Oil Priming on a 340

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Quikitty

Quikitty

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A few years ago I had my 340 rebuilt, I’m now finishing up restoration on the rest of the car and will be needing to prime the oil on the engine. Normally on a non mopar, I would pull the distributor and hook a drill to the oil pump shaft that connects to the distributor. I just realized that the Cam gear on this 340 appears to be connected to the oil pump shaft, see photo.
How are we to oil prime the engine for the first start?
3E57E5A4-CD7B-4E09-8493-0ACBE43332CC.jpeg

thanks in advance
Jay
 
You have to pull the pump drive and prime it that way. There's a hex or inverted hex head that is down there, I can't remember which one.
 
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Pull the drive gear/shaft out, put a hex shaft down there and run a drill on it CLOCK WISE while slowly turning the crank..
 
Yup. Pull the drive with a big flat blade screwdriver and a pair of long needle nose pliers if needed.
Insert the priming tool (mine is a cut-off drive and pushrod welded together).
Turn clockwise with a hand drill.
While turning the pump, have a Buddy turn the engine over slowly two full turns or more to align the passages to get oil up to the valvetrain.
 
If the engine was run on a stand when it was built or really more precisely- if you know the distributor was in the right place timing wise, pay attention to what way the slot is pointing before you pull the drive gear so when you drop it back in and it rotates on the gears you can cuss and pull it up again, move it a little and drop it in the right place.
I made a pulling tool out of an old wire coat hanger. It has a C shape under the drive gear, then is bent to come up through one of the gear slots and then bent again to come straight up through the distributor hole.
 
This is what I made with 2 pump shafts , one goes on the drill , hope it helps.

IMG_20201231_105014049.jpg


IMG_20201231_105023811.jpg


IMG_20201231_105036525.jpg
 
turn the crank to 90 degrees (1/4 turn) BTDC #1 compression (there might be partial slits on the dampener to help with this or cut a strip of newspaper 5.694" to use as a ruler) & preoil then turn to 20 degrees ATDC #6 compression & preoil again then go to your desired initial amt before TDC #1 compression. I like to clock the intergear so at that point the rotor is pointing forward & slightly toward the pass side. this lets the wires nestle the neatest with the shortest lengths & maintains the OE positioning which could help prevent a future mistake. also it never hurts to check rotor phasing also.
 
Like Moper said, take a big flat blade screwdriver and put it into the slot of the drive gear and turn it. It will rotate up and out of the cam gear. Just let it set there and this is where I use my telescoping round magnet (Harbor Freight) and just drop it down onto the gear and pull it up and out. Simple pimple! lol! Then I just use a 5/16 piece of hex shaft stock I got at Lowes, put it on the end of a drill and run it down into the oil pump until it meshes with the hex in the pump. Then you're ready to prime with the drill. I made sure my hex shaft was long enough to come up out of the block far enough to get the drill on it and not hit anything.
 
If you use a hex shaft to drive the oil pump, wrap some tape around it where it would hit the bushing so you don't damage it while spinning the shaft.
 
Years ago I built this to prime mopars, cut the hex gear off a old distributor drive and welded a push rod to it.
All mopar.

RD3KL9.jpg
 
Rapid Robert said:
turn the crank to 90 degrees (1/4 turn) BTDC #1 compression (there might be partial slits on the dampener to help with this or cut a strip of newspaper 5.694" to use as a ruler) & preoil then turn to 20 degrees ATDC #6 compression & preoil again then go to your desired initial amt before TDC #1 compression.
Click to expand...

This is the process I use - right side/left side. I also windowed a stamped valve cover so I can see the Oil flowing to the top end, but not down the side of the block.

20200325_131147.jpg
 
Yep,
I cut the end of an Allen key and welded it to a long screw driver that I connected to a drill
Worked great
Thanks Guys!
 
Rapid Robert said:
turn the crank to 90 degrees (1/4 turn) BTDC #1 compression (there might be partial slits on the dampener to help with this or cut a strip of newspaper 5.694" to use as a ruler) & preoil then turn to 20 degrees ATDC #6 compression & preoil again then go to your desired initial amt before TDC #1 compression. I like to clock the intergear so at that point the rotor is pointing forward & slightly toward the pass side. this lets the wires nestle the neatest with the shortest lengths & maintains the OE positioning which could help prevent a future mistake. also it never hurts to check rotor phasing also.
Click to expand...
That is great information thanks sharing! Will the partial notches line up with the timing marks at tdc or just 90 degrees and 20?
 
Click on the file attachment on post #17. That will answer your questions about the proper distributor phasing. the slot lines up with the front intake manifold hole.
 
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Quikitty said:
A few years ago I had my 340 rebuilt, I’m now finishing up restoration on the rest of the car and will be needing to prime the oil on the engine. Normally on a non mopar, I would pull the distributor and hook a drill to the oil pump shaft that connects to the distributor. I just realized that the Cam gear on this 340 appears to be connected to the oil pump shaft, see photo.
How are we to oil prime the engine for the first start?
View attachment 1715660453
thanks in advance
Jay
Click to expand...
You don't need to check the pressure, but this shows you how to prime the pump. Rotate crank slowly and you should get oil out the rocker shafts as well
 
dartfreak75 said:
That is great information thanks sharing! Will the partial notches line up with the timing marks at tdc or just 90 degrees and 20?
Click to expand...
iirc there are 3 partial slits equidistant from the TDC full slit (3-6-9 0'clock) & if there is one 1/4 turn before TDC #1 compression preoil there (if no partial slit cut a strip of paper 5.694" & use it as a ruler then rotate on around to 20 degrees after TDC #6 compression & preoil again (use the dampener timing marks as a ruler or cut a strip of paper 1.265" to use as a ruler) then back up CCW to 10-15 BTDC. I like to go past then come forward to 10-15 to elim chain slop but not a biggie then with the rotor pointing rearward & slightly to the drivers side line up the reluctor tooth with the magnet with the rotor under the #6 plug wire. dist snugged slightly snug so it can be turned by hand when it starts but not loose then check the timing/tighten it/your good. RR
 
Rapid Robert said:
iirc there are 3 partial slits equidistant from the TDC full slit (3-6-9 0'clock) & if there is one 1/4 turn before TDC #1 compression preoil there (if no partial slit cut a strip of paper 5.694" & use it as a ruler then rotate on around to 20 degrees after TDC #6 compression & preoil again (use the dampener timing marks as a ruler or cut a strip of paper 1.265" to use as a ruler) then back up CCW to 10-15 BTDC. I like to go past then come forward to 10-15 to elim chain slop but not a biggie then with the rotor pointing rearward & slightly to the drivers side line up the reluctor tooth with the magnet with the rotor under the #6 plug wire. dist snugged slightly snug so it can be turned by hand when it starts but not loose then check the timing/tighten it/your good. RR
Click to expand...
Thanks my HB has the partial slits I just never knew what they where for lol. Thats some good info thank you
 
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