Me, I made this mistake in the first motor I ever rebuilt, a Nissan/Datsun L28 but they have an external pump that NEEDS to be primed, (ie: filled with oil from the inside of the pump) this is easy to fix this problem. Drop the pump fill with oil turn with a screwdriver and make sure its full and reinstall, set the timing again and your done. Oil pressure builds quickly once the motor is started.
With a 7M I have always done the same (with respect to priming the pump) then before the front lower timing belt cover goes on and before the timing belt itself goes on I put a 14mm socket on a drill and run the oil pump and check the pressure with a mechanical gauge. Its usually less than 30 psi with my old cordless drill. Its better than 30 with the 3/8 drive impact.
Then at first start up pull the EFI fuze or yank the coilpack plug and run the starter and I always get oil pressure very early.
Now that you know what I do, you probably asking "Why am I asking?" I have a customer that installed my Oil Pump Supply Kit, and he is stating that he doesn't have oil pressure on his Greddy oil pressure gauge he didnt tell me if it was mechanical or electrical. He also didnt give me very many details in his original email.
Below are all the questions I asked him in an email, with his answers in red if he gave them.
"Did you build the motor? The oil pressure worked before, the motor was built 8 months earlier.
Did you prime the pump? (apparently he did with the ignition)
Did you fill the oil filter? (the oil filter had oil in it) He didn't really answer that one
Did you have empty Oil cooler lines? (no answer) I assume it did if it ran earlier.
Did you start the motor? (sounds like he used the starter)
If so how long? (he didn't really say)
Did you test the Greddy gauge, to make sure it works? (he said he suspects the gauge may have problems also)
Is the greddy gauge a mechanical gauge or electrical? (he didn't say)
I never trust electrical gauges. A cheap mechanical gauge is best for checking oil pressure on a new motor.
Every 7M motor I have built, I disconnected the timing belt and ran the oil pump drive with a drill and watched a mechanical gauge as it built pressure and I 100% was positive I had primed the pump before I installed it. Im not sure about the 7M but some oil pumps wont draw a vacuum if they are dry? I just did it on the 7M because I did it on all the other motors I had ever rebuilt.
How about a few more details.
Did you actually start it? (he didn't answer completely)
I always disconnect the ignition/coilpack and use the starter until I see oil pressure on the gauge. Then I re connect it and start so I know I have good oil pressure.
You can prime the pump while in the car but let me find out first if you have to."
With a 7M I have always done the same (with respect to priming the pump) then before the front lower timing belt cover goes on and before the timing belt itself goes on I put a 14mm socket on a drill and run the oil pump and check the pressure with a mechanical gauge. Its usually less than 30 psi with my old cordless drill. Its better than 30 with the 3/8 drive impact.
Then at first start up pull the EFI fuze or yank the coilpack plug and run the starter and I always get oil pressure very early.
Now that you know what I do, you probably asking "Why am I asking?" I have a customer that installed my Oil Pump Supply Kit, and he is stating that he doesn't have oil pressure on his Greddy oil pressure gauge he didnt tell me if it was mechanical or electrical. He also didnt give me very many details in his original email.
Below are all the questions I asked him in an email, with his answers in red if he gave them.
"Did you build the motor? The oil pressure worked before, the motor was built 8 months earlier.
Did you prime the pump? (apparently he did with the ignition)
Did you fill the oil filter? (the oil filter had oil in it) He didn't really answer that one
Did you have empty Oil cooler lines? (no answer) I assume it did if it ran earlier.
Did you start the motor? (sounds like he used the starter)
If so how long? (he didn't really say)
Did you test the Greddy gauge, to make sure it works? (he said he suspects the gauge may have problems also)
Is the greddy gauge a mechanical gauge or electrical? (he didn't say)
I never trust electrical gauges. A cheap mechanical gauge is best for checking oil pressure on a new motor.
Every 7M motor I have built, I disconnected the timing belt and ran the oil pump drive with a drill and watched a mechanical gauge as it built pressure and I 100% was positive I had primed the pump before I installed it. Im not sure about the 7M but some oil pumps wont draw a vacuum if they are dry? I just did it on the 7M because I did it on all the other motors I had ever rebuilt.
How about a few more details.
Did you actually start it? (he didn't answer completely)
I always disconnect the ignition/coilpack and use the starter until I see oil pressure on the gauge. Then I re connect it and start so I know I have good oil pressure.
You can prime the pump while in the car but let me find out first if you have to."
