I finally got around to priming the oil system on a rebuilt 273. Pulled the distributer gear and inserted the priming tool and gave it a spin with a low speed drill. Shot oil all over out of the oil pressure sending unit port. First mistake. Then I took the drill off the priming tool to reduce stress on the distributor gear bushing while I inserted the sending unit. After inserting the sending unit, I reattached the drill and gave it a whirl. After about three minutes I popped a rocker cover off to see if there was any oil in the area and nothing. I had inadvertently reversed the rotation of the drill when removing and reattaching it. Second Mistake. I switched it back to clockwise and ran it some more and nothing. My question is…. Have I damaged the oil pump or do I simply need to reestablish prime for the pump?
Any suggestions?
