Had the engine out and put in new rear main seal. Now that it is back in the car we wanted to prime it before starting it. Using the hex rod and drill going c.c.w.. Tried it for a couple minutes and nothing. Screwed off the filter and no oil....

revers the direction you are spinning it.

did you try filling the filter with oil?

leave the filter loose, put a bucket under it, then prime ccw. This allows the air trapped in the pump to escape. Once you get oil out to the filter you wont have any more issues.

pack the pump with grease. works every time

+1

I am pretty sure the distributor on big blocks goes counter clockwise as you look at it.

Loosen the filter, prime the pump until oil starts to flow out around the filter, tighten it back up and continue.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm trying to relay this onto my son ,who is 90 miles away from me .

Is this a internal or external pick up system...if its
a external system make sure there are no leaks

Internal pump,stock

did you remove the pump from the main cap? If so maybe it isn't seated properly on the cap now or the gasket is not seal up good enough to prevent air from sucking into the pump now It worked before, it will work agian after you figure out what is causing this problem IHTHs

Basic trouble shooting process. Verify that you have oil in the pan first. Verify that the drive rod is actually going into the oil pump. Verify that you are spinning the pump CCW. If it just spins then remove the oil filter and try it again. If you still don't get anything then remove the oil pump and open it up. Maybe the relief valve is stuck open, maybe the gasket was put on backwards. Maybe someone forgot to put the gears in it.

It isn't very complicated, just a few moving parts in the whole system.

440, and all Mopar BB , have external oil pumps. Mopar SB are internal

and don't forget to put the pipe plug in the ends of the rocker shafts, it can and will make a giant mess when the pump starts working

Pick up in place? Likely can determine by removing pan drain plug and poke about or have a look with a flexible fiber optic type light.

Or camera.

Um... guys. He has a small block. There are no big blocks with internal pumps. Distributor turns clockwise on a small block.

And if it is a big block, just unbolt the pump, remove the plate and fill it with white grease or petroleum jelly. Sounds like it just lost its prime.

Sorry guy's I meant internal pick up , external pump.

Is this a small block or big block... small block the dist is
in the back... big block its in the front.. the pumps turn the
opposite direction