How to prime the oil pump???

[AjRose]

Anyone know how to prime an m20 oil pump?

Thanks, Aj

[nando]

pretty simple. you have to have the airbox etc. out of the car first. underneath there's a cover of sorts right above the oil pump (it's round and has a BMW logo on it). remove that (takes some work prying it out) and the other half othe aux shaft, and you can turn the pump manually with a long hex extension and a power drill. you'll want a pretty good drill for this, once the pump starts working it will put a huge load on the drill. on regular M20s it turns clockwise, on the 325ix it's counter-clockwise. a couple minutes is enough to get the oil circulating.

you might want to get the o-ring for the cover, it'll most certainly be damaged when you pry it out.

[AjRose]

I'll have to take another look I knew that was the spot to do it from It just doesnt look like there is any place to put a hex in there There is a roller shaft and just the gears underneath it.

Thanks for the reply I'll check it out and post back.


There doesnt really seem to be anything down there to spin.

This is the inside of the cap Mine slid right out. O ring seems to be in decent shape too

[nando]

you have to take the gear underneath out too. it's driven by the aux shaft to turn the oil pump. make sure you don't lose any peices inside the block :p

[AjRose]

you have to take the gear underneath out too. it's driven by the aux shaft to turn the oil pump. make sure you don't lose any peices inside the block :p

Ah I see The gear pops out pretty easy So i'll try that tomorrow I guess

Thanks, Aj

[Restoman]

Why can't you just remove the plugs and jumper pins 11 and 14 on the diagnostic connector. It will take about 30 seconds to prime the oil. Just make sure you are not in gear.

[AjRose]

Why can't you just remove the plugs and jumper pins 11 and 14 on the diagnostic connector. It will take about 30 seconds to prime the oil. Just make sure you are not in gear.

Car has been sitting dry for about 6 months

By the way I have that little peice that goes under the gas pedal Pm me if you still need it And If you need anything else ask I might have it

[nando]

Why can't you just remove the plugs and jumper pins 11 and 14 on the diagnostic connector. It will take about 30 seconds to prime the oil. Just make sure you are not in gear.

because that's not the proper way to prime the pump. you're still putting wear on the bearings etc. that way.

[thedodd]

I know I'm about 13 years late to this party, but I'm trying to prime the pump on my 325iX, and I'm not finding any good pictures of what exactly I'm looking for. The round thing with the BMW logo on it. Is it this?

[nando]

yes. undo the bolt, and pull out the cap. there's a needle bearing in there, a small hex shaft, and some plastic washers. Don't lose any of the small parts - I'd suggest replacing the seals of course, and possibly the bearing if it's worn.

remember the ix pump primes counter clockwise.

BTW, that engine looks fairly old - are you sure this even needs done? It might be easier to just pull the FP relay and crank it a few times. Priming is usually done on a brand new engine where there is no oil anywhere except the sump.

[thedodd]

To be honest, no, I'm not sure this needs to be done at all. I tore down the top end and replaced the head gasket, and this is my first time doing anything like this. It's been drained of oil for about two and a half months now while I've been (slowly, and painstakingly) working on it. In my research I've seen it suggested that this is something I should consider doing after it being empty and sitting for so long. If that's not the case, then awesome. No harm, no foul. If it *IS* something I should do, I just want to make sure I'm doing all the right things in the right order.

While the head was off I sent it to a machine shop to be surfaced and cleaned. New head gasket, head bolts, water pump, thermostat, fan clutch, radiator, timing belt, drive belts, and all the little gaskets and o-rings in between (like the oil return tube o-rings, cam shaft plugs, throttle body gasket, etc.). I just don't want to mess it up now by accidentally skipping a step due to my own ignorance.

[thedodd]

That being said, any and all advice is greatly appreciated. :)

[thedodd]

It might be easier to just pull the FP relay and crank it a few times. Priming is usually done on a brand new engine where there is no oil anywhere except the sump

Is that what you would recommend on a rebuild like this?

[D.Martijn]

When I replaced my headgasket, my iX also sat for a month or two. I also decided to prime the pump like Nando said.
I mean it's fairly easy and a good reassurance before starting the engine so why wouldn't you..

[ForcedFirebird]

The head won't get primed unless the cam happens to be in the correct position. There's a channel part way around the front bearing of the cam to keep the oil from just spewing out all the time at the spray bar. So, when priming, I will start the prime, then slowly turn the engine by hand until the spray bars let the oil pass. Otherwise, it gets air locked. One of the first m20's I built taught me that. Started the prime and couldn't figure out why there was so much resistance and no oil from spray bar. Once the engine was rotated a little, it shot out with some serious force lol.