1919 Oil pump

[ellagee]

Recently got a 1919 Light Four running that had not been on the road since the 1930's. Oil pressure is "zero". The service manual instructs to check line to gauge for clog. Negative. The manual suggest to "prime" the oil pump. How do you 'prime" the oil pump? Or should I just remove it for inspection?

[nvonada]

I have no clue what the oil pump looks like on a 1919 light 4 but I have used a few techniques to prime a pump. The first is to remove the distributor and use a drill motor to spin the oil pump until you get pressure. This will not work on most Stude engines because the drive gear off the camshaft is on the oil pump shaft instead of the distributor shaft. The second method is to take the cover off the oil pump and pack the gears with vasoline. This will give good suction on even a worn pump for a few seconds until the oil is pulled up into the pump. The vasoline dissolves in the oil and causes no problems. A third possibility that I have never done is to pump oil into the pump via the oil pressure port. That should work but again I have never tried it.

Nathan

[1922bigsix]

I have no clue what the oil pump looks like on a 1919 light 4 but I have used a few techniques to prime a pump. The first is to remove the distributor and use a drill motor to spin the oil pump until you get pressure. This will not work on most Stude engines because the drive gear off the camshaft is on the oil pump shaft instead of the distributor shaft. The second method is to take the cover off the oil pump and pack the gears with vasoline. This will give good suction on even a worn pump for a few seconds until the oil is pulled up into the pump. The vasoline dissolves in the oil and causes no problems. A third possibility that I have never done is to pump oil into the pump via the oil pressure port. That should work but again I have never tried it.

Nathan

Remove the oil line to the gauge from where it attaches to the engine (oil pump) and shoot some oil into the hole. That should prime the pump. Reconnect the line before starting the engine. This is a low pressure system and the gauge may not register any pressure until the engine is reved up a bit. I am basing these comments on the EG EK shop manual and my work on the oil pump in my car. I am assuming that the oil pump works in a similar manner on the light 4, Tom