One of the more hair-raising aspects of rebuilding an engine is making sure the lubrication system is working before you go out on it. You fire it up, and then hold your heart in your mouth waiting for the spurts of returning oil coming into the tank to tell you that all is well.
When I built the SQ4, I ran the engine up on a big power drill, as I wrote in this post. I should maybe have done that this time, but I have sealed up the primary case now and anyway the drill might undo the shock absorber nuts - you cannot get to the timing side of the crankshaft on a single, with the oil pump in place.
You are reduced to some right leg exercise on the kick starter. Waiting for oil to come back in the return will take a long time, but you can see it much sooner either here, at the blanked oil pressure gauge take off:
or here, at the rocker oil line connection to the timing chest. Slackening either fastener should see oil dripping out if all is well with the pressure side of the pump.
Of course, oil at these two points does not mean it is getting to the big end - you will have to wait for it to drip out of the sump plate (if that is still off) or return to the tank.
You'll have to cope with living on adrenaline and biting your nails for a bit longer.
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