Oil Priming on L31 Vortec

[katwood16]

I'm rebuilding the L31out of my 96 GMC K2500 and am nearly to the point of putting the thing in. I know that it's best to prime the oil system before starting the truck, so I bought a proper tool that attaches to a drill. My engine has the oil filter housing that runs two lines to an oil cooler in the radiator, and when I spin the oil pump it comes right out of the holes for the lines on the oil filter housing. So my question is do I need to either somehow block the holes, or hook the lines up to both the rad and the filter housing and spin it then? Maybe possibly something entirely different I'm not thinking of but any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[HotrodZ06]

I believe you should be able to block the cooler line holes with pipe plugs and it will bypass through a valve like it doesn't have a cooler.

 

[katwood16]

Would I have better luck finding plugs at a hardware store or napa? I'll bring them in to match the thread but I'm not exactly sure where look.

 

[Schurkey]

Or connect the free end of the outlet hose to the inlet fitting, so it completes the circuit.

"Priming" is mostly a waste of effort. Guys do it, but GM doesn't. "Priming" is a feel-good ritual that removes air from the oil pump and oil filter, and does little else.

 

[katwood16]

I was thinking that too just connect the two with a rubber hose or something. I went through all this effort rebuilding this thing I'd rather have the peice of mind lol but I've also seen it done without.

 

[Supercharged111]

After my cam swap I didn't get crap out of the lifters priming with a modded distributor housing. It wasn't until the engine idled a minute or 2 that they all started flowing so waste of effort there. But I have heard of instances where the top end never flowed and required a lifter swap to do so. Not my personal experience though.

 

[Schurkey]

Which is why I pump-up the lifters with ATF (thin at room temperature) before assembly into the engine. That way I know that the lifter can pass oil to the pushrod seat, AND I have some idea of the leakdown rate.

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Having pumped-up the lifters, I then have to be careful when setting lifter plunger preload, so I don't open a valve into a piston. Slow adjustment, so the lifter has time to bleed-down.

 

[GoToGuy]

I'm curious, you had it rebuilt or you rebuilt it. If you are priming before fire up, that should be on the list of , things to just before first startup. Everything connected and ready to go. 3/8 pipe, male.

 

[katwood16]

I'm curious, you had it rebuilt or you rebuilt it. If you are priming before fire up, that should be on the list of , things to just before first startup. Everything connected and ready to go. 3/8 pipe, male.

Sent the bare block to the machinist and reassembled everything myself but yeah this weekend hopefully I get the thing stabbed and started

 

[Scooterwrench]

Or connect the free end of the outlet hose to the inlet fitting, so it completes the circuit.

"Priming" is mostly a waste of effort. Guys do it, but GM doesn't. "Priming" is a feel-good ritual that removes air from the oil pump and oil filter, and does little else.

I have always primed new builds while they're still on the stand while rotating the engine 90deg at a time just to make sure all the air is worked out of the oil galley's,lifters and push rods. Maybe it's overkill but I can't stand to hear valve train clatter on initial fire up.