battery, and
6)so does every dry bearing, the cam chain, and every other moving part in that engine.
 
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