How to prime the oil pump

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krystalnmattb
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How to prime the oil pump

Post by krystalnmattb »

Hi all,
We are new to the forum and first time spree owners. We just purchased our matching 84 sprees yesterday. My husband is knee deep in his spree and has come to the part of priming the oil pump..he is a ASE certified auto mechanic, mercury and bombardier marine mechanic and a US Army trained helicopter mechanic..lol and in the absence of the repair manual (which however we would like to buy if we can find one cheap)..he would like to know if there is a specific procedure that the spree requires???? any and all information will be helpful..Thank you in advance :D

Krystal and Matt B.
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Jerry
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Priming the oil system on a spree

Post by Jerry »

Pull the inlet hose for the oil at the oil pump. Let a small amount run onto a rag or container until no air bubbles are seen. Quickly reattach hose. Pull the hose that goes from the oil pump to the intake manifold. make a 'U' shape out of the hose. Pour oil in one end until the hose is completely full. quickly reattach this hose.
Start the bike and IDLE ONLY for several minutes. Watch the line going to the intake. It should be clear plastic. Make sure no bubbles are going through the system. Do not rev the engine above idle until you are positive that all air is out of system. When no more bubbles can be seen, operate engine as per normal.
Scoot safely
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noiseguy
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Post by noiseguy »

Comment on above,

Remember that it doesn't require a ton of oil to run, oil will be drooling out when it's working, not shooting out (like it shows in the factory manual.)

I've never liked the idea of even idling these things until the oil pump starts working. What's the oil/fuel ratio on these things? You could run that to get it bled then dump it out and refill fuel afterwards.
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Jhoodwink
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Another question about priming the pump?

Post by Jhoodwink »

In the manual it says once you have bleed the inlet line, you have to hold the outlet line to make sure oil is flowing from it? Is that safe on the engine? Can I just hook the outlet line back up and keep it at an idle? Also I was wondering when the injector oil container is full, how long does that last? I mean how tank fulls of gas or how many miles? I'm still working on getting my parts for mine so I have yet to ride it :) Thanks again!
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Jim
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Post by Jim »

the repair manual is avalable to download in the faq section. when i got mine i took the cd to a kinkos and they printed off the whole thing and bound it to a spine for around 10-15 bucks. then i had a physical book along with a digital
86 Honda Spree - Lawn Ornament
83 Suzuki GS450E - Sold
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Spree Repair Guide
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noiseguy
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Post by noiseguy »

Manual recommends nothing over idle for bleeding the oil system. I guess the engine is fine for the short duration, a few minutes at most. You want to disconnect it to verify oil flow. Better idle a few minutes w/o oil than drive it around at WOT without it.
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HarleyRon
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yet another question about oil pumps

Post by HarleyRon »

how long does it generally take for the oil pump to prime if the scooter has been sitting up for a long time? I drained the oil tank and refilled with fresh oil. I pulled the oil pump for inspection as the manual says (looks ok i suppose.?) I have bled the lines and I run the engine for about 15-20 seconds and no oil is pumped. I am nervous about running the engine any longer with no oil. Thanks Ron
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noiseguy
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Post by noiseguy »

If oil is dribbling out, it's working. It's more of an ooze than a squirt.

If you're nervous about running the engine with no oil, you could put in some premix in the fuel tank, although I have no idea what the ratio would be (32:1?) Dump it once the pump primes up and refill with clean gas.
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Jerry
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Post by Jerry »

Premix is about two ounces per full tank. When the oil pump is primed, be sure to drain the fuel tank or you'll be fouling the plug in no time. If the engine has been run before cleaning the oil system, there is plenty of oil in the bottom end to prevent any harm to the engine. Stay at idle for a few minutes and re-check for oil flow.

My personal trick:

Fill an 8 to 10 inch piece of clear plastic tubing with two stroke oil. Prime the oil pump and outlet hose. Attach the short piece of hose to the intake and start the engine. Rev it up and get oil flowing through the pump and outlet hose. Stop the engine and reattach the oil pump hose to the intake. While the pump is priming, the short tube is feeding oil into the system so it doesn't run dry.

Beats worrying or adding premix to tank and then recleaning fuel tank.
Scoot safely
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Jhoodwink
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Thanks for the Great Idea

Post by Jhoodwink »

Thank You everyone for your help with this topic. I'm always leary about doing stuff like this even though it most likely will be fine.

Jerry,

Thats a great idea for priming the pump. I'll definetly do that!

Thanks again! 8)
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