PRIME (First Start) Your ECOBOOST!

[ZSHO]

FYI- As the OP the Topic was specifically targeted on a cold morning startup in the colder winter months thats all!
I appreciate everyone's input on the topic on hand! No Sore points. TIA. Z

 

[SilvererSHO]

Cranking it over at low rpm is the exact same thing as priming it.

Ummmm....no it's not.  By your logic just starting it is the same as priming it then too.

How do you think they prime the engine before first start

You honestly think FoMoCo does what you're doing as they roll off the assembly line?  More likely is that they have a pressurized oil line they blast the engine with before they install a certain plug or fitting.

You would be shocked how much oil is moved by the pump even at low rpm.

So?  You're cranking it at low rpm for 10 seconds and no oil is splashing around at all and you have full oil pressure after a second or two (slightly more time after an oil change) so why crank it for 10 seconds?  The same amount of oil is being delivered per revolution when the engine is running PLUS you have some splash lubrication going on.  Don't you think that's doing more good for your timing chain and guides?  When I think of priming a freshly built engine I think of the special adapter drive you spin the oil pump with a drill through the distributor hole on a small block chevy for example.  When I think of priming an installed engine I think of a pressurized accumulator that you give the engine a pressurized shot of a quart or so of oil.  Neither of those involve rotating the engine. 

Tell you what.  I have been around mod motors for a long time.  Turning over the motor at low speed does prime the oil pump in these motors.  Want proof?  Hook a mechanical oil gauge to the engine and see for yourself.  I know the truth. 

I only do my dry start procedure if my car has set for a while (usually more then a week). Over time gravity pulls the oil back down out of the heads, chains, guides, ect.... If you start your car daily numerous times, I wouldn't worry about it.  I don't.  My SHO gets started maybe 8 times in a 10 day period. 

Cranking it at low rpm for an extended period of time allows the oil to get into the chains and the guides.  I use the ten second method.  Your logic is wrong because it takes a couple of seconds at 1500 rpm to get the oil up and into the chains and guides.  Then the flinging lubrication....lol.  In those seconds that is where the damage is done.  If you don't believe me, tell me about the contributing factors of chain stretch, chain guide wear, oil pressure chain tensioner wear, and most of all cold start rattle. 

Cold start rattle can be helped buy turning over the engine and "priming" it in.  Even ZSHO said that.  If the cold start rattle is reduced, then guess what?  Drum roll........There is oil pressure and lubrication on the chains and guides from the "low rpm priming"......novel concept huh?

Tell me one other reason by Ford allows us to crank the motor over for extended periods of time without it starting?

Also you live in Minnesota.  The cold climate is why this thread was even started.

Tell you what.  I have been around mod motors for a long time.  Turning over the motor at low speed does prime the oil pump in these motors.  Want proof?  Hook a mechanical oil gauge to the engine and see for yourself.  I know the truth.

JEEBUS!!!  Who ever said cranking your engine over doesn't build oil pressure?  Where did I say that?  I am unaware of a conventional 4-stroke engine that doesn't build oil pressure when the engine is cranked.  Do you know of one?  And if you've been around mod motors so long surely you're aware of the priming fitting that can be installed on the oil filter housing to PRIME them without cranking the motor over. I have never heard of anyone ever opting to crank their engine over for 10 seconds after a build, re-build or after an engine has been sitting for some time.  Nope, they spin over the oil pump or put a pressurized line to the oil gallery.  But according to you it's all the same.  You should go have a chat with them all and tell them about your magical procedure.

I only do my dry start procedure if my car has set for a while (usually more then a week). Over time gravity pulls the oil back down out of the heads, chains, guides, ect.... If you start your car daily numerous times, I wouldn't worry about it.  I don't.  My SHO gets started maybe 8 times in a 10 day period.

You obviously don't have much of an understanding on how the top end of an engine is lubricated if you're mocking me for mentioning splash lubrication.  I've already explained why you're incorrectomundo in your line of thinking.  Don't need to do it again.  I'm not saying you're going to wreck your engine by doing what you're doing.  You're just probably doing more harm than good is all.  How much?  Who knows.  Answer me this though.  What do you think would happen to your chains, guides, camshafts....pretty much entire top end if you cranked your engine over indefinitely?  You'd have full oil pressure without any splash lubrication.

If you don't believe me, tell me about the contributing factors of chain stretch, chain guide wear, oil pressure chain tensioner wear, and most of all cold start rattle.

Extended oil change intervals and fuel diluted oil (they go hand in hand on GDFI motors) are the biggest factors.  Further down the list is unnecessary engine cranking for 10 seconds.

Tell me one other reason by Ford allows us to crank the motor over for extended periods of time without it starting?

Ya, I can't think of a single other reason why you'd use "flood clear mode" that is not at all exclusive to FoMoCo and has been around for years.  You really got me there....

Going forward though, everytime I fill up my oil filter and START my engine and have full oil pressure and oil splashing around the top end within 2 seconds or so instead of causing needless wear and tear on the engine by cranking it over for ten seconds after an oil change I'll think of you and smile.  I want you to know that man. :beer2:

 

[ZSHO]

I think we need to move on! I appreciate your cooperation. TIA. Z 

 

[SilvererSHO]

As noted, not needed if the car is started and driven daily, but it is good habit nonetheless.  Ester oils help in this regard.

Also I believe the engine attempts to start for 10 seconds (at least with keyed ignition) on its own once the START/RUN command is received.  You do not have to hold the key in that position.  In a way it is priming the oil, but not quite, since injectors are not cut off.  For that, the gas pedal MUST be pushed to the floor.

And yes, a true priming system would be a most welcome addition.  Short of that, using low rpm cranking is not a bad way to go.

Also I believe the engine attempts to start for 10 seconds (at least with keyed ignition) on its own once the START/RUN command is received.

FWIW, That's not my experience with our push button system.  The one time I couldn't get my car started in sub-zero temp was due to it only cranking over for 4-5 seconds at a time.  As soon as it started to fire it just stopped cranking.  I tried it 2-3 times after that and it did the same thing.  I had a battery that was going bad though so maybe that's why it didn't crank longer.

 

[ZSHO]

As noted, not needed if the car is started and driven daily, but it is good habit nonetheless.  Ester oils help in this regard.

Also I believe the engine attempts to start for 10 seconds (at least with keyed ignition) on its own once the START/RUN command is received.  You do not have to hold the key in that position.  In a way it is priming the oil, but not quite, since injectors are not cut off.  For that, the gas pedal MUST be pushed to the floor.

And yes, a true priming system would be a most welcome addition.  Short of that, using low rpm cranking is not a bad way to go.

Also I believe the engine attempts to start for 10 seconds (at least with keyed ignition) on its own once the START/RUN command is received.

FWIW, That's not my experience with our push button system.  The one time I couldn't get my car started in sub-zero temp was due to it only cranking over for 4-5 seconds at a time.  As soon as it started to fire it just stopped cranking.  I tried it 2-3 times after that and it did the same thing.  I had a battery that was going bad though so maybe that's why it didn't crank longer.

It sounds like you're battery crapped out and otherwise it would of exhibited an extended crank period as kindly mentioned above by SHOdded.
I think we need to move on .  Z

 

[802SHO]

I usually just start it.............but I learned of this a while back when I used to drive it during the cold winter months.  It was a mustang owner talking about his cold start method.  Both pedals to the floor and hold ignition to crank the engine over without starting it to build some oil pressure.  Never did it for more than a few seconds but this cut my cold start rattles in half.  Didn't always prevent one but I didn't try for 10 seconds. 

After an oil change, I would just start it...and wow it sounds like crap for a couple seconds.  Started letting the car sit for an hour or longer before starting it....cut that to about a second of sounding like trash instead of 2.  Next time I'll do this for 10 seconds and see if it fixes that problem.

A lot of times things just plain work when theoretically they shouldn't and vice versa.  In the end though I don't give a rat's @$$ what Joe Shmo does...if it makes sense to me I do it...if not screw it. 

 

[sm105k]

I usually just start it.............but I learned of this a while back when I used to drive it during the cold winter months.  It was a mustang owner talking about his cold start method.  Both pedals to the floor and hold ignition to crank the engine over without starting it to build some oil pressure.  Never did it for more than a few seconds but this cut my cold start rattles in half.  Didn't always prevent one but I didn't try for 10 seconds. 

After an oil change, I would just start it...and wow it sounds like crap for a couple seconds.  Started letting the car sit for an hour or longer before starting it....cut that to about a second of sounding like trash instead of 2.  Next time I'll do this for 10 seconds and see if it fixes that problem.

A lot of times things just plain work when theoretically they shouldn't and vice versa.  In the end though I don't give a rat's @$$ what Joe Shmo does...if it makes sense to me I do it...if not screw it.

Andrew,

You are like me and dont daily your SHO.  When was the last time you started your SHO?

 

[802SHO]

I usually just start it.............but I learned of this a while back when I used to drive it during the cold winter months.  It was a mustang owner talking about his cold start method.  Both pedals to the floor and hold ignition to crank the engine over without starting it to build some oil pressure.  Never did it for more than a few seconds but this cut my cold start rattles in half.  Didn't always prevent one but I didn't try for 10 seconds. 

After an oil change, I would just start it...and wow it sounds like crap for a couple seconds.  Started letting the car sit for an hour or longer before starting it....cut that to about a second of sounding like trash instead of 2.  Next time I'll do this for 10 seconds and see if it fixes that problem.

A lot of times things just plain work when theoretically they shouldn't and vice versa.  In the end though I don't give a rat's @$$ what Joe Shmo does...if it makes sense to me I do it...if not screw it.

Andrew,

You are like me and dont daily your SHO.  When was the last time you started your SHO?

Almost a week ago since moving it to make the splitter "how to".  I'll need to start it again and still need to put gas in it...may have to do that with gas cans...thought I would get another day to drive it to the gas station but it looks like that might not happen.  Still need to change the oil as well for storage.  So I'll be starting it a few times.  Like yours its kept on a battery tender. 

Sort of perfect timing...heres Jordan in his latest video...doing this exact measure...a couple times in a row before starting his car for the first time since his injector #6 replacement.  Its at the end. 

https://youtu.be/9eia1manjY0

 

[sm105k]

BUT BUT BUT........dry firing/priming does nothing.

Weird...after Jordan's "clear flood mode/prime" start there was little to no top end chatter in the video.  Just like my car, when I do the same thing. 

Andrew you know about chatter, do the dry start method and report back what happens. 

 

[Jordan]

BUT BUT BUT........dry firing/priming does nothing.

Weird...after Jordan's "clear flood mode/prime" start there was little to no top end chatter in the video.  Just like my car, when I do the same thing. 

Andrew you know about chatter, do the dry start method and report back what happens.

Wasn't even a measure to clear the flood. Basically my reasoning for it was to sling some oil on the cylinder as the fuel wash down on the cylinder could had stripped it of oil. As far as doing it to prime the top end I can totally see it being a thing because the the oil will slowly fall off components and you can theoretically cause excess where starting it when not primed. Also this was to prime the fuel system. Weird side effect which is blatantly obvious when you have a stuck open injector is that the lines off the hpfp have absolutely no backpressure on them and you don't even need to depressurize the system. So exactly same reason I put fogging oil in the cylinder and dry fired the car was to make sure #6 had adequate lubrication before having it see the higher idle RPMs

 

[SilvererSHO]

As noted, not needed if the car is started and driven daily, but it is good habit nonetheless.  Ester oils help in this regard.

Also I believe the engine attempts to start for 10 seconds (at least with keyed ignition) on its own once the START/RUN command is received.  You do not have to hold the key in that position.  In a way it is priming the oil, but not quite, since injectors are not cut off.  For that, the gas pedal MUST be pushed to the floor.

And yes, a true priming system would be a most welcome addition.  Short of that, using low rpm cranking is not a bad way to go.

Also I believe the engine attempts to start for 10 seconds (at least with keyed ignition) on its own once the START/RUN command is received.

FWIW, That's not my experience with our push button system.  The one time I couldn't get my car started in sub-zero temp was due to it only cranking over for 4-5 seconds at a time.  As soon as it started to fire it just stopped cranking.  I tried it 2-3 times after that and it did the same thing.  I had a battery that was going bad though so maybe that's why it didn't crank longer.

It sounds like you're battery crapped out and otherwise it would of exhibited an extended crank period as kindly mentioned above by SHOdded.
I think we need to move on .  Z

Except I didn't have the pedal to the floor so would it have cranked the full 10 seconds trying to start it?  I'm assuming the computer saw low voltage at the battery and stopped it short of 10 seconds?

 

[SHOdded]

As noted, not needed if the car is started and driven daily, but it is good habit nonetheless.  Ester oils help in this regard.

Also I believe the engine attempts to start for 10 seconds (at least with keyed ignition) on its own once the START/RUN command is received.  You do not have to hold the key in that position.  In a way it is priming the oil, but not quite, since injectors are not cut off.  For that, the gas pedal MUST be pushed to the floor.

And yes, a true priming system would be a most welcome addition.  Short of that, using low rpm cranking is not a bad way to go.

Also I believe the engine attempts to start for 10 seconds (at least with keyed ignition) on its own once the START/RUN command is received.

FWIW, That's not my experience with our push button system.  The one time I couldn't get my car started in sub-zero temp was due to it only cranking over for 4-5 seconds at a time.  As soon as it started to fire it just stopped cranking.  I tried it 2-3 times after that and it did the same thing.  I had a battery that was going bad though so maybe that's why it didn't crank longer.

I will check to see what the setup for the pushbutton start is.  My experience is with my 2007 Edge, which is a standard keyed ignition.  When I find out, I will relay back.

FYI- As the OP the Topic was specifically targeted on a cold morning startup in the colder winter months thats all!
I appreciate everyone's input on the topic on hand! No Sore points. TIA. Z

Z, I tried this specifically today.  Parked facing downslope.  Car outside for 24+ hours.  Let the ignition crank while I had the gas pedal to the floor.  Then I released the gas pedal and started the car normally.  Seemed to fire up and run smoother right off the bat.  Otherwise it takes a few extra seconds normally to be that smooth.  Albeit the difference in smoothness is not world-changing, you can certainly feel it enough to know it is there.  On a warm start tho (return trip), it did not make a difference, as expected.  Will try again, and see if it was just euphoria this time around LOL.

 

[ZSHO]

As noted, not needed if the car is started and driven daily, but it is good habit nonetheless.  Ester oils help in this regard.

Also I believe the engine attempts to start for 10 seconds (at least with keyed ignition) on its own once the START/RUN command is received.  You do not have to hold the key in that position.  In a way it is priming the oil, but not quite, since injectors are not cut off.  For that, the gas pedal MUST be pushed to the floor.

And yes, a true priming system would be a most welcome addition.  Short of that, using low rpm cranking is not a bad way to go.

Also I believe the engine attempts to start for 10 seconds (at least with keyed ignition) on its own once the START/RUN command is received.

FWIW, That's not my experience with our push button system.  The one time I couldn't get my car started in sub-zero temp was due to it only cranking over for 4-5 seconds at a time.  As soon as it started to fire it just stopped cranking.  I tried it 2-3 times after that and it did the same thing.  I had a battery that was going bad though so maybe that's why it didn't crank longer.

It sounds like you're battery crapped out and otherwise it would of exhibited an extended crank period as kindly mentioned above by SHOdded.
I think we need to move on .  Z

Except I didn't have the pedal to the floor so would it have cranked the full 10 seconds trying to start it?  I'm assuming the computer saw low voltage at the battery and stopped it short of 10 seconds?

I can attest to the extended cranking being just under 10 seconds a while back in troubleshooting a COP connector rough idle issue IIRC! Z

 

[SHOdded]

As Z has already requested, if we are going to add to this thread, we should bring facts and figures to it, to help enhance everyone's understanding.  If this is to be a collaboration or classroom, mutual respect is essential.

Otherwise, let's just move on.

Thank you.

 

[ZSHO]

Manu Thanks for the assist! I had a feeling it was going to boil down to this. Z

 

[802SHO]

I like this method.  I did this this am and held it for 10 seconds, didn't hear any start up chatter.  I'm not sure how this would hurt anything but only help.  Overall I have noticed a lot less start up chatter with mine.  When I used to daily it I noticed after an oil change it hardly made the start up chatter noise...except after first start after the oil change, but as time went on and mileage increased, the chatter would be more frequent after 2-2,500 miles. 

I havent driven it daily in over a couple years now.  Its been getting a lot of oil changes during those times so its seemed much better without doing this.  I will save this method for the first starts after sitting for long periods of time weeks/months.  I will add this to my oil service routine as my first start protocol. 

Like I mentioned previously, I had started experimenting with this year's back and it did help reduce cold start chatter in the cold winter months.  But then I stopped driving it in the winter and stopped doing this. 

Good to see someone else bring this up and I enjoyed this thread as it refreshed this idea to me, as well as gave me a better understanding. 

 

[Gjkrisa]

I like this method.  I did this this am and held it for 10 seconds, didn't hear any start up chatter.  I'm not sure how this would hurt anything but only help.  Overall I have noticed a lot less start up chatter with mine.  When I used to daily it I noticed after an oil change it hardly made the start up chatter noise...except after first start after the oil change, but as time went on and mileage increased, the chatter would be more frequent after 2-2,500 miles. 

I havent driven it daily in over a couple years now.  Its been getting a lot of oil changes during those times so its seemed much better without doing this.  I will save this method for the first starts after sitting for long periods of time weeks/months.  I will add this to my oil service routine as my first start protocol. 

Like I mentioned previously, I had started experimenting with this year's back and it did help reduce cold start chatter in the cold winter months.  But then I stopped driving it in the winter and stopped doing this. 

Good to see someone else bring this up and I enjoyed this thread as it refreshed this idea to me, as well as gave me a better understanding.

When I do oil changes I fill the filter before putting it in.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[802SHO]

Me too.  The filters that have worked the best for me as far as contributing to less chatter noise are the Motorcraft and K&N filter.  Worst in my experience were Fram Ultra Guard and WIX.

 

[sm105k]

I run the stock Motorcraft oil filter as well. Started my car for the first time in over 10 days. Used the dry start protocol "priming" method, and had zero valve train or chain noise like normal.

 

[6500rpm]

I've never given this any thought, but I can see the logic. As a matter of practice, I've always killed the injectors and cranked new engines over a bit before the initial start to make sure everything was well lubricated before firing. Back when I first got into the trade, we used to pull the distributor and use a tool with a drill motor to spin the oil pump and prime things up. Northstar engines were notorious for engine clatter from bleed down if they sat for more than a few days and it's been well published that the majority of engine wear happens on cold engine start up, so anything you do to mitigate that by getting everything that needs it lubricated before the rpm's come up would be a positive in my find.  It's a good, out of the box way of looking at things!