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I took off the oil pump on my 2002 EX to replace the small o-ring. While I had it off I took off the back cover to check the gaps on the rotors. They were fine, but the reassembly instructions say to "check that the oil pump turns freely". I can turn it with some difficulty pushing the notches on the inside rotor but I wouldn't call that freely. I thought I might have put the cover back on too tight but even with the screws slightly loose it is still hard to push. The torque spec for the screws is 5 lbf which I'm not really sure how to do that with a screwdriver. How far past snug would that be, and how freely is the pump supposed to turn?

 
Rep Power: 211

as long as it turns SMOOTHLY i wouldn't worry about it,

5 pounds is basically hand tight with a screwdriver

 
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Well the old one definitely didn't so I ordered a new one. Related to that do I need to prime the pump in some way before starting it for the first time? I didn't do anything to the new pump before installing it (I didn't want to open it and break it), but it felt like it could have had grease inside it.

I've seen methods for other models like pouring oil down the oil filter hole or pulling the ECU fuse and cranking the engine. The manual doesn't mention any of that but I just wanted to make sure it's ok before I start it for the first time.

 
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If you have a battery that's healthy... just floor the accelerator to the wood, and crank -- it won't start and run.

Starting with a floored accelerator pedal, tells the PCM to enter cylinder clear mode, wherein it'll cut fuel (but not spark) so water or other ingested material can get cleared. This'll get enough oil into the pump so it can draw proper vacuum and begin sending lube to bearing surfaces.

 
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Cool, thanks!

 
Rep Power: 519

Yeah, you really shoulda primed it before it was installed. Too late now though.

Did kinakoes' reply work?

 
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I haven't tried yet. I'm still putting other things back together.

How do you prime it anyway? I didn't see anything in the manual so I didn't know I needed to do anything. Then I read something that mentioned it after I had already installed it.

 
Rep Power: 519

Dump some oil into the pump and spin it. The idea is to get the guts/gears wet so it isn't dry, and will create suction once the crank begins to spin. A completely dry pump may not be able to create suction, thus may not begin to pick up oil thru the pickup tube in the pan.

 
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Do you think pouring some down the filter hole and turning the crank bolt around a few times would do the same?

 
Rep Power: 519

No, you'd need to get oil into the other hole. The threaded tube leads to the galleries/bearings.
The oil port outside the tube comes from the pump.

Even if you got oil into that hole, you'd probably need to spin the crank backwards to get oil into the pump gears from the wrong flow direction....


I'd HOPE a new pump wouldn't be completely dry, as in assembled with machine oil at the very least.
Did you spin it before you bolted it on? Did it spin as though it was dry, or as though it had oil in it already?



Finish assembling, kill the ignition/fuel/something so it can't start, then crank it for a while to see if it will prime itself. When the red oil light on the dash goes out you know it's pumping.

 
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I think it felt like it had some grease in it. It definitely didn't feel dry but I could turn it pretty easily.

Is pulling the ECU fuse the best way to do that?

Also is it safe to run it without the alternator or ps belts put on?

I don't want to keep making threads for every little problem so I'll just put this here. I didn't realize it at the time but the ground bolt on my alternator snapped when I was taking it off. Half of it is still down in the hole and there are no threads for the remaining part to grip onto. I have no idea what to do about this.

 
Rep Power: 519

Sounds good to me.
Yes

Timing belt MUST BE ON correctly though!


A) That would be the HOT cable to the battery positive.
There is no "ground bolt" on the alternator. Ground path is through the cast housing and mounting hardware.

B) You're kinda screwed if that broke off.
Find a local rebuilder and see if they can replace the stud and insulator for you (unless you want to try getting it all apart yourself), or get another alternator.

 
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Bad news is I just destroyed my alternator. Good news is only the rear housing (static) part. The manual doesn't even go into overhauling that side even though it looks like you can buy those parts separately. They are ridiculously expensive though. I think I can find an alternator at pull a part and just use the rear housing from that.

I pulled the ECU and cranked it and the oil light eventually went off. So at least that was successful. I'll try actually starting it up tomorrow.