I am no expert on anything, just thinking in type, in the hope it might help you Jeremy.
Forgive me, Jeremy
et al. But, I
MHO, Luddite (thank you) is the best general mechanic I have ever encountered in my long life.
In contrast, I am merely familiar with traditional Morgans and LR/Rover V8 engines specifically, a one-trick pony with a lot of amateur hands-on and high mileage on Plus 8s. I
hope his post drives home that my suggested action plan begins with a verification of the pressure relief valve. That relief valve has a bad a reputation for sticking, especially after long storage. The new oils many of us use has not made the situation better. That is why the best mechanics, now dying off, use the cunning tadpole valve instead of using the "thimble" LR/Rover used. There is a ton of explanation on AI.(some of it correct) It is also a mildly messy task, but far less so than priming the pump. I can no longer easily find these valves, but the UK legendary John Eales still lists them
https://johnealesroverv8.co.uk/product/baffled-sump/. Alternatively, carefully remove the Rover valve valve (aka the thimble), my guess is you might need a screw driver to convince it) clean it, oil it, place it atop its oiled spring, which sits in the the plug and place the lot back in the pump. Now juggle with the plug to get it to contact with its threads is and
turn on them. Please place something clean under the pump to catch the plug, spring and thimble clean if your juggling fails.
I am hoping that a pressure valve seizing is your problem.
L
P.S. Removing the spark plugs will put a lot less strain on the battery, though the tappets should plump up quickly.
P.P.S. Consensus game plans are always the best.
P.P.PS. I found some other links that might help, once again illustrating the dangers of sourcing
and (note them) the size of the oil pumps fittings (3 different lengths. (!) However, unless you adore bling like I do, changing the fittings is unnecessary. Just note what goes where
. I use copper washers on those fittings. https://robsport.co.uk/online-shop/product/5505-oil-pump-gaskethttps://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p/rover-v8-oil-pump-cover-spare-gasket-m-pscg1https://thewedgeshopstore.com/oil-pressure-relief-valve-service-kit-upgraded-rover-v8/![[Linked Image]](http://www.gomog.com/TEMP/OilPumpFittings.jpg)
