dalemcmillan
New member
I have just overhauled a 1948 Farmall Cub. I cannot get the oil pump to start working. I have checked the spline on the camshaft and it is fine. I have packed the pump with grease. I am at my wits end. Any suggestions?
Oil Pump problem
- Thread starter dalemcmillan
- Start date
I personally would not have packed the oil pump with grease……Did you use the proper THIN (very thin) paper gasket for the oil pump cover? Did you make sure all the oil galley set screw plugs were re-installed? Finally if you did all that try removing the oil plug on opposite side of the engine from the oil filter housing (that plug drains down into the oil pump) you can take an oil can and pump 5 or 6 shots of oil in that hole and reinsert the plug. That is a way to “prime” the oil pump…..still don’t get the packing the pump full of grease trick.
NJ Farmer
NJ Farmer
ricky racer
501 Club
The usual issue as NJ Farmer said is using the wrong (too thick) gasket under the oil pump housing or oil gallery pipe plugs not installed. The correct gasket is paper thin.
Hi,
The oil pump is sort of high above the oil pan where the oil is, and sometimes won't suck the oil up to it. It is sort of a common thing on Cubs that have been sitting.
They recommend on here to prime the oil pump.
Below is info for priming the oil pump. You can do it the way that was said above also.
To prime the oil pump, remove the oil filter cover bolt, cover, and oil filter.
There is a small hole near the top, inside the chamber. Use a light to see it, if needed.
It is an engine oil passage.
I use a clean pump oil can to pump clean motor oil into the hole. It might take more than 1 filling of the oil can to fill the passage in the engine.
When the hole is full of oil, put in the oil filter, and cover on.
If the chamber is dirty inside, you can wash it with kerosene and a brush. The Cub owner's and operator's manuals say to put the bolt in without the filter or cover, so the kerosene doesn't run down into the engine.
There is a drain for the chamber below the starter.
Watch the oil gauge when the engine is running, it takes 15 or 20 seconds for the gauge to show pressure, the pump has to fill the oil filter chamber before the gauge shows pressure.
Don't run the engine after priming the system without the oil filter, cover, and bolt in place.
Below is a picture of where the oil passage hole is.
The oil pump is sort of high above the oil pan where the oil is, and sometimes won't suck the oil up to it. It is sort of a common thing on Cubs that have been sitting.
They recommend on here to prime the oil pump.
Below is info for priming the oil pump. You can do it the way that was said above also.
To prime the oil pump, remove the oil filter cover bolt, cover, and oil filter.
There is a small hole near the top, inside the chamber. Use a light to see it, if needed.
It is an engine oil passage.
I use a clean pump oil can to pump clean motor oil into the hole. It might take more than 1 filling of the oil can to fill the passage in the engine.
When the hole is full of oil, put in the oil filter, and cover on.
If the chamber is dirty inside, you can wash it with kerosene and a brush. The Cub owner's and operator's manuals say to put the bolt in without the filter or cover, so the kerosene doesn't run down into the engine.
There is a drain for the chamber below the starter.
Watch the oil gauge when the engine is running, it takes 15 or 20 seconds for the gauge to show pressure, the pump has to fill the oil filter chamber before the gauge shows pressure.
Don't run the engine after priming the system without the oil filter, cover, and bolt in place.
Below is a picture of where the oil passage hole is.
Attachments
dalemcmillan
New member
Packing the pump with grease has worked for me in the past. I do not understand how to move the oil plug to the opposite side of the engine. Will you clarify that for me? I have a spare engine. I plan to swap Oil pumps tomorrow if I can get motivated to drag that engine out of the tractor, knowing I will have to stab that sucker back in the transmission. I am almost 90 years old, and moving that engine in and out is a pain—Machine work cost me $600. It was $200 the last time I had a block re-bored. Thanks for your suggestions.
Dale McMillan
Dale there is a small Allen plug on the opposite side of the engine of the oil filter housing near the split line from the engine and transmission bell housing. If sitting on the tractor it’s on the upper left side of the engine. Remove that small plug with an 1/8 Allen wrench and squirt oil down that hole….it goes directly to the oil pump.
NJ Farmer
NJ Farmer
Last edited:
dalemcmillan
New member
The engine is squeaky clean straight from the machine shop. I squirted several syringes full in the little hole in the side of the oil filter housing. I have a spare engine I am going to swap pumps tomorrow I I can get motivated to work on the stubborn thing.Hi,
The oil pump is sort of high above the oil pan where the oil is, and sometimes won't suck the oil up to it. It is sort of a common thing on Cubs that have been sitting.
They recommend on here to prime the oil pump.
Below is info for priming the oil pump. You can do it the way that was said above also.
To prime the oil pump, remove the oil filter cover bolt, cover, and oil filter.
There is a small hole near the top, inside the chamber. Use a light to see it, if needed.
It is an engine oil passage.
I use a clean pump oil can to pump clean motor oil into the hole. It might take more than 1 filling of the oil can to fill the passage in the engine.
When the hole is full of oil, put in the oil filter, and cover on.
If the chamber is dirty inside, you can wash it with kerosene and a brush. The Cub owner's and operator's manuals say to put the bolt in without the filter or cover, so the kerosene doesn't run down into the engine.
There is a drain for the chamber below the starter.
Watch the oil gauge when the engine is running, it takes 15 or 20 seconds for the gauge to show pressure, the pump has to fill the oil filter chamber before the gauge shows pressure.
Don't run the engine after priming the system without the oil filter, cover, and bolt in place.
Below is a picture of where the oil passage hole is.
Thanks
dalemcmillan
New member
I squirted several syringe loads down that hole this morning. I am at a loss as to why it does not work. I am going to rob a pump from my spare engine. No wait, that is not the hole I squirted oil into I will try that first thing in the morning. Thanks.
After priming the oil pump as stated, leave the cover off the oil filter housing. Crank the engine over without starting. Watch the hole in the oil filter housing to see if oil is being pumped out. Might just be a seep. If you have a seep of oil, you have other problems but not the oil pump.
Big problems with commercially worked on the C60 engine is not installing oil gallery plugs.
ricky racer
501 Club
Did you assemble the engine or did others assemble the engine for you? If you assembled the engine, can you verify the gasket that was put under the oil pump housing? Was it the same thickness as the other gaskets used on the engine or was it paper thin?
Gary Dotson
501 Club
The proper thickness of the oil pump is, I believe, .007” (7 thousandths). Many gasket sets come with an oil pump gasket the same thickness as the other gaskets, such as water outlet housing. Those just won’t work for the oil pump. As a side note, I’ve packed oil pumps with grease before so I understand what you were doing. Desperate times call for desperate measures. That said, your pump should certanly be primed!
Gary Dotson
501 Club
Continuing to think about this, almost always on freshly rebuilt Cub engines, lack of oil pressure has been caused by a missing oil galley plug and it’s almost always the one behind the cam gear, the most difficult one there is.