Oil Pump Priming Process Explained

In order to ensure that you get the best out of your vehicle, you may decide to perform an oil pump priming. This will help to ensure that your oil pump delivers oil quickly to the rest of the engine. After an oil change, you may find that your oil pump is working less efficiently than usual, or that you have a reduced amount of oil pressure in your engine. This is caused by the oil pump losing the prime, or its prepared status, allowing air and other debris to leak into the oil pump line. Oil pump priming is a way to increase the pressure inside your engine, without having to take it to a garage.

Bleed the Line

Whenever you want to perform your oil pump priming, you need to make sure that the oil feed is completely free of air. Do this by opening the oil line close to the pump, and running off the oil into the pump, until the air is forced out. Filling the pump with oil like this needs to be done carefully, and you will have to shut off the engine, and allow it to cool, before you start feeding the oil into the pump. Make sure that the pump has all of the air bled out of it, before you proceed with the oil pump priming.

Using the Engine

Leave your oil pump exposed, and then start the engine. Don't do more than idle, and then hold the tubes, or the cam, of your oil pump as wide open as possible. This is best done with needle nose pliers. You should be able to watch the oil begin to pump into the cylinders, and this should only take a couple of minutes. If you find that the pump is taking a very long time, then you may need to add some premixed oil to the process. This is a professional combination of oils which are designed to give a smoother flow.

Using a Drill

Open up your pump by using a wrench to remove the bolts, and then insert a drill motor into the end of the pump. Turn the pump drive in a clockwise direction, until you see the oil start to fill the chambers. You may want to add some of the premix oil to this pump, if you have having trouble with your oil pump priming, although it is not necessary.

Changing the Filter

Take out your oil filter, and fill it with around 1/2 quart of fresh oil. Allow this to flow around the filter, and then place it back into the pump. Then, restart the engine, and allow it to run for a few seconds. Check the oil pressure after this, and make sure that it has reached normal levels, according to your owner's manual. If you still have problems with the filter, remove it from the pump again, and replace it with a new type of filter. When this is done, top up your oil levels before using the car again.