Lubricate engine before starting it?


  #1  
Old 05-02-02, 06:15 AM
sciguyjim
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Question Lubricate engine before starting it?

Hello,

I had an idea and I'd like some opinions on whether it could work or not.

I have an 89 Firebird, 5.0 L, V8, MPFI, 57K miles, and I use 5W-30 Mobil 1 oil. It often sits unused for several days at a time, especially in the winter.

I thought if I pull the fuses to the fuel injectors so the car can't start when it's cranked, then this would allow some oil to be pumped up into the engine before all the high pressures associated with normal running began. The result should be that there is less wear associated with cold starts. It seems that as long as I don't crank it so much that the starter is harmed or the battery drained, there shouldn't be any problem. Swapping the fuses "in and out" would be done simply with a switch in the circuit. Another benefit of having a switch in the circuit like this is it would hinder anyone trying to steal the car if the switch was hidden.

I've seen pumping systems made specifically for this purpose in the J.C. Whitney catalog but they want about $400 for it. This way seems simpler and cheaper.

Any opinions about this, good or bad?
 
  #2  
Old 05-02-02, 07:34 AM
Joe_F
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Waste of time in my belief. The "damage" has been done to the motor a long time ago. You won't notice any difference. The motor will likely last the same length of time.

If you are using Mobil 1 (which is overkill for most vehicles, but it IS good oil), that pumps up quickly and will minimize the "damage" by dry start up. Frankly, with regular maintenance, most cars don't need any start up oiling devices. I know people with over 200k on the same engine that just do regular maintenance and nothing more.

Racers and other performance folks use such devices which are warranted in high dollar engines like that. Milidon and other companies probably offer such devices. Look in JEGS or Summit for them, among other performance catalogs.
 
  #3  
Old 05-02-02, 07:51 AM
Joe_F
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You could also simply unplug the distributor and crank the engine over. That will allow pressure to build up for a bit and then you can connect it to fire up.

I would perhaps do that when it sits for a while.
 
  #4  
Old 05-02-02, 11:04 AM
knuckles
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Thumbs up

I agree with both of you...

That is, I don't think it's necessary to prelube an engine unless it's been sitting for a few months.

BUT, if you're going to prelube it, disable the injectors rather than the distributor to prevent flooding the engine & washing the cylinder walls with fuel.
 
  #5  
Old 05-02-02, 01:23 PM
Joe_F
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Good point about the fuel injectors. However putting things inline to the injectors can be hokey. The more splicing and cutting into the wiring harness, the more chance of problems.

If anything, a prelube system is best, but most cars don't/won't benefit from it.
 
  #6  
Old 05-03-02, 07:42 AM
sciguyjim
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Splicing into fuel injector circuits

Thanks for the opinions. I know most of the damage has been done already but I just have a knack for trying to find better ways to do things and I thought this might help a bit. Splicing into the circuits won't be hard. I found a device that plugs into the fuse socket which has a tap for adding another fused circuit to the line. All I have to do is remove the original fuse and put a switch on the new fused line.
 
  #7  
Old 05-05-02, 03:30 PM
tstokka
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you could just hold the gas pedal to the floor and turn it over. It wont start because with the pedal to the floor tells the computer that you are trying to clear a flood codition.
 
  #8  
Old 05-05-02, 05:30 PM
rickwhoo
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i think you should leave it alone. the oil will circulate much faster when the car starts. just cranking the engine at starter speeds turns the engine slowly. the higher the rpm`s the higher the oil pressure to lube engine.
 
  #9  
Old 05-06-02, 09:46 AM
sciguyjim
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Tstokka, You're right, I'd forgotten about holding the accelerator down.

Rickwhoo, I didn't realize that there was a significant difference in engine rpms and oil pressure before and after the start.

Ok, I'm convinced now that there's nothing to be gained by trying this experiment. Thanks for your opinions.
 
 

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