No oil pressure after sitting
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Little Elm, TX
Posts: 94
Total Cats: 7
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
So at my last track day I broke my turbo manifold, and have had the car sitting for approximately a month since then. In the last week I finally got the manifold back from being repaired and ceramic coated and put the whole car back together only to find that my car has 0 oil pressure on startup. I've tried cranking with the coils unplugged, and fuel injector fuse pulled just to see if it would build pressure and got nothing.
I've pulled the filter off and cranked just for the hell of it and nothing is coming out of the block. I've tried putting a fitting and hose in an oil filter and using a shopvac to pull vacuum and get some oil flow, that also didn't work, but I did manage to get some oil in the hose, and after cranking some more there was still no pressure.
I know for sure that the motor is full of oil, but this issue has got me stumped, the car had oil pressure pulling onto the trailer coming home and pulling off of it, it sits for a month and magically has none. In the time the car was down the only thing I think could have affected it was that I drained the oil and relocated my oil cooler and shortened the lines, and did an oil change once the system was sealed back up, nothing too out of the ordinary.
If anyone has any ideas or suggestions I'd love to hear them before I pull the motor.
I've pulled the filter off and cranked just for the hell of it and nothing is coming out of the block. I've tried putting a fitting and hose in an oil filter and using a shopvac to pull vacuum and get some oil flow, that also didn't work, but I did manage to get some oil in the hose, and after cranking some more there was still no pressure.
I know for sure that the motor is full of oil, but this issue has got me stumped, the car had oil pressure pulling onto the trailer coming home and pulling off of it, it sits for a month and magically has none. In the time the car was down the only thing I think could have affected it was that I drained the oil and relocated my oil cooler and shortened the lines, and did an oil change once the system was sealed back up, nothing too out of the ordinary.
If anyone has any ideas or suggestions I'd love to hear them before I pull the motor.
#3
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Any port in the engine will work, even the tiny plugs in the head galleys.
If you drain the sump first and leave the drain plug out you can tell when you've gotten fresh oil in the pan. When you see fresh oil coming out of drain plug via the oil pump install plug, fill, test.
If it's still 0 you're screwed...
Use to have to do this regularly on odd-fire GM V6s, "231". they were POS
If you drain the sump first and leave the drain plug out you can tell when you've gotten fresh oil in the pan. When you see fresh oil coming out of drain plug via the oil pump install plug, fill, test.
If it's still 0 you're screwed...
Use to have to do this regularly on odd-fire GM V6s, "231". they were POS
#8
Moderator
![](/mt2011/images_td/ranks/supporter1.gif)
![](/mt2011/images_td/ranks/moderator.png)
iTrader: (12)
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 20,885
Total Cats: 3,075
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Pull the plug from the oil pump by the alternator and pour a little oil down into it. Replace the plug and crank it over with the spark plugs out until oil flows out of the filter location. This is directly priming the pump gears.
#17
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
![](/mt2011/images_td/ranks/supporter1.gif)
![](/mt2011/images_td/ranks/moderator.png)
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Beaverton, USA
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
10-15 seconds total, or each time? If total and you haven't let it idle for several continuous seconds, I'd crank it for say 7-8 seconds of idling, if no pressure, shut it down, throw away that oil pump, and put a stock mazda pump back on it that won't stick a relief valve.
#18
![Default](https://www.miataturbo.net/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Well given it appears his boundary pump is malfunctioning, I wouldn't recommend replacing it with another boundary pump. I was recommending he throw it away, and use a stock (and not modified by anyone) OEM pump. His car, his choice. Maybe he has a ton of miles/use on the pump and it's just wore out? I dunno.