Bob,
Some delay is normal after a long period of disuse. It's not likely
that the pump has lost its prime; the prime plug fitted to 'later'
engines is used mainly to prime the pump after the sump has been removed
or the pump itself worked on. During the winter the oil drained down
from many of the oil passages, so they need to fill before the pressure
builds enough to show on the gauge. Our TD gauges are in the line that
feeds the rocker assembly, so oil must get to them before the line has
enough pressure to show at the gauge. And, chances are that though the
air temp reached 60, the oil temp was far below that (we saw 55 yesterday
in the afternoon but 22 in the unheated garage in the morning) so that
the oil is thick compared to summertime viscosity.
When I haven't started an engine in a couple of weeks, I spin it on
the starter for a few seconds before turning on the ignition (TD) or
pulling the choke (MGB). Oil people tell us that enough oil is retained
on bearings and cylinders so that there need be no worry about
lubrication on startup, but I do worry and hope that this practice might
have some benefit.
Bob
On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 21:57:27 -0000 "Bob D." <bobmgtd@insightbb.com>
writes:
> We just had our first 60 degree day of the year, so naturally I took
> the TD out for a spin. It's running great after four months of storage.
I
> held my breath, as I do every year, waiting for the oil pressure to
come
> back. Do you guys see a 5 to 10 second delay in the oil pressure after
a storage
> period?
> (Normally the pressure picks up right away, while the engine is
> still cranking.) I always assumed it was normal due to the poor
> semi-self-priming design of the oil pump. Is it normal?
>
> Bob Donahue (Still stuck in the '50s)
> Email - bobmgtd@insightbb.com
> 52 MGTD - NEMGTR #11470
> 71 MGB - NAMGBR #7-3336
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