"Paul Anton" wrote in message
...
What can anyone tell me about "loss of oil pump prime" on a small
Continental?

I have heard of it in the past and it has happened to me.

Only way it can happen imho is if there's slop in the oil pump, i. e., the
cover and/or pump wells are wallowed out or too much wear in the gears and
bushings. I bet if you pulled the rear case you'd find something out of
tolerance. Check your gear lash too, with feeler gauges and a dial
indicator.

I had an A-65 that would do that. The rear case is magnesium, same material
as the C-85's. Every time I cranked it-- even the next day -- I would have
to raise the tail to prime it. When I tore that engine down the shafts,
gears, cover, and bushings were all out and so were the wells. When I
overhauled it I had to replace the rear case and the gears and cover, an
expensive proposition. Before it went back together I miked everything to
make sure of tolerances required in the overhaul manual. Those tolerances
are unforgiving.

I just tore into a C-85 needing overhauling. One of the oil pump shafts is
scored all to hell. We'll see how much more slop there is in it. The
cylinders of this engine, used on an experimental, are fried, probably
because of the crappy baffling and baffle seals.

Best wishes. I have almost 200 hours on the A-65 now and she is a real
trooper, although the ECI cermichrome cylinders are predicted to die early.
Only trouble so far --- a blown exhaust gasket which made everybody on the
field think the engine was sick.