The_One

Hey folks,
So am i getting ready to start up my rebuild 22R.
I have gotten pieces of info from threads here there and every where, on what oils to use etc.
So i am using 30 weight mineral oil and additive etc for first run in.

But after my first couple of 20 min sessions of revving up to 3k rpm and letting it coast back down many times, and i change the oil - do i refill with mineral SAE 30 for the next 500 miles or do i use 10W30 SYNTHETIC for the next 500 miles? Wont plain mineral 30 wear down my engine over 500 miles?
If i have to continue to use plain mineral SAE30, should i use the zinc additive? I have heard the zinc could ruin my new CAT...

Thanks

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Just Curious what your calling Mineral Oil ??

Mineral Oil is what we gave to Horses with Colic??

I would just use a 10/40 oil of your choice because synthetic tends not to seat the rings correct .

Not sure if 500 miles is going to be long enough.

Then I was always the odd one out I use 20/50 oil in all my 22R series engines new or with 250,000 miles

The_One

Righto thanks.

I just got back from the shed, trying to start the 22R up.
Can't for the life of me get any oil pressure.

The pickup tube is installed with the gasket.
The oil galley plugs were installed, front, back, bottom and on the side (minus one i am using for the pressure sender).
The pump was primed with assembly lube, then packed with Vaseline.
I half filled the oil filter with oil.
Cranked it for like 60sec (15 sec intervals) two or three times after giving the starter a break.

I am out of ideas - except does pouring oil down the middle hole where the oil filter screws onto prime the pump?

millball

Somebody on here recently primed their new engine using a pressurised garden sprayer.

They introduced the oil thru the pressure sender tap, and were able to prime the oil pump..

The_One

righto.
I have one of those giant mechanics fluid syringes (like a foot long type of thing).
I might have to try that. I don't understand why they designed these engines to be so hard to prime!

The_One

If i use a garden sprayer into the oil sender hole will the oil go back through the oil pump? I thought the oil would only go all up through the engine - as the sender port is already past the oil pump?

millball

It's gotta flow both ways.

gsp4life

Engnbldr and 22reperformance both recommend a good quality 10w30 break-in oil the first 400 miles. Switch out to a conventional 10w30 after that. Synthetic can be used after 5000 miles.

This is anecdotal, but I've heard that a 22re oil pump doesn't like to be packed tight with any sort of grease. I primed mine with a light coat of assembly lube mixed with break-in oil only on the gears and it started up and ran great.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Are you sure you have the oil pump drive gear on correct ??

I used to prime 22R series oil pumps with Lucas Oil additive

Used it for quite a few engine bearings as well

In the Old days STP

I gotta wonder about the mixing of Assemble lube and Vaseline

Quite possible there is not enough clearance with the Vaseline Just where did you get the Vaseline Idea ??

The_One

millball,
Could you elaborate on what you mean by the oil having to flow both ways? I thought the oil pump just pumped one way?
Do you mean when i put pressurized oil in the sender port it will fill the pump up not just the engine?

The_One

The vaseline idea is from about a dozen places, lots of people use it to prime the pump. I was not too keen on the idea, so i just put lots of assembly lube inside the pump. But still no go. Then i tried vaseline.
I am thinking now of priming it with a pressurized sprayer then starting the engine for 10 secs and see if the oil pressure come up...
10 secs is fine isn't it? All the parts are assembly lubed.

akwheeler

as mentioned above, do not put synthetic in a fresh rebuild unless you like using oil, killing mosquitos and fouling plugs. give it AT LEAST 5000 miles. I made this mistake way back in the day on my first engine rebuild and it took almost a year to seat the rings (not a daily driver). If you use the garden sprayer idea you will be putting oil in above the oil pump, how would it not flow downhill and fill the pump? it won't just pressure up everything in one direction.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

If the oil pump is already filled with a mix of assembly lube of some type and Vaseline adding more oil to the mix is not going to do much but add oil to the engine

In any case Good luck

The_One

My thinking was that the clearances between oil pump gears would not allow oil to flow back through them (from the oil sender port) and fill the cavities up. After all, the gears are made to create suction for the oil.

In any event - i made the pressurized garden sprayer in about 10 mins, cost about $10. It filled up all the galleys and passageways with oil, until i could see it dripping out of the rocker arm jets.

I pulled the oil pump and blew through the galleys to the sump pickup and the filter just to be sure they were clear. Cranked it over for the millionth time and WAM great oil pressure! I could actually hear the oil get sucked up into the pump...
I have a nice 3 in 1 LCD digital gauge that tells me coolant temp, oil pressure and voltage. I am making a pod for it on the pillar - as i don't think anywhere sells a pod for these vehicles?

Here is the green machine when it was partially done:


So with good oil pressure, i fired her up! Purred like a kitten, not even a knock or clunk.
That alternator is from the USA actually! And the alternator bracket i bought from a guy in the US and got it posted to me here in Australia. As my original engine (late 1989) came from the factory with an externally regulated alternator that only output 45A! Not enough to run those 9" LED lights on the bullbar in the background.
Also, the metal coolant pipes i installed are a different material to what came with my original engine. They are off a late model engine down here in Australia. The earlier ones rusted something awful, whereas the new material seems to be some type of stainless or good galvanizing (?) that still looks like it is brand new. What are the metal coolant pipes made from in the US?

Thanks for the oil type advice. I will leave the mineral oil in there for a fair while.
I was hoping after a couple of thousand kilometers break in, i can take the vehicle on a long highway drive (somewhat constant speed) without adversely affecting the ring seating process?

gsp4life

Pretty cool build, and glad you got it up and running. My first guess was you had too thick a viscosity in the pump for the oil to flow through.

Ideally, you want at least a few thousand kilometers on a new engine before keeping constant revs at highway speeds for an extended period. If you have to take this long trip, you can avoid the problems (glazing cylinder walls before the rings fully seat) by adjusting the revs and keeping the speed down some. Stay below 2500 rpms on average and once in awhile rev up to 3000 rpms (especially up an incline) and then let off the throttle (downhill is best) coasting down to 2000 rpms. It's kinda tedious, but repeating this process whenever you're bored or traveling over a hill will help the ring-seating process along.