joseph mitro

i am ready in the next day or two to start my car up after a complete engine rebuild. so i figure this is what i will do:

top off all fluids
disconnect coil
pull fuel pump fuse
crank the engine over to build oil pressure
once oil pressure is established, reinstall fuel pump fuse and coil and start 'er up
bleed coolant while it's running
accelerate quickly once to seat the rings, then drive casually for about 500 miles.


anybody have anything to contribute?

pete944

The only thing I can think to add is to vary the RPM range while driving for the first couple hundred miles. In other words, don't do a lot of steady highway cruising.

Good luck on the start up. It looks like you did a very thorough and detailed job on the rebuild. I'll follow your lead in a year or two when I do mine.

aribop

Joe,
Pulling DME relay is a lot easier than disconnecting a hose.
When I started mine up after the rebuild, I could not get the oil pressure to build. After a few short runs, I decided to hook everything back up and fire it up. Oil pressure came up after a few seconds.
Good Luck!

Kurt R

You should try priming the oil pump before you crank it over.
Remove the oil filter, pour oil down the center hole while rotating the crankshaft in the counter-clockwise to prime the oil pump. Then reinstall the oil filter
Make sure the crank bolt is tight.

Danno

Isn't it pouring oil down the side hole on the oil-filter housing? If you haven't installed the oil-pump, it may be a good idea to pack it full of grease so that it's not trying to pump air.

RMills944

Pete, why don't you want steady driving to break it in?

Kurt R

That's what I thought too, but I wasn't sure. I took a quick trip over to Clark's Garage and cut and pasted that section directly out of the manual. However, as I think back about it, I believe you are correct, it is the side hole. Heck, pour some oil in both holes, turn the motor over backwards, and tell us which side the level goes down on.

Granite 944

How about, leaving spark plugs out so engine spins faster on intial oil pressure build up, noting the coil, and fuel are cut off. Priming pump thru oil filter (as mentioned) sounds good. Also, your changing oil within first 100-500 miles? No expert here.......just thoughts.

Below is straight out of '86 owners manual for break-in. You've probably already seen this though. Good luck! and Congrats on the rebuild!

joseph mitro

great tips everybody. thanks. i am getting a radiator bracket repaired tonight, then installing the radiators. should be ready to start up by christmas day or thereafter. i'll post a success story when it's running.

granite - excellent info there from the manual. no, i hadn't seen that.

oh yea, and i'll be changing the oil within 500 miles.

500

Joseph,

I don't have anything to add here of significance. However, I would just echo what was said earlier about varying the RPM a lot during break in. My WRX owner's manual and the dealer were specific in this regard. Also, there was a lot of talk about this on the forums. Basically, if you do get on the highway for a long stretch, it may be good to shift between 4th and 5th and vary your speed as much as reasonably possible.

Also, if it is possible to heat your garage to room temperature, I would do so for at least a day ahead of the first start up, just to have the most ideal condition so the metal does not have to undergo as much expansion from start up (OK, it's cold where I am right now...).

All the best!

Charlie

It is the side hole that you pour the oil in, not the center hole. I took about a 2 ft section of clear (about 1/2 or 5/8 inch, don't remember) hose and wedged into the side hole. Filled about 1/2 the hose with oil and turned the engine (no spark plugs) counter clockwise. I could see the pump pulling the oil as I turned. I then removed the DME relay, put a filter on, and spun the engine and in a 4 or 5 seconds had pressure.