Chain tensioner upgrade - prime the tensioners?
 

I am upgrading my chain tensioners on my '79 SC.

Been reading numerous threads, the Pelican how to article, the section in Waynes engine rebuild book and the Bentley manual. Feel pretty prepared for this task.

In Waynes engine rebuild book he mentions removing the pin from the new tensioner and submerging in oil to prime it so to speak, then compress it in a vice and reinstall the pin before installation in the motor. The other articles do not mention this.

Couple questions:
Is priming in oil the preferred method?
I will not be running this motor for some months as I am still in the fully disassembled car stage. If I do prime them in oil now will it all just drain out by the time the motor runs anyways?

Any other relevant last words of wisdom are appreciated. I am a newbie on this sort of work but enjoy the learning process. Been a little nervous about this task!
Thanks for any feedback.

Some folks just put it in dry and don't have a problem. When you go to start your fresh engine, you disconnect either fuel or electric so it doesn't start and crank the starter for a minute or so until you see plenty of oil pressure showing on the gauge. That should be sufficient to fill them up. But I use a pump oil can attached to the inlet with a banjo bolt and banjo cut off an old tensioner metal line just to be safe. A rare tensioner won't pump up and that saves you from having to go in and replace it.

I bought a used kit here. Given what I saw about failures of some of the new tensioners I thought that used OEM might be safer.

One tensioner compresses by hand. The other is hard as a rock. Hard as a rock doesn't seem right.

I was planning to put the copper spacers in as insurance against collapse, but I don't know how to disassemble the hard tensioner. Pull the circlip out of the bottom?

Put tensioner in a vice and slowly bleed it off.
Bruce

I put it in a vice briefly - it didn't move. I will put it in for a little longer