Priming oil pump - lifters not oiling

OKOKOK... WAIT! ROCKERS not oiling... just noticed that... sorry...


Just wanted to test things out before installing engine and finding out I screwed something up and have to pull it out again.

Everything is back together (except carb, etc) and I threw a old pump shaft in there and a corded drill and ran it for like 10 minutes... no oil to rockers... there was at first for like a second 2 & 4 had a little drop and a bubble, but then nothing. I out a washer around the pump shaft to stop the oil from coming up the distributor hole and that seems to work.

Have dipstick (press fit) with a bit of teflon around the flange in the hole and the oil pressure gauge hose connected and crimped off at the end - I can see where pressure is building... but still nothing.

Am I doing thos too early? Is there something I am missing or doing wrong? Or did I mess something up somewhere along the way?

Help?


(EDIT - used wheel bearing grease to get pickup onto oil pump... there's not a very big chance that some of that is clogging the rockers is there? Hafta let it warm up first?)

If you have ever looked at a "real" oil priming tool, you'll remember seeing what looked like a large thread spool that moved up and down the shaft freely. That "spool" slides dpwn the shaft when you put the tool in the engine and blocks the back of the oil galleys and it looks just about like the large machined area at the bottom of the distributor's housing. It blocks the back end of the galleys so pressure will build in the oil galleys.
Just using the oil pump shaft isn't sending oil to everywhere it needs to go. See if your auto parts store has a priming tool you can borrow/rent.

I figured that might be the problem. I'll try that and let you know how I make out.