Pre-lubing the engine ?

[DieselMonkey]

Guys,

My motor has been sitting for about 3 / 4 months without lube, i'm pretty sure the bores are now bone dry. Before i put the new belt on it should i attempt to pre-lube it ?

Looking at the timing belt striaght on, the crank turns clockwise, so the intermediate shaft turns anti-clockwise. Would it be wise to attempt to run the shaft to get some oil pressure round the motor ? Has anyone tried this before ?

Would speed (enging rpms) or PSI do the oil squirter jets operate ? And where is the valve in the block that controls this ?

Any comments much apprecaited. Regards, DM

[QuickTD]

Prelubing is always a good idea. The oil jets open at about 30psi. The valves that control this are located inside the individual jets, they cannot be bypassed. It should be no problem to hit 30psi with cold oil, just make sure you have a powerful drill to drive the oil pump. An 18volt cordless would be adequate.

The easiest way to prelube the engine is to remove the vacuum pump and drive the oil pump directly using a drill. An old vacuum pump shaft with the gear removed and the oil hole welded shut works the best. You can also improvise a tool. The timing belt can stay on using this method. A cordless drill turns at a good speed for this job and is usually more controllable than a corded drill.

 You can also turn the I-shaft and get the job done but you will need to remove the timing belt. A socket adaptor chucked in the drill with a socket on the centre bolt works well. I use the 3/8 drive adaptor that came with my impact driver.

[DieselMonkey]

Thanks for the info, but theres a problem, i cant remove my Vacuum pump as the motor has been re-sprayed and i dont want to ruin the paint job, but my timing belt hasnt been fitted yet, so i'll do it before i do fit it.

But a quick question, from your post you said that its possible to run the oil pump with the timing belt fitted and the vacuum pump removed. How is this ? This is an area i havent had to touch to any of my VW diesels, so i know little about it.

Anyway, i'll run the drill anti clock wise off the front pully before i run it. How long should the pressure be kept on for ? How do the hydraulic tappets react ?

Thanks again, DM

[fspGTD]

You can prime your oil pump with this:
http://www.techtonicstuning.com/viewpart.asp?partnum=799.100

You can also make your own.  It's a simple rod (I think about 3/8") with a slot cut into it.

Like quickTD says, just remove the vacuum pump.  Then, chuck the oil pump primer drive into a drill and engage the oil pump shaft, which is underneath the vacuum pump.  The vacuum pump engages both the oil pump and intermediate shaft so they will no longer be connected when the vacuum pump is removed.

[Josh]

I made my own using a 3/8 inch bolt of some roughly 6 inch length, and I ground/hacksawed a groove into the head of the bolt.  I ran it counter clockwise on my Quantum for 20 seconds or so; I don't know if that was technically long enough or not!  But when I started her up, the oil light went off at the usual interval for an overnight, rather than 6 month sit, IIRC.  

  I wonder, though; are there any risks involved in doing this, ie. dropping stuff down the vacuum pump hole?  Could you potentially screw up something, and loose oil pump activity at start up?  

  Doing a dry run on one of my parts engines, it seemed to me that the re-installation of the vacuum pump was a virtual no brainer; it couldn't go in wrong.  Is this in line with other people's experiences?  I mean, either it sits down fully, or it clearly isn't seated, by about a 1/2 inch or more.  It can rock a bit in place, but it's seated.

  Power Brakes were back in full effect when I drove it home from storage, indicating the vacuum system is functioning as it should.  Still, having an oil-related hole open on the engine in a dirty compartment makes me worry a bit.

  -josh