How To: Prime Oil Metering Pump Lines
 

Hey guys -

This is something that has bugged me for a LONG time, and I figured there HAS to be a way to do it. I think I got it solved.

First off, DaleClark's thoughts on OMP lines:

I am a fan of the stock lines. They are molded to fit well, clear so you can see oil going through them, cheap, and will last 100,000 miles. People work on a car with 100,000 mile 20 year old OMP lines, they break one, and think they're crap. Not the case. New ones are VERY flexible and soft.

The stainless lines cost more, are abrasive, are not pre-formed so you have to fight to route them, and aren't clear (obviously). Biggie for me is the abrasiveness - braided stainless can slowly saw through all kinds of things. I had aftermarket oil cooler lines on my old FC saw through each other!

That said, moving on...

You will need -

- The new/lightly used lines
- One of the banjo bolts that attach the line to the pump
- Two round copper crush washers (again, from the pump side)
- A 12mm nut
- A disposable cup
- Oil (duh)
- A hand vacuum pump, like a Mityvac or something. I have one of these -

Brake Bleeder and Vacuum Pump Kit

$25 and works well.

Take the banjo bolt and put a crush washer on it. Put it through the top (clear) side of the line - there will be some space, but it doesn't matter. Put the other banjo bolt on the other side, then thread the 12mm nut on. Snug up the bolt and nut - doesn't have to be crazy tight.

Pour some oil in the bottom of the cup, enough to completely submerge the "head" on the other side of the OMP line. Find a fitting and hose to go on the vacuum pump that will give you a vacuum line that you can slip over the end of the banjo bolt, the end with the small hole. I used the cone reducer and a spare piece of 3.5mm silicone vacuum line.

Stick the open end into the oil in the cup, hook the pump up to the tip of the banjo bolt, and pump the vacuum pump. It will suck the oil up through the line. Repeat for the second line.

Took only a few seconds to fill the line this way, the ID of the line is VERY small so it doesn't take much oil to fill it up.

You can also do the reverse - hook up compressed air to one end to blow old oil out of the line.

I'm glad to have finally solved that mystery :).

Dale

Well, pictures were upside down. Trying this again :)


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Nice write up. Make sure to clean up that washing machine!

Is there any reason you couldn't just pull the EGI fuse and crank for a bit to prime the lines? I guess I never worried about priming mine period because I premix :P

Matt

Awesome read. I just ordered new oem omp lines that are going in this week. This was the cause of my new found oil leak.

The OMP doesn't pump a lot of oil into the lines at a time, it's a slow trickle of oil. It can take a pretty decent amount of time for the lines to totally fill when dry, during which time you have no oil injection.

That said, I think it's worth putting some premix in for the first tank with new lines just as a little insurance.

Dale

Beautiful , thank you .

I am lazy to do that much extra work.

I add premix oil to the gas tank at the rate of 1 oz per gallon of gas for the first tank of gas.

I've only found it necessary to replace the lines with a rebuild of the engine (75,000 to 100,000). There is enough assembly lube to keep the engine happy until the lines flow oil. Not a bad idea though.