Engine Priming...

[Logical1]

I have a L18/219 head, L20cam, dual SU's & Electronic ignition. On REALLY cold morning she starts up a little grumpy but always pick right up after the initial chug, Warmer days she purrs right off the go. For security I wired up a hidden starter button so my key only turns the power on but you cant turn the starter with it. One morning I was a little groggy and hopped in my dime and just reached for the starter button, turned over a few times and then realized I needed to turn the key on too! Turn the key on while I was still holding the starter down and she jumped right to life with nicest sounding purr ever! That got me to thinking it seems 'logical' :P to me that if you 'prime' your engine by turning it over a few times without enabling power to coil to start it, this starts the juices flowing! Oil & Coolant flow to the appropriate areas before any combustion takes place and helps to get everything moving with less friction and stress before the actual "fire" I'm curious what other people think about this and any possible damage it might cause? Only thing I can think of is excessive starter use might lead to my brushes going bad a bit faster, but shit I would rather replace them and have my engine last longer!

[DISLEXICDIME]

I have a L18/219 head, L20cam, dual SU's & Electronic ignition. On REALLY cold morning she starts up a little grumpy but always pick right up after the initial chug, Warmer days she purrs right off the go. For security I wired up a hidden starter button so my key only turns the power on but you cant turn the starter with it. One morning I was a little groggy and hopped in my dime and just reached for the starter button, turned over a few times and then realized I needed to turn the key on too! Turn the key on while I was still holding the starter down and she jumped right to life with nicest sounding purr ever! That got me to thinking it seems 'logical' :P to me that if you 'prime' your engine by turning it over a few times without enabling power to coil to start it, this starts the juices flowing! Oil & Coolant flow to the appropriate areas before any combustion takes place and helps to get everything moving with less friction and stress before the actual "fire" I'm curious what other people think about this and any possible damage it might cause? Only thing I can think of is excessive starter use might lead to my brushes going bad a bit faster, but shit I would rather replace them and have my engine last longer!

 

and plug fouling

[banzai510(hainz)]

SUs dont have accell pumps. Other carbs do. Just pump the gas a few times. its the same thing

 

Besides youll pop a head gasket before then anyways

[HRH]

Yeah, if you had an electric fuel pump, that might help, but it would still empty the bowls into the motor, which would then fowl plugs and be hard to start from the bowls being emptied.

 

I did see a neat article on a very old issue of Peterson's 4 Wheel and Off Road regarding an oil priming pump. I can't remember if it was in the pan or outside the engine, but it did just that. You flicked a switch to start the pump and it would pre-lube the motor as if your oil pump was supplying oil at idle. Great idea, eliminates dry starts. At the same time, it's rather overkill. Even on drier starts, the oil still usually has enough of a film to prevent any harm, or any noticeable harm from occuring. And the motor will need rebuilding after 150-200k anyway.

[MicroMachinery]

One time at my old job, I was putting a crate motor into an older Chevy. The customer had requested that an automatic priming system be installed, so we ordered one. It was basically an accumulator that held pressurized oil until the key went into the "ON" position. At that point, the small valve opened up and released the pressurized oil into the system.

Seemed a little overkill, yes, but I'm sure it doesn't hurt. If I had a high dollar motor that I was sparing no expense, I'd definitely have something like that to keep my engine happy.

[MikeRL411]

SUs dont have accell pumps. Other carbs do. Just pump the gas a few times. its the same thing

 

Besides youll pop a head gasket before then anyways

 

True, but. Just below the inlet fitting you will find a "wire" jutting from below the carb. This is connected to the float. If you happen to goose both of them it a few times on a very cold night at the airport parking lot before you hit the starter you will be surprised at how easily the engine will start. Based on 5 years of leaving my car in the parking lot all week and returning at 8PM on Fridays.

[datzenmike]

I've pulled engines apart (Datsun) that have sat for years and the bearings and crank are covered with oil. It doesn't go any where. There's almost no load on the bearings when cranking it over and just slightly more when it starts. The oil on them is plenty to protect them until the pressure comes up. Millions of cars start up every Monday morning in January with no ill effects.