I may have screwed up ....more than once

[Minercar]

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?

 

[Lord Sparky]

I don’t know the answer, but I screw up all the time.

 

[gzig5]

You may need to rotate the crank/cam. The LA heads don't get oil all the time, depends on the position of the holes in the cam. Can't comment on running the pump backwards but I'd be surprised if it was hurt. May just need to prime it.

Pull the plug on the pressure sender like it was initially and see if you are getting anything. Always good to have a mechanical gauge connected at this stage too.

 

[rumblefish360]

Gzig5 got it. No harm on the pump.

Reinsert the priming rod and drill, then it on with it on the slow rotation speed, have a helper rotate the engine at the crank slowly, you’ll get oil to the rockers! No worries!

Here is a small tip. Install a oil pressure gauge.

 

[Demonracer]

As rumble said, "Install an oil pressure gauge". Cheap insurance & you don't have to rely on an idiot light that usually comes on "way" too late.

 

[famous bob]

As rumble said, "Install an oil pressure gauge". Cheap insurance & you don't have to rely on an idiot light that usually comes on "way" too late.

My first reaction to the o.p , dont feel pregnant / welcome to the club .
Never had that problem , but would like to haver dollar for everytime I screwed up !!

 

[rumblefish360]

LMAO, yea! No chit there. It’s all good.

 

[toolmanmike]

Been there, done that. I prelubed my 273, primed it and had oil everywhere it was needed and fired the thing up. I stared at the oil light on the dash for over a minute before it went out. It was stupid on my part and scary now that I think about it but I knew there was plenty of oil everywhere. You should be good. You had oil pressure and then running the drill in reverse it pumped it back out. Just prelube it again and rock on.

 

[TrailBeast]

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?

Eh, it could have been worse.
One of our local Mopar group got everything ready to fire up with a newly installed mechanical oil pressure gauge and didn’t realize he kinked the line and cracked it.
On fire up it sprayed oil all over his drivers side fender inside and out, as well as soaking his work bench and the window above it before he noticed and shut it down.

 

[TheGrateRonzini]

I forgot the plug behind the dizzy on an LA. Had to put it in while motor was in the car

 

[shittyslant6]

The first time I ever touched an engine was when I rebuilt a lawn mower and I forgot to put the camshaft back in the engine. I only realized when the thing wouldn't start and I walked into the garage and saw it sitting on the bench.

 

[SGBARRACUDA]

Hey i built a stout 4V 351 Cleveland for my 1972 Ranchero. I was just about ready to start it when my brother in law that doesn’t know much about cars, points to something on the floor and says, “doesn’t that belong in there?”
Sure enough I left the torque converter out!

 

[Unconventional]

Hey i built a stout 4V 351 Cleveland for my 1972 Ranchero. I was just about ready to start it when my brother in law that doesn’t know much about cars, points to something on the floor and says, “doesn’t that belong in there?”
Sure enough I left the torque converter out!

Had a similar moment in a 289W Had that little bugger all buttoned up and looked in the bottom of the box and found the oil pump drive shaft I figure I knock the C clip off the shaft and install from the top. Remove dizzy, get it lined up with oil pump and PLINK as it bounced off the bottom of the oil pan

 

[lilfontleroy]

I forgot the plug behind the dizzy on an LA. Had to put it in while motor was in the car

my ex use to call me "Mr Detail" ~
.. It's 1990 or so, my first Dart... so I'm out in the garage getting ready to fire my new small block for the first time, I checked then rechecked everything ~ timing set, fuel in, battery charged, electric pump working and pressure is good, carb squirts fuel, throttle not binding or sticking, proper break-in oil in and double checked for correct level, radiator filled, fan on and running in front of the car, all torques checked and rechecked, extinguisher ready... blah blah blah, let's do this! Ignition on, turn the key, three cranks on the starter and she's alive ~ NAILIED IT! RPM good, fuel pressure still good.. open headers ~ damn that's loud... wait, WTF is that!?? Are those oil droplets on the windshield!?? ~ kill it NOW..........


hold up, there is oil dripping from the ceiling directly above the engine bay....


..."Mr Detail" missed the oil pressure hole behind the distributor.. hey, the line was run TO it and the fitting was in there.. 'nuff said.

 

[pishta]

I primed a 318 and the open oil pressure port shot oil right up my nose. Couldn't (wouldnt) do that again if I tried. That is uncomfortable!!! I replace the backlights in a 55" lcd TV and fired it up...nothing. Forgot to plug the 10 led strips into the harness! Had to take the whole LCD panel off again and those are about as fragile as a snowflake at that size. Many shops won't attempt it, not worth the liability of breaking that 1mm thick glass sheet. Work slow and methodical, enjoy the experience. That's what this hobby is about

 

[ocdart]

We've ALL been to the screwup penalty box! This is going to be a very long (and very hilarious - see post #15) thread if we all list our screwup history.
The mention of a mechanical oil pressure gauge is a "must". I like to have a mechanical oil pressure gauge in the engine compartment so I can check for oil pressure immediately and not have to take the time - and risk engine damage - to have to check oil pressure on an interior gauge.

 

[moparmat2000]

I forgot the plug behind the dizzy on an LA. Had to put it in while motor was in the car

Did that once, won't ever do it again. Heres the thing, I pulled every oil plug out I could find, then sent it to the machine shop. Never found that one. They did, and removed it, never told me. I put back the ones I removed. Never did a small block rebuild before that.

 

[TrailBeast]

Hey i built a stout 4V 351 Cleveland for my 1972 Ranchero. I was just about ready to start it when my brother in law that doesn’t know much about cars, points to something on the floor and says, “doesn’t that belong in there?”
Sure enough I left the torque converter out!

I did that on a 4x4 truck once.
We were in a hurry to get that truck out before closing.
Didn’t notice until I went to put the dust cover for the converter on.
Of course everyone thought that was hilarious. LOL
I stayed after closing and finished it.

 

[beanhead]

Eh, it could have been worse.
One of our local Mopar group got everything ready to fire up with a newly installed mechanical oil pressure gauge and didn’t realize he kinked the line and cracked it.
On fire up it sprayed oil all over his drivers side fender inside and out, as well as soaking his work bench and the window above it before he noticed and shut it down.

At least it just made a mess!
On one 440 build I broke in, I used a big oil pressure test gauge connected with a rubber hose, and hung it on the DS windshield wiper. As the run-in went on, I didn't realize the hose had enough slack to slide down slowly and come to rest on the hot exhaust header...burning a very small hole in the hose. Well, oil was misting out the hole onto the pipes at 70psi and, before I knew it, poof! The driver side of the engine bay was on fire, as well as the concrete garage floor under the car (it was half in/half out of the garage). I got it put out pretty quick so luckily the only damage was some melted wiring and a lot of nasty soot on the block, fenderwell, and firewall...but it could have been a lot worse. Wife will never let me live that one down...

 

[1969383S]

It happens!

just learn from it!

I dumped 8 quarts of oil on my folks drive 35 years ago because I installed the spring wrong in the BB pump and it blew the new filter apart. My Dad just laughed as I cleaned up the mess!

 

[Ceedawg]

Here goes, just finished painting the race car the day before and put it in garage. It was close to the wall and I was next to the pass side rear tire. Bent down to clean wheel and bumped the shelf that had a new can of spray ceramic header paint. It then fell squarely on the edge of a thin gauge metal laying up against the wall, dead center of the edge of can. It punctured and started spraying paint all over me and and the car as it fell to the floor then it spun like a 4th of July fireworks spinner around under the car. Paint covered my head, face (lucky I had glasses on) arms and the whole side of fresh paint on car. Grabbed a rag and lacquer thinner and started wiping off the paint on the car, lucky no damage done. Then wiped myself off. Still on the wall and floor to this day. But the odds of that can hitting the edge of the metal was unbelievable. Perfect storm

 

[1969383S]

Here goes, just finished painting the race car the day before and put it in garage. It was close to the wall and I was next to the pass side rear tire. Bent down to clean wheel and bumped the shelf that had a new can of spray ceramic header paint. It then fell squarely on the edge of a thin gauge metal laying up against the wall, dead center of the edge of can. It punctured and started spraying paint all over me and and the car as it fell to the floor then it spun like a 4th of July fireworks spinner around under the car. Paint covered my head, face (lucky I had glasses on) arms and the whole side of fresh paint on car. Grabbed a rag and lacquer thinner and started wiping off the paint on the car, lucky no damage done. Then wiped myself off. Still on the wall and floor to this day. But the odds of that can hitting the edge of the metal was unbelievable. Perfect storm

Well that sucks! Most sorry for you!

 

[66fyssh]

When I was 18 years old I learned that an oil filter gasket can stick to the block.

Almost brand new Toyota mini truck that I bought brandnew. Changed oil in the street outside my parents' house. Started it up and drove to the stop sign, across the street and up the hill. Luckily I saw the oil light come on, looked in the rear view mirror and saw the line of oil.

Pulled over, walked back home and my dad asked me to check if the gasket came off with the old filter...oops!!

 

[Bewy]

I think we have all had 'mishaps'. I had one I learned from....

I forgot to plug the 1/8" NPT gauge port on a 413 I had just built & was about to fire up......
Fired her up & before I could turn off the engine about a quart of oil went up into the rafters....

As for no oil to the rockers. The cam oil holes have to be aligned with the oil holes in the block to transfer oil to the r/shaft.

 

[ocdart]

Here goes, just finished painting the race car the day before and put it in garage. It was close to the wall and I was next to the pass side rear tire. Bent down to clean wheel and bumped the shelf that had a new can of spray ceramic header paint. It then fell squarely on the edge of a thin gauge metal laying up against the wall, dead center of the edge of can. It punctured and started spraying paint all over me and and the car as it fell to the floor then it spun like a 4th of July fireworks spinner around under the car. Paint covered my head, face (lucky I had glasses on) arms and the whole side of fresh paint on car. Grabbed a rag and lacquer thinner and started wiping off the paint on the car, lucky no damage done. Then wiped myself off. Still on the wall and floor to this day. But the odds of that can hitting the edge of the metal was unbelievable. Perfect storm