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[percyboy]

Hi all, any advice please on priming a newly rebuilt Constellation engine. Thanks. Percy Boy

[Mark M]

Plugs out and keep kicking unless you have starter rollers. I usually start priming with 50 kicks at a time long before I'm ready for a full start, I just treat it as a cheap gym membership! You should have used plenty of oil in the various obvious places when you rebuilt it but also tip plenty down the pushrod tunnels (via the rockers,) to stimulate the return pump. When you start it run it with the oil cap off to see the return flow, this will take what seems like a worryingly long time even if all is well! You can also leave a rocker feed bolt loose to check flow there. Be careful when inspecting the return in the oil tank, it can suddenly spurt (oooh missus) at high pressure and cover you....

REgards, Mark

[percyboy]

Many thanks, kicking leg at the ready, advice will be followed. Percy Boy

[Cleggy]

Oil filter housing should be full of oil on assembly (timing cover off to do this fully & cover turned 90 degrees anti-clock to fill). Crankshaft end pumped up with oil can containing your favourite oil til pressure felt & spits back when you remove oil spout from crank end. I always kick over lots til I see oil emerge from the feed hole to the crank quill in the timing case. As Mark says, oil down rocker boxes to fill cam tunnel baths & over valve stems. Rocker feed can be seen with lots of kicking, I always leave off the rockers pipes & watch til it pumps out the banjo hole/s in the rear crankcase. Oil in the sump gives the return pump something to do while first circulating. Oil pumps should also have been assembled swimming in oil. Good luck.

[vince]

Hi, do as the other contributors previously described ,I take the plugs out and leave the feed quill slightly loose and push the bike around the yard in gear till oil emerges from the quill then retighten before starting. If all oil gallery's are primed before hand this operation is surprising quick. On singles I leave the rocker covers off on first startup to ensure the oil is going to both rockers. Vince

[PeteF]

If you've lubricated properly during assembly you can just start it up. There will be quite sufficient lube to tick over for a bit. Obviously it pays to check that it has primed and you haven't had a bozo moment during reassembly but all this kicking and pushing isn't necessary IMO. I squirt oil in bearings and use Graphogen on sliding surfaces during assembly.

[PeteF]

Oh, and with Enfields, you can squirt oil straight into the quill to lube the big end.

[Mark M]

Pete F, I'm sure you're right about plenty of lube during assembly and the use of Graphogen in crucial locations, I now do all that and also kick-prime. I used to just lube well and start but I've become more cautious on my last few rebuilds. However, this could be because I'm finally working on the bikes I've dreamed about for years and I'm terrified of getting it wrong! Also, my most recent rebuild is a 1970 Series 2 Interceptor fitted with an oil cooler and that thing definitely needs priming. I have tried walking a bike round and it didn't work for me, hence the 50 kicks method!

REgards, Mark

[Barnes]

I must agree with petef. I just didnt want to be 1st to say it. I have never primed my sm. I use graphogen and a squirt of oil in each bore. Followed by priming the tappet tunnels and crankcase with 1/4 ltr of oil. Then start and check for feed to rockers within 30 secs. And a return oil feed within the same time. Ed

[Tim NZ]

+90% of all wear occurs at start-up and during the initial 'warming-up' stages until full Oil pressure is achieved...