Warning to all 426 K1 crank owners!! Obviously the not to be mentioned, SOCAL vendor who was once here, did not follow this Bulletin and damaged my first 426. This notice is to ALL owners of K1 cranks no matter who assembles or sells the powerplant with this crankshaft! A warning bulletin is sent out by at least Arrington engines with all 426 K1 equipped powerplants they sell. It is up to the installer/purchaser to read and comply with the bulletin. The bulletin clearly states that the cam/oil pump drive gear MUST be chamfered 45 degrees, on the back side, in order for it to fit around the radius of the K1 crank. This allows the gear to set flush and properly align itself with the cam gear. The major problem is, if the drive gear is not chamfered, so it sets back and flush, the drive gear will bind the timing chain slightly and the internal oil pump gears. The gerator style oil pump Rather, they will bind against the casing of the oil pump as they spin. This will cause them to "grind" into the front and rear casing of the oil pump body. Obviously this situation will send the particulate into the engine, causing accelerated wear if not caught in time. Do not think for one minute that by simple observation of the cam/oil pump gear you can see the problem. I thought that as well. The oil pump MUST be removed to see the radius and then assess if the gear has been properly chamfered. If not, and you have more than a few thousand miles, you MUST remove and disassemble the oil pump to assess the potential damage. Thanks Eric at Arrington Engines for working and educating me on this issue. Stock oil pump/cam gear. The outside fits into the oil pump and drives it and the cam chain. The inside at this location must be chamfered to go over the crank radius. This is a non modified gear. The inside of the oil pump. You can see the grinding and on set of damage on the gerators. Damage with inside gear removed. Damage with both gears removed. Notice heavy ridges. Damaged inside gerator gear. Notice heavy grinding has eaten away at the gear and created a deep ridge. Back side of oil pump Picture of K1 crank. Notice the radius located at the end of the crank against the block. It is not flush like a stock crank. This radius will cause a space and misalignment of the cam/oil pump drive gear.
Great info Steve. And thanks for the heads up last week. CMW was already fully aware of the situation and made the necessary modification on my K1. You da man.
Jon Thats an Arrington engine - btw. Its too late now to see but they stamp the driver side of the block. Steve
Ya, I paid the extra for the Arrington block. I was actually going to ask Chris S. to come up with a cute little thing to mount somewhere as the actual engine assembler. I wouldn't go any other way...this block was done RIGHT.
