Pre-Luber Anyone?

[Cat992opp]

Has anyone installed a pre-luber oil pump on their truck. Do you believe there to be a need for one. Just liked the idea and was wondering if anyone had experience with one. Thanks

Eric

2001 2500HD QC LB 4X
SLT Plus, Autometer boost and pyro, VA, Billet aluminum grille & bumper inserts, Westin CPS stepbars, Pace Edwards bed-locker tonneau.

 

[tmacc]

Cat. I've had two pre-lubers. one my '93 cummins and '94 psd. Both failed after about a year and had to be sent back for repairs. IMO it wasn't worth the hassle on my new truck. They're sitting in the garage somewhere.

------------------
'01 2500 4x4 4. 10 White/Driftwood QC plain SLT auto trans snow prep camper package tow package bed liner mopar mud flaps Reading Ind. 33" tall contractors cap. Toys: 3 mountain bikes, a cyclo-cross bike, and a road bike, plus a couple of whitewater kayaks. Yeah, I know their human powered, but the bikes are fun to modify too. Like spending $$$ to make trucks more powerful, It takes $$ to make bikes lighter. Titanium isn't cheap.

 

[Chad Sheets]

A 992 driver you say. How old is it? Any engine gripes? I hope not, because I build them. Give me some input. They never tell us anything from the field.

 

[RankRam]

I used to operate a 992C it was the greatest job I have had, sure do miss it. I'm stuck in a lab testing asphalt now!!!

------------------
99 2500 QC SB 4x4 5sp 3. 54 LSD 285/75/16 Rancho 9000s A. R. E. Camper Shell etc. etc.

 

[Cat992opp]

Chad,

We have three 992C(92 to 95s) at the quarry I work at. In my opinion, they are one of the best wheel loaders on the market. I don't have any complaints at all. Nice product.

Eric

 

[Cat992opp]

tmacc,

Thanks for the imput. I was wondering how they would hold up, we use them on all the Cummins engines at work, but they are all larger than the B series. I appreciate the advice and it looks like I'll hold off at this time. Thanks again.

Eric

 

[Chad Sheets]

Thats good to hear #ad


That engine is almost identical to the V8 in the D11 dozers. I have never heard from anyone with a 994 wheel loader. They have a 16 cylinder in them... very big!

 

[Mad Max]

Why is this product needed?

How many $135,000 Porsche Twin Turbos have you seen with such a device? Now at that price level, if "pre-lubing" was "needed", I'd wager Ferry Porche's crew would have incorporated it into the design.

A solution for a theoretical problem at best in my opinion. I'll pass.

Max

 

[Chad Sheets]

Reliability for one. All emergency gen sets are required to have prelubers. All firepump engines are required to have one.

These egnines sell for twice the price of one of these race Ferry machines, and they need them, and are required to have them. A human life laying on the operating table when the power goes out is more important than any race car. All emergency gen sets sold to hospitals have prelubers on them to reduce wear on the backbone of their hospital.

Its not theory, its fact. Start an engine up thats been sitting idle for 6 months and you get less wear with a preluber in place.

 

[DUNE RACER]

I had one years ago on a turbo charged Ch**y blazer I built. I would not own another one. I had constant trouble with leaks on the unit and the thing was very noisy. I recieved no help from the company on how to fix the leaks and tried everything from fatter O rings to rtv sealent, nothing worked. I still have it laying around if anyone needs parts.

 

[CAW440]

Had one on my 94 for about a two years until it shorted out and caught my truck on fire, please stay away from the Pre-Luber,Ill never use one again.

------------------
2001 2WD Quad Cab SLT 3. 54 Tow and Camper package, short bed

 

[illflem]

If your Cummins will go 500k to a million miles without a rebuild or preluber why mess with it?

 

[Cat992opp]

Hey guys, thanks for all the imput, its nice to get a wide spectrum of ideas on the subject. The only reason I was considering the idea is that the truck isn't a daily driver, and sometimes goes a week or more without running. When I do start it, it can take 5 to 10 seconds to get oil pressure, this makes me a little nervous. Anyway, thanks for the advice.

Eric

 

[DUNE RACER]

Cat,
You may want to consider the genos turbo timer. Aside from cooling your turbo down, it also has a kill switch built in so you can crank your engine over a few revolutions before starting. This will prime the oil pump and should start to prime the oil passages before the engine fires off. I'm going to buy one of these when the finance department (wife) approves my loan request. #ad

 

[Chad Sheets]

Youre missing the whole idea behind a preluber. Circulate oil only with out turning any engine componets.

------------------
Always ready to help!
2000 2500 Red Sport quad cab, 4x4, K&N, DDI's, straight piped, boost, pyro and fuel pressure gages, Hot Power Edge, mean looking set of 33. 5" tires, Snap On diamond tool box, Marine Corps window sticker, Semper Fi!

1972 340 Cuda'. Original tripple Black, 340 car w/air. Good clean car, super stock springs, Weld Prostars, shaker hood, strong 340 with a 727/4000 stahl, 4. 56... . Bombs away!
NRA Life Member. http://www.geocities.com/chadsheets

[This message has been edited by Chad Sheets (edited 01-21-2001). ]

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Unless you don't start your engine for several months, there is going to be an adequate film of oil on all running parts in the engine. I think cranking an engine without firing does no harm at all, but doing so is nice to build oil pressure sooner for when it does fire. There is far more stress on engine components when the engine lights off than there is when just cranking it over.

Vaughn

 

[Mad Max]

Reliability?

Yeah... IF IT SITS FOREVER AND NEVER GETS STARTED... that makes sense...

do you use a truck like that?

you're gonna have other problems if you do, like dried out seals in your auto transmission.

Max

 

[illflem]

If anyone is interested here's how to build your own for a good price. http://www.ecpe.vt.edu/~dfritz/technical/engine/prelube_const.htm

 

[Kyle]

After talking to a few oil analysis companies they all agreed there would be a reduction in wear metals with a pre-luber installed. I finally bought one.

Had to replace all the fittings with good Parker fittings so they wouldn't leak (add $100). Had to jerry-rig it so the oil would go through the filter first before going to the engine -- but not get pumped "backwards" through the engine oil pump (add $75). Had to design and build a flexible, rubber-isolated mounting platform so the pre-luber noise wouldn't echo through the entire truck frame and shake my fillings out (add $50).

Finally got it quiet, got good pressure before turning it over (that was real neat), and got 3-4 minutes of oil pumping after shutdown. Then the pre-luber pump itself started leaking. I stuck with it until I had 200 hours on the oil and a 2-foot wide pool on my driveway. Did a comparative oil analysis. Results: 3-times MORE wear metals than before (presumably coming from the pre-luber pump itself - "Need to let the pre-luber get broken in. ")

I couldn't get that mess off my truck fast enough. It's in a land fill now - I didn't even feel right about giving it away. I kept the electronic module just for the timer. I'll probably wire it as a shutdown timer. It also serves as a good reminder of the whole saga.

I spent over 800 bucks and 30 hours of work. All I have to show for it is a timer - and I don't know how long that'll last. I hope anyone who buys a pre-luber has better luck than I did.

 

[illflem]

One of the main things I don't like about a preluber on our trucks is that you have to draw the inlet oil from the drain plug. Too much danger of getting torn off. If you have rig that sat for a very long time or has been rebuilt you can make a preluber from an old freon bottle. You buy a setup for $15 to convert the bottle into a portable compressed air tank,pour a qt of oil in it pressurize,turn upside down and let it flow into one of the oil filter housing ports. Of course this will add extra oil that you will have to deal with.

Another way that avoids a new pump and the drainplug is to use a hydraulic accumulator. These are similar to a well tank that has a compressed air blatter. You one time pressurize the accumulator to about 20 psi lower than your oil pressure. Then connect this to a port on the filter housing with an electric valve that is open when the ign is on. When you shut down the pressurized oil from your engine will be trapped in the accumulator,when you turn the key without starting the valve opens and the oil in the accumulator will flow and prelube the engine.