SR20DET Red Top Oil Pressure Issue

[poormtnkid]

Hey Guys/Gals

Recently I had my engine rebuilt by a local machine shop as my #4 cylindar rings have failed. I'm just now getting the engine back in the car and ready to fire, when I went to "prime" the system I noticed I was not getting any oil into the head or into the turbo oil feed line.

So I started to search the forums to find out what the proper way to prime this pump would be. I read a lot about packing the oil pump during install.....Not sure if that was done or not by the shop. Here is what I have tried so far with no luck:

- Backfilled out through the turbo feed line
- added oil to filter multiple times to fill through that port
- used a drill pump to force oil through my oil cooler lines through the system, it did eventually start dumping out the cam squirters
- overfilled the pan by 2-3 quarts

After all these methods I tried cranking multiple times for 20-30 seconds a pop with fuel cut off and spark plugs removed. I'm at the point of thinking that the shop did something incorrect while installing the new pump. I have never done an oil pump replacement so for the ones who have, what are some common mistakes that could happen from preventing oil not getting sucked up and into the system? Any other methods I should try?

Really frustrated about this as the shop said it would take 4-6 weeks for rebuild and it ended up taking almost 4 months to get it back. And now that I have the engine in my car and buttoned up this is happening and I want to blame them, but at the same time I don't want to remove the engine and take it back down to these jokers.

Appreciate any help.

[AwhiteS13]

This isn't much but in my experience it takes before seeing it exit the turbo oil drain.


Do you have means to run a pressure gauge before the oil filter off the block before the turbo?

[poormtnkid]

This isn't much but in my experience it takes before seeing it exit the turbo oil drain.


Do you have means to run a pressure gauge before the oil filter off the block before the turbo?

I have an oil pressure gauge and even when I have run the car with spark and fuel hooked up I don't get any pressure. I have narrowed it down to the pump not picking up oil. And let me put it out there my oil pan is not dented and causing the issue, I have an upgraded morose pan.

[gaz_moose]

if I were you I would take the oil cooler out of the circuit as it will just get full of new engine debris.

I sometimes find that the starter just wont turn the engine over fast enough on new engines to build any oil pressure.

you could try connecting your car up with jump leads to a running car so it turns over quicker.

i always give the turbo and cams a good coating of oil then I just run the engine and watch the oil pressure gauge. if you've not got any signs of life after 60 seconds. re-oil and try again.

being paranoid that the engine builder did something wrong is pretty common. maybe he forgot to fit the oil pick up O-ring. maybe he forgot the whole oil pickup pipe who knows.

[PoorMans180SX]

It's pretty common for gerotor pumps to have a hard time priming from dry. If the builder didn't put oil or assembly lube inside the pump, it may not be able to prime from the oil pan. I killed a KA this way.

[poormtnkid]

I did have the batter hooked up to a batter charger on the jump start mode while cranking. We even went to a last resort and started the car to see if actual idle speed would get it to pick up with no luck. I'm going to remove the lower pan today and see if the pick up tube is cracked.....or even there lol. I also ordered a s14 pick up figuring upgrading while I'm down there. I will look for that o ring in the pick up tube while I'm at it.

[Kingtal0n]

something like this

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y207/racecougar/90%20XR7/winter%20project%2006-07/oilprimer.jpg

They sell 'professional' versions of a pump sprayer with a fitting on it to go into the block. I used the oil pressure sensor port with one of these to push oil throughout the engine, slowly turned it over by hand till oil cam out wherever I could see it was supposed to. Then let it rip;

Not saying this is your solution (or related to the problem). Building an engine is such a huge list of 'to-do' that its easy to forget something.
Or miss something.

[poormtnkid]

I got to the pan and the pick up looks good however the o ring is completely flat, I hope the trend doesn't continue through the motor of not replacing items.

Later model is coming in the mail, I will do a quick test and see if the flat washer is the culprit but I'm not confident.