does the oil pump need to be removed to split the case?

[beasso81au]

Gday all,

i could really use some help here. as the title says, do i need to remove the oil pump to split the case?

i have a 150cc gy6 and need to bore the block to accommodate the 61mm piston, so i need to split the case to remove the crank.

i'm hoping i don't need to remove it because the phillips head screws holding it in don't want to cooperate with me and i'm scared of stripping them.

thanks in advanced
Beasso