Hey,

I’ve got a 1991 Subaru brumby with 170,000kms, it’s been running awesome no issues at all but I recently changed the oil and left it draining for a few hours ( I normally drain it then fill it up straight away) anyways then I came back and filled it up and started it but my engine oil light is now on.

so after turning on/off the car within a few seconds to build up the oil pressure it still wasn’t going away which has never happened before. So I took off the oil filter and it was bone dry! 

Pretty sure I need to prime the oil pump now to get the pressure back up but I’ve got no idea how to prime it. 

Any help on how to prime it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

You can try filling the filter halfway with oil and returning it to the pump to see if it helps but this seems like a bigger issue. If you refilled the engine and started it the filter should have filled itself within seconds. Are you sure there is nothing blocking the passageway on your pump assembly(which the filter and sending unit is part of)?

I tried filling up the oil filter  then using a pump to push oil into the centre hole of the oil filter adapter ( where the oil filter screws on ) to get some oil in the line from the sump to the adapter to help build up the pressure but still no luck. It’s not blocked when I was pumping the oil into the hole it was flowing.

You could try pulling the spark plugs, overfilling it a bit with oil and cranking it over for 10 seconds at a time until the oil light goes out. 

Once the oil light goes out you can drain off some of the oil and top up as necessary, whack the spark plugs back in and fire her up - watching the oil pressure light! 

Otherwise I’d recommend pulling the oil pump and putting a seal kit through it. Remove the crank pulley to remove the oil pump, otherwise you’ll crack you pump housing (and no hitting it with a hammer, small or big!). 

Cheers 

Bennie

With the oil filter off you will see a port that is the other end of the pick up in the sump. There is a size of clear PVC tube about 10 mm? OD that you can shove in it add a funnel then pour oil into it, down to pick up. Has worked for me every time.

Edited September 26, 20196 yr by Steptoe

11 hours ago, Steptoe said:

With the oil filter off you will see a port that is the other end of the pick up in the sump. There is a size of clear PVC tube about 10 mm? OD that you can shove in it add a funnel then pour oil into it, down to pick up. Has worked for me every time.

Worked perfectly mate! Thanks heaps!!

Had no choice but to work !

happy to help

So does this mean the pick up tube was

covered in crud and the priming of the tube pushed this blockage to the bottom of the sump? 

Cheers 

Bennie

Edited September 27, 20196 yr by el_freddo
Correcting the auto correct’s mistake

I'd guess it just an air lock and key word is prime. I have had same problem in rebuilds with spotless oil pump tube pick up screens

Here, I will hold your hand ( not often done in here)

That tab in the middle is stamped 6-6

No idea what it means

Heat shrink tubing on wire ends first, pushed back away from heat source until final step...might be 8 or 10 mm ID heat shrink

The sensor just fits in where the wire should go, when drilled out to 4.0 mm I think

I chop the wire crimp tube off and toss the tab bit

The chopped wire crimp tube fits inside the larger terminal, no drilling

I solder the smaller crimp tube inside the bigger terminal stamped 16-10, then, yes once soldered, drill out hole to suit sensor and it is tight fit

Heat shrink everything up after. The hole in the 16-10 is maybe 10 mm perfect for M8 bolts on thermostat

Shoot! Wrong thread !