Garrrr... Did I forget my oil pump key?
 

Ok, I just now got my engine almost ready to put back in the car, and when I lifted the engine off the ground in order to put the oil pan, strainer, and pressure regulator back on, I found what LOOKS like my oil pump key.... WTF!!!!!

I tried so many times to get that damn thing on, and when I finally got it on, and looked around to make sure the key hadn't jumped out again, I couldn't find where it had at all... so I go about my merry way of putting the engine back together...

The thing is the part I found looks *almost* exactly like the key..but I don't think it has the same taper as the key...

Is the key supposed to be skewed to one side? Because what I found is...

I'm just hoping to god that it's not actually the key, but the fact that I had such a hard time getting it in, and the fact that it's unlikely that I'd find something so similar right next to the engine is making my future look a little grim...

I mean... it looks LIKE the key but I don't think it looks EXACTLY like I remembered... unless maybe me not noticing a taper is why I had such a hard time.

also, other than putting in the car and seeing if it has any oil pressure, is there a way to confirm whether the oil pump is working?

The oil pump key is VERY small, about 1/4" in length and less than that in height and width. IT is rounded on one long side and flat on the other. IT is VERY easy for the untrained assembler to let one slip out the backside while trying to install the sprocket on the pump.

I've seen this happen before on a friend's rebuild. The engine fired up with good pressure but as soon as the thick oil loaded into the pump and the chain put some rpm's on it, the pump shaft lost grip on the sprocket and the front main and rotor bearings were starved of oil, and welded onto the shaft and locked the engine up solid. You do NOT want to find out the hard way whether or not the key is installed. EVen if you follow my oil priming procedure that does not mean that the key is installed because the pump doesnt have much resistance at low rpm.

Sounds like your key... it looks like a little "D" shaped piece.

Yeah, I'm about 90% sure it's the key... but I just want to make 156.555% sure...

I just don't remember the key being so skewed... like, the curve of the so-called D-shape is skewed to one side...

and it looks a bit rougher than I remember, but that might have just been from my efforts to put it in...

Trust me when I say you want to take your time making sure you do something right, especially of this nature, tear it back apart and make sure.

I'd still rather see a picture of the key to confirm than go ahead and reverse two days of effort... I still think the key was a slightly better-made peice of metal...

Here's a picture of it...

btw, it's .343 inches long...

Ok, that looks crappier than I thought...

but anyway, you should notice that the left side is MUCH taller than the right side...

seriously though, are the sides supposed to be that uneven, with the curve skewed to the tall side?

I can't procede any further unless I make absolutely sure it's either in there or out...

(and this is certainly easier than taking the whole front cover off again...)

Seriously speaking.......you done did leave the frappin key out! Just stand the engine on its flywheel and take the cover off and install the key. You could have done that by the time you jpg'd that woodruff key.

This is IMPORTANT...

Stand the engine up on the flywheel, remove the cover as Hailers said...

but be ABSOLUTELY sure that you cover up the whole area with rags, tape, paper towels, or something. That key likes to pop out and jump down either the water pump passages or the passages in the front plate and it can be almost impossible to fish out later on.

Make sure that ALL holes and crevices are covered up before you make any attempts to put the key in.

that looks like the key that goes on the power sterring hub

Here's a much better picture...

and it doesn't really matter how much time I waste since I won't be able to take it back to school this weekend anyway.

Another reason I don't want to take it back off is because the e-shaft pulleys are a HORRIFIC pain to get on right... and because my gaskets will be fubar if I take the front cover back off...

I'm also tired and don't feel like doing it right now anyway... but I WILL do it eventually unless someone can tell me that it's not the actual key.

Plus, I've gotta install a new brake master cylinder (ordered it today) soon before I can drive it, and repaint part of my engine bay because it leaks brake fluid, eating off a good square foot or two of paint...

Gasket? You don't need gaskets for the front cover... a thin layer of RTV works just as well (if not better).

And I don't recall the eshaft pulley being difficult at all.

-=Russ=-

Walk over to your car, and see if the key is in your power steering nose. I could not get mine out of the PS pump, so I left it... But you need to make sure it isn't the oil pump key, as that will destroy not only your front cover gasket, but your WHOLE engine.

pop the cover off and use silicone to reseal it, as many have said you don't want to find out the hard way and at this point it is only a 30 minute or so repair rather than several days and the cost of a motor. if you are concerned about the pulleys just mark their position in relation to each other and install them that way after the first is aligned.

Well, I did find it after putting my PS pump on, but I don't see where there would be a key for the PS pump, unless I took the pulley off, which I didn't...

unless the key you speak of isn't a pulley key and goes somewhere else...

But reguardless, I'll get around to getting the front cover off...eventually...

IF you did not take the pulley and hub off of the PS bracket, then that key MUST of come off of the oil pump. I ordered the Atkins rebuild video. In there, they show to remove the whole pump w/o taking the pulley off.

My key is .318 long, .157 thick, ,204 tall. Jpg attached. Calipers battery going dead so there's no readout.

If you opt to not use a gasket on the front cover and just use RTV, be sure to not get RTV in the small approx 1/16 inch hole on the left side of the cover. It feeds the OMP. Not good to block the OMP feed line. Take into consideration squeeze out in this area. That said, I havn't used a front cover gasket for some time now. If using a gasket. put a film of vaseline on the front housing so that the gasket won't stick to both surfaces i.e. the cover surface and the front housing. With the thin film of vaseline, the gasket will stay with the cover when you remove it and not cause a fucked up gasket situation. Same with all gaskets on the engine.

lol... well I took it off and fixed my previous error... which is to say I installed the oil pump key... which I had to file down and then tap in to actually get into the slot... but at least this time it didn't come out when I finally got the gears and chain back on... hurray.

But now I should go pick up and install the brake master cylinder I ordered... and take the core back too. I already took the leaky old one off...

And mine definately doesn't look like yours... yours is what it's *supposed* to look like... lol

well now... I had the front cover, and water pump bolted back on and then I realized I put the the oil pump chain sprocket on backwards, and forget the bolt and tab washer (since I wanted to get a new one but forgot to)...

oh well... I had to take the whole oil pump off just to get the sprockets and chain back off again. it also involved a bit of crowbaring...

Now I get to redo all the sprocket crap all over again... hurray...

For some reason the oil pump seemed to have a lot more resistance than it used to (and that was from before I messed up with the chain)