# No oil in head, no oil in filter. Help!



## soidog (Aug 31, 2012)

So I've just changed the timing chain, water pump and oil filter on my 91 2wd ka24e. Went to start it up and it runs, but it sounds awful. went to look through oil filler cap and it looks very dry, pulled the oil filter and its bone dry!.....There is plenty of oil in the pan. I didn't take the oil pickup tube off. I ran the starter with the fuel pump fuse out, to prime the oil pump. could I have gotten the alingning marks messed up on the oil pump and drive spindle while putting it in? would that cause no pressure? It was non-oem oil pump....do you think it'[s faulty? any other ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

The oil pump may be dry. Remove the oil pump along with the drive spindle from the engine and put the oil pump with drive spindle attach into a can full of motor oil; turn the drive spindle by hand to prime the pump. Also make sure the oil pickup screen is clean.


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## soidog (Aug 31, 2012)

Thank you rogoman for the reply, yeah i'm sure the pickup screen is clear, i will be taking out the pump soon and will fill it with oil. Although i thought that they are a self priming pump...that even if you put it in dry you can bump the starter a few times to get it filled up?


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## soidog (Aug 31, 2012)

*Update.*

Ok I pulled the oil pump and packed it with petroleum jelly, filled the oil filter with new oil and started it up. The oil light went out in like 3 seconds! woohoo! Now just to get the timing right. It still runs kinda rough. Does anybody know do i have to get a timing light or is there another way to do it?


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## TheRepairMan (Jun 30, 2009)

soidog said:


> Ok I pulled the oil pump and packed it with petroleum jelly, filled the oil filter with new oil and started it up. The oil light went out in like 3 seconds! woohoo! Now just to get the timing right. It still runs kinda rough. Does anybody know do i have to get a timing light or is there another way to do it?


I'd use a timing light, and I'm pretty sure there's a jumper, disconnect or mode that has to be employed to insure the ECU takes all the advance out during setting the base timing. I'll see if I can find the procedure. Okay, I located it for a 94 model. Not sure if it's exactly the same, but this is the general idea.

It says to warm the engine to full operating temp., make sure engine idle speed is less than 1,000 rpm's at idle. Stop the engine, connect your timing light, and disconnect the throttle position sensor connector. Run the engine at 2,000 rpm's for about 2 minutes with no load, rev the engine up between 2,000 and 3,000 three times, and let idle for one minute. With the timing light locate the timing marks and turn the distributor to adjust timing to 10* +/- 2*. Stop and reconnect the TPS connector. 

-R


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

You would need a timing light to adjust the timing. Most Nissans, if you don't have a scan tool to get into the adjust timing mode, you warm the engine up, shut it off and disconnect the TPS, restart and rev the engine a few times and let it idle, adjust the timing, shut off the engine and reconnect the TPS.


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## Grug (Aug 20, 2009)

soidog said:


> Ok I pulled the oil pump and packed it with petroleum jelly...?


I'm curious, what purpose does the petroleum jelly serve?


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## veesix (Jul 18, 2004)

It makes a vacuum.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

One caution about packing the oil pump with petroleum jelly: do not pack it solid with petroleum jelly! Put the petroleum jelly in the pump and turn the gears by hand before installing the cover plate (as applies) or mounting the pump to the front cover (as applies). I once packed an oil pump with Vaseline on a Dodge Durango 360-V8. Installed the pump cover then installed the pump. There was too much in the pump and I when I tried to start it, it cracked the oil pump housing.


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## TheRepairMan (Jun 30, 2009)

This problem with a dry pump doesn't happen all that often, but, guys, there's a short cut to priming the pump that gets you out of taking the pump back off. I've just gotten in a habit of doing this on any new engine rebuild or oil pump replacement to prevent any dry start ups.

First, I ALWAYS fill the oil filter with oil. Just set it bottom up on the work bench and keep pouring oil in it until it won't hold any more. Don't worry about the little bit of oil you might spill while spinning it on the mount later.

Second... note there is an in and an out hole on the engine block for oil to get to and from the oil filter. The threaded tube is always the inlet for filtered oil to circulate to all the bearing surfaces, and the hole right beside the threaded filter mount nipple goes directly down to the oil pump gears.

I'll repeat that... The oil hole in the engine block, off center, but just inside the oil filter sealing surface leads straight to the oil pump gears. That means if you take a two foot long section of clean fuel hose and fit it just into the opening of that hole... you can pour the oil of your choice slowly in and completely prime the oil pump. It's a little easier if you have a tiny funnel from the hardware store's kitchen section on hand.

Then all you need to do is screw the oil filled oil filter onto its mount, top the engine oil level up and crank until the oil light goes out. I don't ever even allow the fuel pump to run until I go through this process. That way the engine NEVER has a chance to fire up dry. If it doesn't have oil pressure within two or three cranking periods of 20 to 30 seconds, then you have other problems. It will even happen sooner if you leave the spark plugs out until you see oil pressure. Just don't crank for long periods of up to a minute or longer because that could burn the starter motor up.

Once you see the oil light go out, you can put the fuel pump fuse or relay back in, as well as the spark plugs, and crank it up. If it's right it will fire right off. I hope this tip helps all you new builders out there.

-Roger


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