LS3 oil priming before 1st start problem
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Teching In
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LS3 oil priming before 1st start problem I have a Texas Speed LS3 that has been sitting about 2 years while I worked on converting my 69 Firebird to a track/road car. I had numerous 10AN fittings available that I am going to use to plumb in an Accusump and oil cooler lines. I decided to make a pressurized preluber out of a 5 gallon air tank, 4 feet of clear rubber hose, and my fittings. I plumbed it into the Front driver's side oil galley. I tapped in a mechanical oil pressure gauge above the oil filter. I filled the cleaned new tank with 7 quarts of Joe Gibbs break in oil and warmed the oil up by placing the tank over a heat register in the house for the day. I pressurized the tank to 80psi and opened the valve. I was able to get the gauge up to about 20psi, but was only able to get oil to come out of 1 push rod. It seemed like most of the oil might have went directly into the pan. I did turn the crank 180 degrees also. What am I doing wrong?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
Oil priming an LS3 problem I have a Texas Speed LS3 that has been sitting about 2 years while I worked on converting my 69 Firebird to a track/road car. I had numerous 10AN fittings available that I am going to use to plumb in an Accusump and oil cooler lines. I decided to make a pressurized preluber out of a 5 gallon air tank, 4 feet of clear rubber hose, and my fittings. I plumbed it into the Front driver's side oil galley. I tapped in a mechanical oil pressure gauge above the oil filter. I filled the cleaned new tank with 7 quarts of Joe Gibbs break in oil and warmed the oil up by placing the tank over a heat register in the house for the day. I pressurized the tank to 80psi and opened the valve. I was able to get the gauge up to about 20psi, but was only able to get oil to come out of 1 push rod. It seemed like most of the oil might have went directly into the pan. I did turn the crank 180 degrees also. What am I doing wrong?
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2009
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You will have to constantly drain the oilpan and refill the tank. Most of the oil will back flow through to the oil pump. Don't get discouraged. It will take many, many times. I would of just used regular conv. motor oil untill ALL the rockers got oil. You will have to turn the motor over/rotate the crank by hand a few different times to get the oil through all rockers.
I tried using the port above the oilfilter. Not the bypass you are using though. I couldn't ever get the right fittings so switched to the port at the front of the block. This port had alot of back flow to the oil pump too. Probably because it was so close to it.
I switched my prelubing to the port at the back of the intake. This port doesn't make as much of a mess as the front when I disconnected it. It didn't appear to back flow as much either. It will take some time to get all the rockers squirting oil. I used the CARCRAFT oilpump mounted to the bottom of a bucket lid method.
I tried using the port above the oilfilter. Not the bypass you are using though. I couldn't ever get the right fittings so switched to the port at the front of the block. This port had alot of back flow to the oil pump too. Probably because it was so close to it.
I switched my prelubing to the port at the back of the intake. This port doesn't make as much of a mess as the front when I disconnected it. It didn't appear to back flow as much either. It will take some time to get all the rockers squirting oil. I used the CARCRAFT oilpump mounted to the bottom of a bucket lid method.
