Engine pre start Oilers

[Marksteamnz]

Bad Baby my Sunday car is getting closer to being off the stands and exercised so I'm looking for a 12V oil pump I can use to pressurize the engine before starting it as it's sat for so long. Probably a good idea for the future as well as it will probably sit for weeks at a time before being given a thrashing.
I've looked at MR2 power steering pumps $250 to $350 on Trade Me. Is their anything else some one can suggest? I think one of the high power Japanese coupes had an electric pump for a diff oil cooling circuit.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Cheers
Mark

[Esprit]

Is this for just before the first start or something you want to happen every time you start it?

[Fulvisti]

I didn't worry about it when I rebuilt the engine in my integrale, I packed the oil pump with vaseline, and wound it over on the starter (with plugs out and fuel line unplugged) for only a few seconds before I saw oil pressure. I have thought about an accusump with solenoid valve but haven't gotten around to it yet.

You really shouldn't have too much trouble.

[Marksteamnz]

Esprit said:

Is this for just before the first start or something you want to happen every time you start it?

I want to plumb it in permanetly so I can pull from the sump and presurize the system before every start. If I get cute I'll look to a pressure switch and timer.

[Redmist336]

I use an accusump with electronic valve on the race car. Works brilliantly even after long stints without running. Also prevents running bearings when the oil pickup runs temporarily dry. You can also charge it prior to ever running the engine.
By the way, learned from Rod Millen that you don't pre-prime the engine, just run it. If you watch the oil pressure in an external cooler system build when cranked it takes forever to build pressure. Start it and the pressure raises almost instantly.
Don't know how your external pump would work when switched off. I suspect it'll cause a flow restriction.

[Marksteamnz]

The motor is a 202 Holden red motor with the typical improvements from back then ie ported, balanced, stronger rods, bumpier cam . The pump won't be in line with the oil pump it will be feeding the galleries the via a tapping through a check valve.
I've let the engine sit for ages before and there is a what feels like
a long lag before presure appears on the gauge.
There is a Tilton diff oil circulating pump that may be the business.

Anyone know if a Comodore electric fuel pump (found in a mystry box in the shed) will handle oil rather than petrol? Seems happy on diesel but that is a lot lower viscosity. Might be a case of a nothing ventured nothing gained experiment with bits of hose and containers?

Cheers

Redmist336 said:

I use an accusump with electronic valve on the race car. Works brilliantly even after long stints without running. Also prevents running bearings when the oil pickup runs temporarily dry. You can also charge it prior to ever running the engine.
By the way, learned from Rod Millen that you don't pre-prime the engine, just run it. If you watch the oil pressure in an external cooler system build when cranked it takes forever to build pressure. Start it and the pressure raises almost instantly.
Don't know how your external pump would work when switched off. I suspect it'll cause a flow restriction.

[Esprit]

The Tilton pump in parallel should work if you can plumb it right, but I'd also be in favour of an Accusump, stores accumulated pressure from when it was last running and also provides some rudimentary surge protection.

If you're running an ECU on the thing you could always programme it to not introduce fuel and spark until oil pressure has hit a certain point. Quite a common thing on some supercars in the 1990s, the downside to this is more cranking time required, which is harder on the battery and starter.

Without an ECU you could simply use an oil pressure switch to do the same by cutting the +12V feed to the coil until it is closed by the rising oil pressure.