Hey experts, I'm hoping you can help! I got my '03 z a couple months ago and had to rebuild the motor 2 weeks later (long story). It is very fresh with a new block, pistons, etc including a new oil pump. all stock stuff from Nissan Motorsports. I meant to fill the new pump wiith oil before i buttoned it up but i forgot. I just finished spinning it over without the plugs to build pressure and I cannot get any oil to move. I'm sure I put the o-rings in, but since i've never built this motor before who knows if I missed something. Any ideas for common mistakes, or do you think the new dry pump may be struggling to prime? All ideas welcome.

Not much diagnosis so far. I didn't see any oil going into the head while looking thru the filler tube. I pulled the oil filter and nada, nothing, zilch, dry as a bone.

thanks,
bill

 

Hey Bill,
Sorry to hear that. I have never heard opf that happening, but before you start tearing into the front or bottom end, i would see if I could force some oil backwards through either the oil filter or oil pressure sensor holes.

good Luck!

 

Hey Thanks Billstein87! It worked! My Z is back on the road.

Thanks,
Bill

 

Do not dry to prime the VQ35 as you've done...you can do some serious damage to the engine. Fire up the engine, and be done with it.

 

Dude, Are you joking? if I had started it then I would have done serious damage because it never primed on its own - period. Care to tell me what i did to seriously damage my motor by pouring oil backwards into the oil filter hole?

 

What?

Is this a monologue?

 

You would have had oil pressure within a second of startup....just as if your engine had been sitting idle in your garage for a month. Assembly lube would take care of you for that split second on startup...just like a film of oil would have done.

Forcing oil through the system, as you did, of course caused no harm. But prior to this, a lot of cranking most certainly could have. I have a perfect of example of this on my shelf...another shop went through an entire battery, AND a jump box trying to get oil pressure from cranking. The entire engine was destroyed and full of metal.