So, first step in getting this Mini going again is making sure that oil is pumping around the engine.  We have the plugs out, etc.. and the engine is being turned over, but no oil pressure.  We are checking for oil in the various hoses, filling the oil filter, trying to dump oil in the lines, etc… no oil pressure.

I start reading online… it is kind of like reading about a symptom you have.  You search for it online and the next thing you know you have some weird tropical disease and only have months left to live.  I was convinced the motor was going to have to come out and that this car was going to take another 4 years to complete…  Some of the suggestions included bad gaskets that require you to pull the engine, an oil pump that needs to be re-primed, etc..  Some good suggestions like putting the car in 4th and pushing it backwards to re-prime the engine.

In the end… it is really helpful to make sure you setup the pressure relief valve and spring.  The spring had gone missing over the last few years.  I got a new one from our local Mini experts Miles Imports and now we have oil pressure.

Next step is still to start it and through the break in.