Richard Ehrenberg wrote:

> I guess there's two ways to look at the glass: half full vs. half empty. To
> me, the water pump driven by the timing belt seemed like a great durability
> improvement - no worries about idiots running the car with the w.p. belt
> broken!


True, but for those with a Clue, a conventional V-belt WP drive is just
fine, and also useful if you are aware there's a problem but don't want
to/can't afford to deal with it quite yet (I don't have a problem
driving a vehicle a few hundred miles with a noisy water pump when it's
V-belt driven, but it's too scary for words when it's T-belt driven)

>
> And the oil pump driven off the crankshaft nose (a'la old AMCs) also seems
> to be a smart move. all the new stuff is that way, no?

Not sure; I know my Porsche is like that. But I don't see the big deal,
if the oil pump seizes up on an older car it will take out the
distributor drive, so no worries about that, eh? There is an advantage
for vehicles with long camshafts though, probably makes for more stable
ignition and valve timing.

nate

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