If you are working on Ford Modular Engines, watch this tech tip video featuring our tech director Cale Risinger talking about priming the oil pump.
Premature wear in late model oil pumps due to dry starting is one of the primary issues we see at Melling. One of the big differences in late model engines relative to older engines is the location of the oil pump. In most older engines the oil pump resides in the oil pan and is partially submerged in the engine oil. Oil pumps in late model engines no longer reside in the oil pan but are mounted over the crankshaft. The change in location increases the length of the oil pickup tubes which increases the time to fully pressurize the engine. As a result the priming of the oil pump and also the engine are critical steps that must be followed before initial start-up.
This video covers how to easily prime the late model Ford oil pumps. Please refer to our video on how to prime the engine.