Just this week I installed a freshly rebuilt Cummins complete Recon engine in a bus. With the expense involved it was obviously a priority to ensure good initial lube and fuel supply on startup. It had been dyno tested so I knew it had already been run. I decided to crank the engine over with the ECM disconnected to pull fuel through the filters before hooking up the fuel lines. Plus the oil galleries were full before actually starting the engine.... boy did that make things easier. Thanks for all you for us viewers in TH-cam land.
Priming oil pressure before the very first start after a full rebuild is a good idea if you have the right tools. If you don't have the tools, just make sure all the bearings and cylinder sleeves are well lubed before you put everything back together, and definitely fill up the oil filter.
Larger displacement CAT engines such as 3516 and 3600 will typically have an air/gas operated pre-lube pump that operates before every start. Typically worked into an instrumentation configuration that will require the pre-lube cycle to be completed before the starter will engage.
I've always wondered if a pre-lube pump would make sense on smaller "civilian" vehicles. I don't know how true it is but I've heard again and again that a lot of engine wear happens right at startup because the engine isn't at operating oil pressure or temp when its starting up. Hearing from you that big expensive engines have this feature shows that the cost is worth it at some point as your engine gets expensive enough. But it seems $500 in pre-lubing hardware would be worth it even on a $5000 engine like you'd find in a sedan or small truck. What do you think?
Hey Josh, great video as always. I’m a heavy duty mechanic working in mining in NZ. The C27 and C32 engines in our haul trucks have a pre lube motor that runs for a few seconds before start up which builds engine oil pressure before it runs. These are factory fitted by CAT from new. Basically a starter motor that drives a small gear pump.
I always wondered why this kind of thing wasn't more common. It seems such an inexpensive trinket that would save a huge amount of wear your typical engine experiences.
@@FerralVideo it’s not in there best interests. They need you coming back. With the super expensive equipment they put them on since your spending millions on there stuff. That little extra prelude pump could be the difference on a sale or not.
So a modernisation of the donkey engine Cat used in the old dozers to both warm the main engine and raise oil pressure before starting? The more things change the more they stay the same.....
That's one of those "why didn't I think of that"tools. I'm retired now but would have loved one in the day. I thought it was a neat idea when Cat started putting prelube on off-road equipment.
I've primed them from the air compressor feed for many years. Recently I started priming in the bottom of the filter base, so it goes through the filter first. Cheers.
Great video!!! When I worked in a Cummins shop the "oil pig" was standard policy and was preformed prior to installing the oil pan. All rod journals, main and upper rockers had to have oil or else disassembled to figure out why not. There was an era when a logging company lost several cam shafts on initial start up after trucks had sat thru the winter. Something about oil squeezed out of cam bearing while being under valve spring pressure. I agree with you whole hardheartedly that oil pig would be a wise investment for equipment that has sit for any period of time. Was hired one time to start a 3406 that sat under a tree for many years. When I got to it the engine was seized from all the guys from the bar trying to start it with out priming the oil and being not smart enough to prime fuel system hence several batteries drained turning a dry crankshaft. Interesting the tree it sat under was in national news as this was where the Zogg Mine Fire burnt and PG&E just got a $155M fine this week. Just trivia. If I remember the "Federal Mougel" oil pig in the Cummins shop used straight shop air pressure, had a ball valve, so when you heard the air sputtering you knew process completed.
So I’m two trips away from cert as a master mechanic… on small gas engines. I read that thread twice. And I still only understood that the fucker wouldn’t start, rednecks and mismanagement had a play then the whole thing burned down. That about correct?
I’m so happy to hear another experienced mechanic say he doesn’t recommend pre filling oil filters on a standard oil change. I’ve argued with so many mouth breathers over this subject it makes my head hurt. They might actually listen to you because you have a popular channel.
I made something just like that from an old steel air tank. Welded up a two wheel cart with a ten foot hose. Had an inline fine mesh screen that could be cleaned. A little cubby for fittings. Worked great.
I run an engineroom with bigger KTA-38s, spec on an engine sitting more than a 5 days is an ignition off crank to prime the lube oil system as it doesn't have a dedicated LO primer pump. Personally I'm a fan for mechanical reasons but it also has air starters which is fun to stand on for a 15 second blast and traumatize our charter personnel.
Definitely agree with PrePriming the oil gallery. the most destructive moments of an engine's life is the first few seconds until the oil pump gets pressure into all the bearings.
I think this is a cool device. It will be very handy for engines that weren’t started for a long time or for oil changes. It will greatly reduce engine wear.
Prelubing is good! Our engines (marine EMD's) all have external prelube pumps that draw oil from the pan and discharge into the main gallery. The manual states that it the engine is shut down for 72 hours or more to prelube, and we check for complete oiling the exact same way, at the rockers and cam bearings. (Love that tool, BTW...)
I don't have a diesel , just enjoy watching videos that very well done. This technique reminds me of the pre-oiler that my dad installed on his 454 gas powered motor home 25 years ago . I don't know whether it saved any wear during that first start after sitting for months at a time, but it gave him some Pease of mind .
What a find on Amazon! Years back I remember a test the engineering staff at BMW were testing synthetic oil. They were maintaining that the cold start of any engine was when the engines oil drained back into the oil pan so the engine was dry. Especially in winter when the oil thickens up. It was not the mileage of the engine that caused the engine to wear out. Unless you had a engine part break. But it was the cold start with the engines that were dry. I after seeing that I switched to synthetic oil. Pay a bunch more offer the lifting of the engine. My newer cars had electronic ignition so they would start fast. My mechanic put a switch on the dash so I could turn the engine over without it starting up so I could build oil pressure. But this tank you found is brilliant!
It's great, unfortunately they seemed to stop production on this exact model. If you click the link in the video description there is a very similar one on Amazon still.
I had something similar on my drag car. Called an Accusump by Canton racing. When you hit the ignition it would prime the engine like you just did and then when you started and the oil pump took over it refilled and pressurized. If you lost oil pressure going down the track the solenoid released and flooded the oiling system from the tank giving you time to shut down before the engine ate itself.
The Volvo truck dealer I worked at had an oil prelube pressure tank.We made it using an aluminum air tank.We did install an oil filter on the outlet side of the tank.Just for safety.
A friend of mine when I was young(,50 years ago) was an excellent Chevy V8 guru. His engines were perfect. He had a setup where(if I'm remembering it right) he had a dummy distributor shaft with no cam drive gear on it and he would insert that in the engine and spin it with a drill and get full oil pressure for several minutes to be sure everything got fully lubricated before start up. He would then pull the dummy shaft and reinstall the real distributor and start the engine for the first time.
Thanks for your excellent review. Definitely a great tool for a serious engine shop builder both diesel and gas engines. I learn a lot watching experts like you. Thank you. I won’t ever instal another oil filter without running a rag over the threads after another TH-cam creator showed how often metal shavings are left over at filter production. The simple rag method catches any shavings or burs left during threading process
I guess the question is: " Why would you not want to pre-lube an engine. I can tell you that race cars are pre-lubed every time before they are started. Why would you not want oil in an engine before you start it. Inquiring minds want to know. Keep the good stuff coming Josh.
Always pre-lubed any engine I've ever built. I converted an air bubble (storage tank), that I currently use that looks a lot like what you're using, minus the shiny appearance. I remember in high school shop class having to manually turn the oil pump shaft on a 350 chevy with a speed handle to pre lube the engine before installing the distributor. Arm got pretty tired before oil was sighted at the rocker arms. Thank you for another great video.
Yup, same here. I removed the distributor and spun the oil pump for what seemed like hours before i saw some oil pressure. I've always wanted an electric pre-lube pump; should be standard equipment on all engines.
That's a neat tool, always thought of pre-lube with an electric pump or air/oil system like this and years ago (more than 20) I had a need to remotely put oil in a diesel and watch the the crank (oil pan was removed). I didn't have an electric pump or air tank like this so I used an agricultural hydraulic cylinder, I think it was a 4 in x 8 inch stroke. Oil on one side of the piston and air to the other. The rod would move in or out depending on which side the oil was on, the piston separated the oil from air like the piston or diaphragm in an hydraulic accumulator. I have actually made a low pressure hydraulic accumulator from one of these type cylinders by using a maxi-brake spring externally mounted around the cylinder rod since these type cylinders are very common and inexpensive. I think i will have to buy one of these air/oil tanks being aluminum it is much lighter than the cylinder.
These prelube tanks are real handy before initial startup. I've had an air brake tank with filter and air regulator set up for years. It has also been handy looking for internal leaks (pressure tube O-ring in a K50 and worn bearings in an 8V71 for example). A must have diagnostic and service tool...
There used to be a company that made an electric pre-lubing external oil pump for pressurizing the oil galleys on car engines before start up. Run it for a minute or so, then start the engine. It picked up the oil from the pan and pumped it in a galley hole. A really neat idea. It must have been about 30 years ago.
I would really like to see a side by side test, project farm style, where you do all of this work to prelube a rebuild and another engine where it's just assembly grease on the rods and mains. Then run the engine for say 2 hours each and pull the oil pan and compare the bearings
I like the pre lube set up. I may have to get one. I bought macs version of the cooling system vacuum on your recommendation and it works fantastic. Thank you for another great video!
I have been using a similar type tank for years to refill the rear ends in my midget and sprint cars after we change gears, easier to fit in the pit cart than a big jug.
That's just a manual charge pre-luber like we use in race cars, especially our historic race cars. Those also have an internal pressure bladder that you charge before engine is running, then you shut the valve. With the engine running you open the valve and let the engine oil flow in, close the valve behind it. Next time you go to cold start you release the pressure and lube the motor. Start it up, let it run enough to get some oil pressure against the air bladder and close the valve. Rinse and repeat. You just have to be careful with your oil levels.
Thanks for watching the video. The highly recommended tool in the video is on this Amazon Affiliate Link: Allstar Oil Pressure Priming Tank: amzn.to/3L5pASm If the Allstar is out of stock try the one below: Oil Pressure Priming Tank: amzn.to/3YuBrNr
Find those little bbs and wires coming from aftermarket head castings...... Have seen it a couple of times after a repeat head gasket failure with a "new" aftermarket head.
Hello sir, I have a problem with the 320d cutter excavator that stops running after 3 minutes more or less. I go to the manual fuel dispenser, I find it empty, then it works for two more minutes, the first less, then the excavator turns off, then I go to the manual, I find it completely empty and the same problem continues
Would be kinda cool if there was some way for engine manufactures to build a system that gets oil flowing without the engine running for normal use. Especially for cold winter startups. Tool works awesome though I am probably going to pick one up!
I think ambulances and fire trucks are equipped with pre-lube pumps which come on with the dome light, so there's oil flowing before they crank it over.
I find it somewhat interesting that you take such pains to fill the filter from the "dirty" side to avoid introducing contaminants, but have no worries filling this tank without a screen in the funnel. I'd think if you're careful while filling the filter in either hole, as long as the wind isn't kicking up a ton of sand in the air, you'd be totally fine. In my situation, all my filters have an anti-drainback device/seal, so pre-filling is only practical in the middle and I haven't let anything get in there but oil.
I work at a diesel shop in NZ and all our rebuilt engines get the pressure pot put on them ours was built locally and also has a spin on filter on it . Especially useful on ford ranger and some others that don’t like picking up oil on initial startup.
3208/throwaway zealot here, Bluebird Wanderlodge applications only. Cat manual specifically recommends pressure fill on fresh overhaul examples, @ the air compressor lube port, curb side rear cylinder head. Just saying. I use a repurposed bulk fill tank, liberated from a Wanderlodge, holds 5 gallons. Good post, simple procedure that is frequently over looked.
I remember, maybe 35, 40, years ago, an oil pre-lube set up for gasoline powered cars. The "inventor" made the claim that the engine would never wear because it was "dry" starting a cold engine that caused the damage. Why would you NOT want to have pressurized oil system before starting an engine?
Very nice bit of kit. I like the idea of prelube before cranking. Of those who may donate negative input about the idea, I would give the call to the person/people responsible for the condition of the equipment. Those who complain may do so verbally into their personal mail box.
I made one of those oil priming tools for priming the porsche motor i rebuilt. The prebuilt one was around $450 and it looked similar to a small propane tank. So i took a propane tank and some steel pipe fittings to make my own.
For years our sawmill used Cat gen sets to power the mill. The last unit we ran was powered by a 3512. Per Cat’s recommendation I plumbed a small single phase hydraulic pump into the system that included a check valve to close the loop once the engine started. Before starting we brought the engine up to full oil pressure about 60 psi (if I remember correctly) before starting. All maintenance intervals, heads, turbos, starter etc were based on gallons of fuel burned. You want things to be very predictable when the jobs of 32 men are on the line.
I've seen aftermarket kits with accumulators and solenoid valves. (Performance car) While running you have the solenoid valve open so the accumulator can fill. Then you turn it off and the valve closes. Next time you turn it on the solenoid valve opens and dumps its pressure into the oil gallery. Once running the accumulator fills again
I've operated mining equipment that has a prelube system on it the starter motor has a gear pump built into it and when you start the engine the starter doesn't engage the bendix gear until the engine has oil pressure
Oil field Allison V-12 engines we ran on trailer mounted pumping units had oil priming pumps we team before EACH cold start. Also had oil tested regularly.
Great engine rebuild!! It definitely needed it! I have to say I always fill any oil or hydraulic filters (as much as possible with horizontal filters) anytime I change the oil. Why not fill the new filter while the old oil is draining. Most filters have an anti drain back valve for a reason. This is to help avoid dry starting. When the filter is removed the oil that was being held up in the engine, drains out. With a dry filter and the oil passages empty you are going to have some starvation. The amount will depend on the size of the empty filter and how much oil it will take to fill the passageways before building pressure. Just my 2 cents.
7:25 that same grime or whatever will be there regardless of if the engine is pressure primed or not, just if you don't pressure prime then that grime goes to your bearings under the load of a running engine, therefore it's worse to not prime if you're worried about grime.
Great video... I encourage you to go a few steps further and run filtermags on the spinon oil filter and a bypass oil filter system to additionally clean the oil while driving down to about 1-2 microns... I use this stuff on my 07 5 ram 3500 Cummins with 970.000 miles with engine never opened up along with OEM injectors... Be Blessed 🙏
With a new pickup truck hitting the $80,000 range, I would install an automated pressurization system on any new purchase. Easy to setup a tank that charges up with oil pressure through a orifice and check valve. Then a solenoid to dump the oil pressure prior to starting. high-falluting Long haul trucks aren’t the only machines on the road that can use this trick!
Did something similar for filling differentials with gear oil. One thing to think about is using dry air. Moisture will get into the container and into the oil.
Awesome! 👍 did anybody mention the double shocks & air bags on the front!? That's incredible! bet that rides pretty Good! I've used Road King shocks before & they were top notch (no longer available) plus an added adjustable air bag on the steer axle - (Donvel)
Good showing on that tool, keep up the good work. May get one when I rebuild my old 1989 3406b cat motor,well have a good one see ya next time see ya bye.
Neat tool. I suppose a 12v transfer pump would achieve similar results, but the portability of that little tank is pretty great so long as u got shop air.
@@AdeptApe very true, but I enjoy making tools and thumbing my nose at the company's that make the fancy tools for less. And especially if I can tick off a snap on dealer 🤣
Almost mandatory to pre lube oil galieries after rebuild or after you have had the oil pump off on 3406, C15 and wind engine over after filter change to get oil pressure before starting. Will take out #1 big end from lack of lube, usualy starts knockin about half hour from the shop. 38 years ago when I first started we used to use a stainless soft drink syrup bottle as they were pressure rated and held about 10 liters of oil, we pre lubbed every rebuilt engine before startup.👍
Pretty cool tool. Needs more capacity I think. 5 gallons would be ideal. I'm finishing up the 1st of 2 3508s I am rebuilding, neither of them have prelube pumps.
That cavitation damage looks a lot like what I see lately when a low rad gets topped off with tap water. I have no idea the chemistry or physics behind it, but something about our nasty ass nasty tap water mixed with newer coolants react with different metals to make some nasty compounds that eat up everything it touches like battery acid. And with distilled water now in short supply I suspect we're going to see more of this in the future. It's getting kinda ridiculous
Reverse osmosis water is almost as pure as distilled, and available in any grocery store. I use it in my off-grid lead-acid battery bank with the blessing of the battery manufacturer. And for only $300 I installed my own under-the-sink RO system in the kitchen.
I built one years ago. Sometimes I fill it with diesel and use it on fuel system to check things out . Found a leaking sealing ball on a detroit 60 series injector one time. Nice to not haveing to run the engine
The question remains, as to why pre-lube pumps are not installed permanently and used prior to all startups and after each shut down, particularly with turbo-charged engines? It's a small price to pay for increasing the longevity of the engine.
Friend of mine dropped a nut in his engine, same thing happened. Worst part was it was a fresh build and he new he was missing a nut, he found out where it was on first start up
Beginning to test negative for patience for this sort of outcome. All this effort, then drop something in a blind hole and shrug your shoulders? Pffft, for some, $40 000 is easy come, easy go.
In the 90's in the Arctic, we had pre-lube pumps on our Cat 777 trucks, with 3412 engines. When not running, they had a block heater per cylinder bank, plugged into the mine's power system. Best wishes from the North.
I have the mighty vac oil fillers. You can thread them right in, 20 PSI max, I have one for engine oil, one for tranny oil and one for gear oil. Use them to filter and fill everything. Awesome tools.
Yikes, that nut into the turbo...I'm learning how to adjust overhead sets and I did one yesterday and a big fat rag went right over the turbo inlet before I did anything else. The paranoia is real.
At the absolute minimum, remove the spark plugs and crank long enough to get oil pressure reading on the gauge. Obviously, diesels don't have SP's so you have to do whatever other methods work (I don't do diesel). Most SBC, get yourself an old distributor. Remove the drive gear and reinstall a shorter roll pin. Drop it in, get it hooked on the oil pump drive shaft and spin it with a drill.
IF prelubing forces contaminants into the bearings then so will the air pressure that precedes the oil in a dry start up. Yes air precedes oil in a dry start up.
Wonder why the manufacturers don’t design and install a preoiler system in all engines and Tanis heater pads on the oil pan to keep oil warm. The most wear any engine gets is during start up. The big aircraft radial engines had preoil systems. Oil pressure just a few seconds after start.
It most definitely is the hottest cylinder and anytime a cylinder looks like that all the way around it is due to overheating and from what I could see on cylinder #1 with that amount of crud in the cooling system it’s no wonder #6 over heated. Piss poor maintenance.
KNOWLEDGEABLE Adept Ape Thanks 👍 for sharing it Take care and have a great Weekend with all your family around you KNOWLEDGEABLE Adept Ape From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧 Questions time why I never see you use Oscilloscope to Diagnostics vehicles Thank you
I thought assembly grease was good enough. That's all I used for my c13 rebuild and my oil gauge only took a few seconds to show pressure. I suppose there is no such thing as too much oil on moving parts. (Within reason)
Yes. Pre lubrication works, but it doesn't work for folks who need to work on equipment. Adding bypass filtration plus oil analysis will turn engines into forever units and that will be bad for business
Being fortunate enough to have you as the one to rebuild an engine is equivalent to being treated by the top doctor
Just this week I installed a freshly rebuilt Cummins complete Recon engine in a bus. With the expense involved it was obviously a priority to ensure good initial lube and fuel supply on startup. It had been dyno tested so I knew it had already been run. I decided to crank the engine over with the ECM disconnected to pull fuel through the filters before hooking up the fuel lines. Plus the oil galleries were full before actually starting the engine.... boy did that make things easier. Thanks for all you for us viewers in TH-cam land.
Priming oil pressure before the very first start after a full rebuild is a good idea if you have the right tools. If you don't have the tools, just make sure all the bearings and cylinder sleeves are well lubed before you put everything back together, and definitely fill up the oil filter.
Larger displacement CAT engines such as 3516 and 3600 will typically have an air/gas operated pre-lube pump that operates before every start. Typically worked into an instrumentation configuration that will require the pre-lube cycle to be completed before the starter will engage.
Yeah the 3516 gensets we had used an electric pre lube pump. They wouldn’t crank unless the pre lube pump got a few psi.
This is exactly how a lot of old piston engine airplanes worked way back in the day, pre lube pumps before the starter would engage
I've always wondered if a pre-lube pump would make sense on smaller "civilian" vehicles. I don't know how true it is but I've heard again and again that a lot of engine wear happens right at startup because the engine isn't at operating oil pressure or temp when its starting up. Hearing from you that big expensive engines have this feature shows that the cost is worth it at some point as your engine gets expensive enough. But it seems $500 in pre-lubing hardware would be worth it even on a $5000 engine like you'd find in a sedan or small truck.
What do you think?
Hey Josh, great video as always. I’m a heavy duty mechanic working in mining in NZ. The C27 and C32 engines in our haul trucks have a pre lube motor that runs for a few seconds before start up which builds engine oil pressure before it runs. These are factory fitted by CAT from new. Basically a starter motor that drives a small gear pump.
What mine are ya at? On the coast or southland?
I always wondered why this kind of thing wasn't more common. It seems such an inexpensive trinket that would save a huge amount of wear your typical engine experiences.
@@FerralVideo it’s not in there best interests. They need you coming back. With the super expensive equipment they put them on since your spending millions on there stuff. That little extra prelude pump could be the difference on a sale or not.
So a modernisation of the donkey engine Cat used in the old dozers to both warm the main engine and raise oil pressure before starting?
The more things change the more they stay the same.....
Interesting.
That's one of those "why didn't I think of that"tools. I'm retired now but would have loved one in the day. I thought it was a neat idea when Cat started putting prelube on off-road equipment.
I've primed them from the air compressor feed for many years. Recently I started priming in the bottom of the filter base, so it goes through the filter first. Cheers.
Great video!!! When I worked in a Cummins shop the "oil pig" was standard policy and was preformed prior to installing the oil pan. All rod journals, main and upper rockers had to have oil or else disassembled to figure out why not.
There was an era when a logging company lost several cam shafts on initial start up after trucks had sat thru the winter. Something about oil squeezed out of cam bearing while being under valve spring pressure. I agree with you whole hardheartedly that oil pig would be a wise investment for equipment that has sit for any period of time.
Was hired one time to start a 3406 that sat under a tree for many years. When I got to it the engine was seized from all the guys from the bar trying to start it with out priming the oil and being not smart enough to prime fuel system hence several batteries drained turning a dry crankshaft. Interesting the tree it sat under was in national news as this was where the Zogg Mine Fire burnt and PG&E just got a $155M fine this week. Just trivia.
If I remember the "Federal Mougel" oil pig in the Cummins shop used straight shop air pressure, had a ball valve, so when you heard the air sputtering you knew process completed.
So I’m two trips away from cert as a master mechanic… on small gas engines.
I read that thread twice. And I still only understood that the fucker wouldn’t start, rednecks and mismanagement had a play then the whole thing burned down. That about correct?
Yep I remember them to and used it while working at Odessa shop
Which trucks/engines had the sitting cam issue?
I’m so happy to hear another experienced mechanic say he doesn’t recommend pre filling oil filters on a standard oil change. I’ve argued with so many mouth breathers over this subject it makes my head hurt. They might actually listen to you because you have a popular channel.
I made something just like that from an old steel air tank. Welded up a two wheel cart with a ten foot hose. Had an inline fine mesh screen that could be cleaned. A little cubby for fittings. Worked great.
I run an engineroom with bigger KTA-38s, spec on an engine sitting more than a 5 days is an ignition off crank to prime the lube oil system as it doesn't have a dedicated LO primer pump. Personally I'm a fan for mechanical reasons but it also has air starters which is fun to stand on for a 15 second blast and traumatize our charter personnel.
Definitely agree with PrePriming the oil gallery. the most destructive moments of an engine's life is the first few seconds until the oil pump gets pressure into all the bearings.
I think this is a cool device. It will be very handy for engines that weren’t started for a long time or for oil changes. It will greatly reduce engine wear.
very pleased to see you marked all top end ensuring the install and torque spot so easy tell if one comes loose. quality work.
Prelubing is good!
Our engines (marine EMD's) all have external prelube pumps that draw oil from the pan and discharge into the main gallery. The manual states that it the engine is shut down for 72 hours or more to prelube, and we check for complete oiling the exact same way, at the rockers and cam bearings. (Love that tool, BTW...)
I don't have a diesel , just enjoy watching videos that very well done. This technique reminds me of the pre-oiler that my dad installed on his 454 gas powered motor home
25 years ago . I don't know whether it saved any wear during that first start after sitting for months at a time, but it gave him some Pease of mind .
You can bet it helped a lot.
I made 1 out of a old hydraulic cylinder. I put a oil filter kit on it to keep it clean, also used a air pressure regulator.
What a find on Amazon! Years back I remember a test the engineering staff at BMW were testing synthetic oil. They were maintaining that the cold start of any engine was when the engines oil drained back into the oil pan so the engine was dry. Especially in winter when the oil thickens up. It was not the mileage of the engine that caused the engine to wear out. Unless you had a engine part break. But it was the cold start with the engines that were dry. I after seeing that I switched to synthetic oil. Pay a bunch more offer the lifting of the engine. My newer cars had electronic ignition so they would start fast. My mechanic put a switch on the dash so I could turn the engine over without it starting up so I could build oil pressure. But this tank you found is brilliant!
It's great, unfortunately they seemed to stop production on this exact model. If you click the link in the video description there is a very similar one on Amazon still.
I made one out of air tank for fuel priming another one for priming lube system. Have them for 15+ years and still working good.
I had something similar on my drag car. Called an Accusump by Canton racing. When you hit the ignition it would prime the engine like you just did and then when you started and the oil pump took over it refilled and pressurized. If you lost oil pressure going down the track the solenoid released and flooded the oiling system from the tank giving you time to shut down before the engine ate itself.
The Volvo truck dealer I worked at had an oil prelube pressure tank.We made it using an aluminum air tank.We did install an oil filter on the outlet side of the tank.Just for safety.
A friend of mine when I was young(,50 years ago) was an excellent Chevy V8 guru. His engines were perfect. He had a setup where(if I'm remembering it right) he had a dummy distributor shaft with no cam drive gear on it and he would insert that in the engine and spin it with a drill and get full oil pressure for several minutes to be sure everything got fully lubricated before start up. He would then pull the dummy shaft and reinstall the real distributor and start the engine for the first time.
Thanks for your excellent review. Definitely a great tool for a serious engine shop builder both diesel and gas engines. I learn a lot watching experts like you. Thank you. I won’t ever instal another oil filter without running a rag over the threads after another TH-cam creator showed how often metal shavings are left over at filter production. The simple rag method catches any shavings or burs left during threading process
I guess the question is: " Why would you not want to pre-lube an engine. I can tell you that race cars are pre-lubed every time before they are started. Why would you not want oil in an engine before you start it. Inquiring minds want to know. Keep the good stuff coming Josh.
Always pre-lubed any engine I've ever built. I converted an air bubble (storage tank), that I currently use that looks a lot like what you're using, minus the shiny appearance. I remember in high school shop class having to manually turn the oil pump shaft on a 350 chevy with a speed handle to pre lube the engine before installing the distributor. Arm got pretty tired before oil was sighted at the rocker arms. Thank you for another great video.
The days before drills were invented?
Yup, same here. I removed the distributor and spun the oil pump for what seemed like hours before i saw some oil pressure. I've always wanted an electric pre-lube pump; should be standard equipment on all engines.
That's a neat tool, always thought of pre-lube with an electric pump or air/oil system like this and years ago (more than 20) I had a need to remotely put oil in a diesel and watch the the crank (oil pan was removed). I didn't have an electric pump or air tank like this so I used an agricultural hydraulic cylinder, I think it was a 4 in x 8 inch stroke. Oil on one side of the piston and air to the other. The rod would move in or out depending on which side the oil was on, the piston separated the oil from air like the piston or diaphragm in an hydraulic accumulator. I have actually made a low pressure hydraulic accumulator from one of these type cylinders by using a maxi-brake spring externally mounted around the cylinder rod since these type cylinders are very common and inexpensive. I think i will have to buy one of these air/oil tanks being aluminum it is much lighter than the cylinder.
These prelube tanks are real handy before initial startup. I've had an air brake tank with filter and air regulator set up for years. It has also been handy looking for internal leaks (pressure tube O-ring in a K50 and worn bearings in an 8V71 for example). A must have diagnostic and service tool...
Very awesome Josh. Great addition to tool chest. Destruction was epic. Very amazing cheers man🔧🔧🍻
All ship sized engines have dedicated electric pre lube pump. We would never consider starting a diesel without prelubing.
We also keep engine hot
There used to be a company that made an electric pre-lubing external oil pump for pressurizing the oil galleys on car engines before start up. Run it for a minute or so, then start the engine. It picked up the oil from the pan and pumped it in a galley hole. A really neat idea. It must have been about 30 years ago.
I would really like to see a side by side test, project farm style, where you do all of this work to prelube a rebuild and another engine where it's just assembly grease on the rods and mains. Then run the engine for say 2 hours each and pull the oil pan and compare the bearings
Me too, just need someone to fund it. Maybe this Allstar oil tank company would like too 😎
How much it is going to cost to Josh lol project farm started with lawn mower engine
I like the pre lube set up. I may have to get one. I bought macs version of the cooling system vacuum on your recommendation and it works fantastic. Thank you for another great video!
I’m a big fan of pre-lubing before you start things up. That goes for engines too.
I see what you did there.
I have been using a similar type tank for years to refill the rear ends in my midget and sprint cars after we change gears, easier to fit in the pit cart than a big jug.
That's just a manual charge pre-luber like we use in race cars, especially our historic race cars. Those also have an internal pressure bladder that you charge before engine is running, then you shut the valve. With the engine running you open the valve and let the engine oil flow in, close the valve behind it. Next time you go to cold start you release the pressure and lube the motor. Start it up, let it run enough to get some oil pressure against the air bladder and close the valve. Rinse and repeat. You just have to be careful with your oil levels.
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“Little bit later in the day here.” Jump cut from liners out to the head on and turbo. Lol. You work damn fast, my friend!
Would love to see stickers of your seal of approval! Great toolbox bling!
Find those little bbs and wires coming from aftermarket head castings...... Have seen it a couple of times after a repeat head gasket failure with a "new" aftermarket head.
Hello sir, I have a problem with the 320d cutter excavator that stops running after 3 minutes more or less. I go to the manual fuel dispenser, I find it empty, then it works for two more minutes, the first less, then the excavator turns off, then I go to the manual, I find it completely empty and the same problem continues
Would be kinda cool if there was some way for engine manufactures to build a system that gets oil flowing without the engine running for normal use. Especially for cold winter startups. Tool works awesome though I am probably going to pick one up!
I think ambulances and fire trucks are equipped with pre-lube pumps which come on with the dome light, so there's oil flowing before they crank it over.
see thats something that would benefit everyone to have
I find it somewhat interesting that you take such pains to fill the filter from the "dirty" side to avoid introducing contaminants, but have no worries filling this tank without a screen in the funnel. I'd think if you're careful while filling the filter in either hole, as long as the wind isn't kicking up a ton of sand in the air, you'd be totally fine. In my situation, all my filters have an anti-drainback device/seal, so pre-filling is only practical in the middle and I haven't let anything get in there but oil.
Trucks should have a prelube pump like large diesel locomotives. Could be useful in extreme cold starts.
I work at a diesel shop in NZ and all our rebuilt engines get the pressure pot put on them ours was built locally and also has a spin on filter on it . Especially useful on ford ranger and some others that don’t like picking up oil on initial startup.
3208/throwaway zealot here, Bluebird Wanderlodge applications only. Cat manual specifically recommends pressure fill on fresh overhaul examples, @ the air compressor lube port, curb side rear cylinder head. Just saying. I use a repurposed bulk fill tank, liberated from a Wanderlodge, holds 5 gallons. Good post, simple procedure that is frequently over looked.
I remember, maybe 35, 40, years ago, an oil pre-lube set up for gasoline powered cars.
The "inventor" made the claim that the engine would never wear because it was "dry" starting a cold engine that caused the damage.
Why would you NOT want to have pressurized oil system before starting an engine?
I agree with Josh on the priming issue. Heating up the oil is also a good idea.
Very nice bit of kit. I like the idea of prelube before cranking. Of those who may donate negative input about the idea, I would give the call to the person/people responsible for the condition of the equipment. Those who complain may do so verbally into their personal mail box.
I made one of those oil priming tools for priming the porsche motor i rebuilt. The prebuilt one was around $450 and it looked similar to a small propane tank. So i took a propane tank and some steel pipe fittings to make my own.
For years our sawmill used Cat gen sets to power the mill. The last unit we ran was powered by a 3512. Per Cat’s recommendation I plumbed a small single phase hydraulic pump into the system that included a check valve to close the loop once the engine started. Before starting we brought the engine up to full oil pressure about 60 psi (if I remember correctly) before starting. All maintenance intervals, heads, turbos, starter etc were based on gallons of fuel burned. You want things to be very predictable when the jobs of 32 men are on the line.
I've seen aftermarket kits with accumulators and solenoid valves. (Performance car)
While running you have the solenoid valve open so the accumulator can fill. Then you turn it off and the valve closes. Next time you turn it on the solenoid valve opens and dumps its pressure into the oil gallery. Once running the accumulator fills again
Love your videos. Very educational
Josh, a lot of people sure do recommend you as a very good Diesel mechanic on youtube I see. Love your channel.
Whoever these people are, I thank them.
I've operated mining equipment that has a prelube system on it the starter motor has a gear pump built into it and when you start the engine the starter doesn't engage the bendix gear until the engine has oil pressure
Oil field Allison V-12 engines we ran on trailer mounted pumping units had oil priming pumps we team before EACH cold start. Also had oil tested regularly.
Love the sound of freshly rebuilt engine.
Great engine rebuild!! It definitely needed it!
I have to say I always fill any oil or hydraulic filters (as much as possible with horizontal filters) anytime I change the oil. Why not fill the new filter while the old oil is draining. Most filters have an anti drain back valve for a reason. This is to help avoid dry starting. When the filter is removed the oil that was being held up in the engine, drains out. With a dry filter and the oil passages empty you are going to have some starvation. The amount will depend on the size of the empty filter and how much oil it will take to fill the passageways before building pressure. Just my 2 cents.
Completely unnecessary.
7:25 that same grime or whatever will be there regardless of if the engine is pressure primed or not, just if you don't pressure prime then that grime goes to your bearings under the load of a running engine, therefore it's worse to not prime if you're worried about grime.
The IH dealership i worked at had a pre lubercater maybe a little larger 50 years ago it worked great we would use after engine over haul’s
Great video...
I encourage you to go a few steps further and run filtermags on the spinon oil filter and a bypass oil filter system to additionally clean the oil while driving down to about 1-2 microns...
I use this stuff on my 07 5 ram 3500 Cummins with 970.000 miles with engine never opened up along with OEM injectors...
Be Blessed 🙏
I love the crack when a c15 fires off, such a great motor 👌
I like the self stick for the view much better in the beginning. Nice improvement
Yes on a fresh rebuild to purge any particulate from bearing surfaces and to have live there for first start
Nice video!
Detroit Diesel has a similar OEM tool with a hand pump for their DD series.
braze shrader valve in fire extinguisher and use upsidedown that's what I've been using,
there a brillant idea air over oil
With a new pickup truck hitting the $80,000 range, I would install an automated pressurization system on any new purchase. Easy to setup a tank that charges up with oil pressure through a orifice and check valve. Then a solenoid to dump the oil pressure prior to starting. high-falluting Long haul trucks aren’t the only machines on the road that can use this trick!
I have a Melling pre-lube tank for LS Chevy engines. These are great but you should manual rotate the engine to lube all the lifters.
That engine don't have lifters bud
Did something similar for filling differentials with gear oil. One thing to think about is using dry air. Moisture will get into the container and into the oil.
Awesome! 👍 did anybody mention the double shocks & air bags on the front!? That's incredible! bet that rides pretty Good! I've used Road King shocks before & they were top notch (no longer available) plus an added adjustable air bag on the steer axle - (Donvel)
Pittsburgh power used to sell a oil pump powered by a starter that would pressure oil into the engine before starting.
Good showing on that tool, keep up the good work. May get one when I rebuild my old 1989 3406b cat motor,well have a good one see ya next time see ya bye.
Oil pickup tube and pump are just a burp after all the other parts have had a good meal. Don't worry about those things.
Neat tool. I suppose a 12v transfer pump would achieve similar results, but the portability of that little tank is pretty great so long as u got shop air.
I made one out of one of the old water type fire extinguishers
That would definitely work. Could use an old air tank too, although this one is already setup for you.
@@AdeptApe very true, but I enjoy making tools and thumbing my nose at the company's that make the fancy tools for less. And especially if I can tick off a snap on dealer 🤣
I love the Wren and Stimpy clips 🤣
I used a air tank 30 years ago to pressure up 855 Cummins and 71 DD
Works and rebuild never had a problem
I have the exact same tank, works great!
Thank you for this video Josh
I’m in the process of putting a C15 ACERT back together.
I’m gonna try this setup
I think you'd like it.
Almost mandatory to pre lube oil galieries after rebuild or after you have had the oil pump off on 3406, C15 and wind engine over after filter change to get oil pressure before starting. Will take out #1 big end from lack of lube, usualy starts knockin about half hour from the shop. 38 years ago when I first started we used to use a stainless soft drink syrup bottle as they were pressure rated and held about 10 liters of oil, we pre lubbed every rebuilt engine before startup.👍
We also have trucks that have been sitting a while, like over a year or so. So this tool is going to be handy
Pretty cool tool. Needs more capacity I think. 5 gallons would be ideal. I'm finishing up the 1st of 2 3508s I am rebuilding, neither of them have prelube pumps.
Bug sprinkler from tractor supply $10-20 make same effects. I prime ls3 engine. Work great
Are they metal too?
That cavitation damage looks a lot like what I see lately when a low rad gets topped off with tap water. I have no idea the chemistry or physics behind it, but something about our nasty ass nasty tap water mixed with newer coolants react with different metals to make some nasty compounds that eat up everything it touches like battery acid. And with distilled water now in short supply I suspect we're going to see more of this in the future. It's getting kinda ridiculous
Reverse osmosis water is almost as pure as distilled, and available in any grocery store. I use it in my off-grid lead-acid battery bank with the blessing of the battery manufacturer. And for only $300 I installed my own under-the-sink RO system in the kitchen.
I built one years ago. Sometimes I fill it with diesel and use it on fuel system to check things out . Found a leaking sealing ball on a detroit 60 series injector one time. Nice to not haveing to run the engine
Awesome thanks for sharing and I'm gonna have to get that tool. Always appreciate your knowledge 🙏🏽..
The question remains, as to why pre-lube pumps are not installed permanently and used prior to all startups and after each shut down, particularly with turbo-charged engines? It's a small price to pay for increasing the longevity of the engine.
Another great video! Thank you Josh.
The joys of modern internet where everyone is so cynical you actually have to prove that you paid for something. I get it, but I do find it funny.
Friend of mine dropped a nut in his engine, same thing happened. Worst part was it was a fresh build and he new he was missing a nut, he found out where it was on first start up
Beginning to test negative for patience for this sort of outcome.
All this effort, then drop something in a blind hole and shrug your shoulders? Pffft, for some, $40 000 is easy come, easy go.
Love the bloopers at the end 🤣👍
That would work great to get your Cummins Started when you're prepump is out
In the 90's in the Arctic, we had pre-lube pumps on our Cat 777 trucks, with 3412 engines. When not running, they had a block heater per cylinder bank, plugged into the mine's power system.
Best wishes from the North.
I have the mighty vac oil fillers. You can thread them right in, 20 PSI max, I have one for engine oil, one for tranny oil and one for gear oil. Use them to filter and fill everything. Awesome tools.
Yikes, that nut into the turbo...I'm learning how to adjust overhead sets and I did one yesterday and a big fat rag went right over the turbo inlet before I did anything else. The paranoia is real.
At the absolute minimum, remove the spark plugs and crank long enough to get oil pressure reading on the gauge.
Obviously, diesels don't have SP's so you have to do whatever other methods work (I don't do diesel).
Most SBC, get yourself an old distributor. Remove the drive gear and reinstall a shorter roll pin. Drop it in, get it hooked on the oil pump drive shaft and spin it with a drill.
Beard's looking good my dude
IF prelubing forces contaminants into the bearings then so will the air pressure that precedes the oil in a dry start up. Yes air precedes oil in a dry start up.
I don't remember who produced the starter but it had an oil pump built on and plumed to motor to prelube the engin
Wonder why the manufacturers don’t design and install a preoiler system in all engines and Tanis heater pads on the oil pan to keep oil warm. The most wear any engine gets is during start up. The big aircraft radial engines had preoil systems. Oil pressure just a few seconds after start.
You know what your doing that's for sure thanks again for the video
We've had more than a couple of CAT rebuilds losing number six cylinder. Different trucks. Any idea why number 6 always is the first to go?
tends to be the hottest one, but i could be wrong...
It most definitely is the hottest cylinder and anytime a cylinder looks like that all the way around it is due to overheating and from what I could see on cylinder #1 with that amount of crud in the cooling system it’s no wonder #6 over heated. Piss poor maintenance.
KNOWLEDGEABLE Adept Ape
Thanks 👍 for sharing it
Take care and have a great Weekend with all your family around you
KNOWLEDGEABLE Adept Ape
From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧
Questions time why I never see you use
Oscilloscope to Diagnostics vehicles
Thank you
Thank you Nick. I haven't used one in a long time.
I give your channel my "seal of awesomeness!" Great content and a very personable host. 👍
I thought assembly grease was good enough. That's all I used for my c13 rebuild and my oil gauge only took a few seconds to show pressure. I suppose there is no such thing as too much oil on moving parts. (Within reason)
Yes. Pre lubrication works, but it doesn't work for folks who need to work on equipment. Adding bypass filtration plus oil analysis will turn engines into forever units and that will be bad for business
the Seal of Awsomeness . . Nice