Hi guys,

I'm hopefully going to be putting my rebuilt engine back into my car this weekend and would just like to know what to do before I start her up for the first time. I did try searching but didn't find much.

I'm planning on doing the following things before startup:
Priming the fuel system by jumping the fuel pump to ground and checking for leaks.
Pull EGI fuse and crank motor until full oil pressure is maintained.
fill up with 4.9 litres of oil (one oil cooler).
fill up engine coolant with 8.8l+ at 65% water 35% anti-freeze.
fill up gearbox with 2.5 quarts of 80W90.

Is there anything else that I need to do before startup?
How long should I let her idle for?
What should I expect when cranking and once running?

Many thanks!

 

Sounds like you have the basics covered. You may not be able to register oil pressure on the gauge. I like to crank for 10 seconds at a time 3 times, allowing the starter to cool down a few seconds between each time. Check your oil level after cranking. It will lost likely go down as the system primes. Have a helper handy with a flashlight to check for leaks while you monitor inside the car. I like the car to run for a few minutes and get close to operating temperature as new builds tend to flood more easily. You won't be able to get all the coolant in the system until its running and you bleed it. Expect a ton of smoke from assembly lube.

 

lots of smoke in the beginning as said, from all assembly lube.. stay on the throttle in case it tends to die before it really seals up the compression chambers completely

my engine builder said, first startup, no less then 45 minutes to an hour, check for leaks.. of its nothing major keep it running... the back in that garage and change oil since the bearings will be new and let off a lot of material first time.

other then that, nothing =)

 

Not a huge deal, but I used a good set of used plugs for initial start-up and saved my new set after everything burned off. +2 that it will smoke like a battleship so warn neighbors and open doors.

 

good to know, i will tackle this pretty soon on my 93 r1 rebuild....

 

To check for oil pressure I zip tied a ziploc bag over the oil filter pedestal and after a couple cranks without injectors firing I could see oil in the bag. That way I knew I had oil pressure. Then I installed the filter and got it running