Hey guys, Here is a REAL basic 455 question, thanks for your help in advance: I bought a fresh 1971 455 from a member of this board back in May. It was freshly gone through and assembled by a machine shop in St. Louis. This is my first engine swap. I just decided to prime the oil pump, he suggested I do this monthly and I hadn't done it. I bought the TA oil pump prime tool. So, should priming the oil pump cause a lot of drag on the drill? I used an 8.5 volt, 1/2" chuck drill- a pretty heavy drill, and it was working hard to spin the oil pump. After I primed for about a minute, the motor on the drill was literally smoking. Is heavy drag on the drill normal when priming an oil pump? And how long should I prime it (1 minute, or longer?) to properly work the oil through the engine? I plan to prime it every few weeks now while I get the car ready for the swap, and of course before I get ready to fire it up. Simple question, but I want to make sure it isn't an indication of trouble before I get too far into this swap! Thanks!
you know you have pressure when the drill slows down. Yes, that is normal. Sounds like you need a stronger drill. Personally, I wouldn't worry about priming it until it's time to start it. The oil won't completely drain out of the pump if it's not taken apart. I'm sure you'ld still be able to prime it years later. When it is time to fire the engine, most people like to prime it until oil is seen coming out of the rockers. You can do this by looking into the oil fill hole in the valve cover with a light.
