Thanks to all who helped. The most obvious and direct approach was the
right one, once I got out to the garage again.
The spin-on filter is mounted horizontally to the right of the engine
block. The oil enters the filter chamber from the bottom through a hole
set into the curved bottom of the filter mount. When the car is left
standing, the oil drains back through this hole to the oil pump and thence
to the sump. With no oil in the sump, it seems the pump can get dry
enough to lose its prime.
The solution was to fill the pump with oil by shooting the entry hole
until the oil level came up to the mount. Put as much oil in the filter
as I could get away with (not much!). Then spun the filter back on,
squirted yet more oil into the cylinders, and ran the starter. Had 50 PSI
of oil pressure in a jiffy. Cranked it for a short while to be sure I had
new oil in the bearings, then disconnected the battery for the winter.
Gonna do it right the first time next year ...
Phil Ethier, THE RIGHT LINE, 672 Orleans St, Saint Paul, MN 55107-2676
h (612) 224-3105 w (612) 266-6244 phile@stpaul.gov
"The workingman's GT-40" - Colin Chapman "It's a Mistake" - Colin Hay
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