Oil pump priming

steviewonder7 · Unread post by **steviewonder7** » 26 Jul 2007, 18:58

Hi folks,

A have question for those a lot wiser than me.
I've taken off the sump from the xantia 1.9Td due to it leaking oil from the sump gasket.I've also found that someone has used,what I would say,is some sort of grey silicone sealant as the sump gasket.I've now removed this rubbish and have at hand a new gasket from GSF.
Now,obviously I've had to drain the oil out of the sump to do this operation and my question is even though I will be filling the sump/engine with fresh engine oil,will I have problems with the oil pump picking up the new oil as I believe (this may not be the case though) that there will be air in the oil pump pick-up and therefore the pump may/maynot pick up the fresh oil when turning over the engine with the consequence of starving the engine of vital lubrication.
Will it be necessary to somehow 'prime' the oil pump before turning over the engine?If this is the case what is the best way to go about this?
One other thing,the chain that drives the oil pump is a little slack,does this matter too much?I dont want to really explore the virtue's of renewing the oil pump chain if i dont have to.

I look forward to reading your helpful replies O wise ones.
Thanks Steve

Stewart(oily) · Unread post by **Stewart(oily)** » 26 Jul 2007, 19:52

If you remove the live from the stop solenoid and crank the starter until the oil light goes out (in ten second bursts) you ought to be ok, in my experience those oil pump drive chains do appear slack, but they run in a perfect environment for a chain, if theres no obvious damage like missing pins/rollers then its safe to continue.
Stewart

jeremy · Unread post by **jeremy** » 26 Jul 2007, 19:56

If you're worried crank the engine over until the oil light goes out then start it. As a matter of course after changing the oil I turn the engine on the starter without heating,. If I can be bothered I try and jam the 'Stop' lever on the pump across before cranking but this is never very successful.

To be certain - disconnect the stop solenoid - then re-connect it once you are convinced oil is flowing - You'll know the filter is full as well.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 26 Jul 2007, 19:59

I'll go along with Stewart but if you want to be doubly sure and speed up the process a little, fill the oilways to the oil filter with oil from an oil can until they're full and put a little oil in the filter itself. You won't get much to stay in but it'll help.

The chain seems loose, I'll agree but remember you're looking at it with the engine cold. As the engine warms and the metal expands it'll tighten a little. Oil pump chains are not known to fail on the XU engine

steviewonder7 · Unread post by **steviewonder7** » 26 Jul 2007, 20:18

Great ,thanks for the advice people.I was thinking along similar lines,just wanted it confirmed by the wiser ones.
One other thing I've noticed with removing the sump is that the 6mm allen
screws that hold the sump pan in place dont appear to have any sprung washers or any washers at all.Is this correct?
Thanks again to any replies
Steve.

Stewart(oily) · Unread post by **Stewart(oily)** » 26 Jul 2007, 20:29

Squared off washers from memory, no springs.
Stewart

AndersDK · Unread post by **AndersDK** » 26 Jul 2007, 22:36

Stewart(oily) wrote:Squared off washers from memory, no springs.
Stewart

These squared washers are there to even out the sump bolt torque over the rather thin sump pan edge.
If left out or replaced by standard annular washers, the sump seal will leak in points between the sump bolts.