oil pump removal from mk5

[dalgrae]

Hi as a new member to this forum I recently bought a 1954 Mk5 that has been off the road for a few years but is complete, I am slowly going through things I checked the oil and it looks good but will be replaced as a matter of course, my question is the maintenance guide on this forum says the oil pump should not be removed from the engine unless the crankcase is apart ,it also says to regularly clean the filter ?.Is it a no/no to remove the pump from underneath to do this filter clean

[Neville Heath]

Could not locate advise not to remove unless c/case split. I can understand the reasoning however. The Mark pump filter is free to move at its bottom  end. It only just clears the machined hole in the case so it could jam if its not in line.  The alloy plus/d/f pump has a spiggot that the filter rests on (see photo in part 6 of Spannerama book) so will come out O.K.
Neville Heath