oil pump priming problem

[306deranged]

I've got a 1994 302 I'm building for my ranger...the motor is completely assembled and I've been priming the motor every few weeks and its been doing fine until now. I've been using a drill and a priming tool by jegs. Now the drill will spin freely until a certain point but then becomes unable to spin. The pump won't spin longer than 5 seconds before it stops when this happens u can look down the distributor hole and see air bubbles popping up. All the parts are brand new any ideas??

 

[fordmike1]

sounds like the oil passages are all full of oil now and that you drill is not strong enough to spin the pump with full oil pressure. The bubbles you are seeing are from the oil getting by the front cam plate with a little airation in it. Have you looked at a oil pressure gauge when this happens? I bet it will show high oil pressure.

 

[306deranged]

no i havent hooked a guage to it...i simply have a bolt in the side where the oil gauge would hook up to...so thats normal?? like i said its been spinning good and making it through the pushrods and everything until now it simply wont spin any longer than about 4 or 5 seconds. Would you feel safe cranking the motor

 

[306deranged]

i just dont wanna have to take the pan off for nothin ya know? could the pickup tube not be picking up nothing but air? theres not 5 quarts in the motor more like 3 because its just been sitting and have only been putting enough to keep it oiled. or is it normal for it to stop spinning eventually ???? any suggestions would be much appreciated guys im new to the game

 

[originalnitro]

I would not try to start it.
I don't think it air. It would spin freely if it was picking up air.
I would do as suggested hook a pressure gauge to it.
Remove the valve covers, spin the oil pump and turn the engine over by hand to see if you have oil coming out of every pushrod.
Here's how I break an engine in. http://www.fordstrokers.com/break-in/

I've seen people get a bad oil pump from the parts store.

 

[306deranged]

Thanks man, I went to the shop yesterday were the motor has been kept and drained all of the oil out of it...which wasnt even a quart?! Idkif someone messed with it or what but i put 4 quarts of oil into it and took the intake mani off so i could pour it down the backside of the block so it would be sure to go on the pickup tube side of the pan. I waited about 5 mins and then attemtped to spin the pump ccw, no problems whatsoever. It spun freely and never tryed to lock up. I guess it was just so durn low on oil which i dont knoe how and couldnt pick anything up past the little bit of oil that was left.