When disassembling both of my motors (92 and 94) I noticed something that puzzled me.

On the front end of the crankshaft, there are three gears installed before the lower timing cover goes on. Right Bank Timing Gear, Left Bank Timing Gear, Oil Pump Drive Gear.

All three of these gears have notches for the keyway on the crank. The Crank has two keyways, one about 15mm long closes to the block, and another 15mm long farthest from the block, and nothing in between.

When the Right and Left Bank Gears are installed, the keyway closest to the block is completely covered up, and there is no key for the oil pump drive gear to engage.

So that begs the question... how is it driven?? Both motors I disassembled allowed me to spin the pil pump freely by hand once the lower front cover was off.

Is the oil pump gear compressed between the Left Bank Gear and the Crank Pulley and that is how it is driven??? I find it strange that it is not directly driven off of the crank by a key if that is the case.

Am I missing something so obvious that I'm going to feel like and idiot when you tell me?

Thanks,Steve

no thats how it is...... So if something were to jam the oil pump it wont lock the motor up and destroy everything, instead itd just snap the oil pump chain...

Wow, strange... thanks for the input.

I know that Q45tech posted something about why its that way.. It doesnt make any sense to me either... Im just repeating what ive heard...

Did a few searches and couldn't find anything, but I'll take your word for it.

The massive torquing of the crank bolt drives it firmly by friction.You ABSOLUTELY must set it to oem specs or no low oil pressure.

Believe me the oil chain stretches enough without a locked drive, seen from doing chain guides on 90-93 engines at 100-180k [replace chain and both oil chain guides plus the main chain guides with updated metal parts also replace chain tensioners.

Q45tech wrote:The massive torquing of the crank bolt drives it firmly by friction.You ABSOLUTELY must set it to oem specs or no low oil pressure.

Believe me the oil chain stretches enough without a locked drive, seen from doing chain guides on 90-93 engines at 100-180k [replace chain and both oil chain guides plus the main chain guides with updated metal parts also replace chain tensioners.

Exactly what I needed to hear, thanks!!!

i've posted this also

its the biggest design flaw in the VH45 engine

no woodruff key is dodgy!!

if the pump picks up something it might fcuk a bearing or the pump and then its going to fcuk the motorif the oil pump chain breaks its definately going to fcuk the motor!!

Would it be possible to engineer in a sensor driven off the center of the oil pump by putting it out through the front of the housing & running an oil seal on the inside... with a circuit rigged to kill the ignition the instant the oil pump stops ?

i think itd be easier to rig the ignition up to the oil pressure switch, so that if oil PRESSURE ever gets below whatever the oil pressure sensor needs to throw the idiot light, it turns the car off....

youd have to bypass it during startup somehow.....

Just wire it to the on position on your ignition switch, then your engine will still crank over, getting oil pressure up before you release the key back to the on position.

the oil pressure cutoff switches sell on summitracing for like 15$.. I bought a bunch of them a while back to use on the motors I build for people as a safety.