Pre luber picture

[demarpaint]

A few guys asked for a picture of the pre-luber I have hooked up in my van. Under hood pics won't show it, it is buried in the engine bay. The picture is from the brochure I got with the pre-luber. It is over 20 years old, but this is the exact unit, and it works like a champ.

It draws oil from an attachment on the drain plug, and pumps it into the engine where the oil sending unit is attached via a "T" fitting. The oil goes through a filter screen. I have it hooked up to a toggle switch, flip it on before I start the engine and build up oil pressure. This van sat for months at a time w/o starting, so I thought the pre-luber would be a good idea.

It can be hooked up with quick connectors and pump the oil into a container for oil changes, which I don't do that way. It can also pump oil through the engine after you shut the engine off during very hot weather to aid in cooling.

 

[tomcat27]

20 years ago my autoshop teacher predicted widespread adoption of variable valve timing and also pre-oilers. so far we have only seen the former. very cool. so what engine and how many miles are on it?

 

[demarpaint]

It is hooked up to an 88 E-150 4.9L with only 71,000 miles on it. As you can tell that van did a lot of sitting and saw little use. We'd make trips with it, during the nice weather, it was sort of a mini RV. Now I use it for work, and it is still in mint condition. I actually have another NIB pre-luber which I might use at some future date.

 

[mechtech2]

For most cars, this simply is not necessary. It fixes a non problem.

Did anyone note, "Some experts project that the use of this device may extend engine life by as much as 100 times."?
Not a chance.

 

[demarpaint]

+1, their add leaves a lot to the imagination, like so many in automotive world do. That luber was installed in 1988 or 1989, and is still in service. As I mentioned the van sat for very long periods of time, and for that reason alone I thought it was worth it. In a daily driver, or even a car used once a week or once a month it would probably be of little benefit today. Oils have evolved greatly in that time.

I still have one NIB, I got a deal on when I bought that one. No need for a daily driver. We were considering it for a Marine application.

 

[L_Sludger]

Modern synthetic lubricants have helped to decrease startup wear significantly compared to 20 years ago

 

[lipadj46]

Still a cool little gadget.

 

[mechtech2]

Oh yes, it could be very valuable with different fittings for new engine prelubing.
BTW, when I prelube, I rotate the engine a few rotations while priming the pump or otherwise pressurizing the system.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
For most cars, this simply is not necessary. It fixes a non problem.

Did anyone note, "Some experts project that the use of this device may extend engine life by as much as 100 times."?
Not a chance.


When I was going to university, I had access to all of the SAE papers (on microfiche).

There was a paper on a system that looked very much like that shown here.

The paper stated that engine life would be increased 3-5 times by using a pre-oiler.

Still way beyond any "normal" period of ownership, or life of the rest of the car.

 

[Kiwi_ME]

Originally Posted By: Shannow

When I was going to university, I had access to all of the SAE papers (on microfiche)

Ha! So did I and spent so much time reading them I almost failed. A fascinating insight to the automotive R&D world.

 

[mechtech2]

Shannow - Was that paper concerning start up only, or also keeping pressure when making hard turns, like in autocrossing? [the pick up could suck air sometimes]