I got my '05 oil pump today and made a visual comparison of it vs. my '02 pump. They are identical. Next, I took both of them completely apart and examined the insides. Again, they are identical. Checking the relief spring - a subjective test of compressing them with my fingers - they feel the same. The only possible difference I could see is the sprocket for the chain drive appears to be metallurgically different. The '02 one has a dull, slightly rough finish like you would expect to see on sintered steel. The '05 one has a smooth, shiny finish like you would expect to see on machined steel.

So, could that be it? Have there been any cases of oil pump failured due to the teeth shearing off?

 

Since I think a few people who might be interested in this might have missed it, I'll give myself a bump.

 

OK, interesting! Thanks for the comparison, fperra.

 

thanks for the review Fred

 

awsome, great contribution!