diff --git a/lucene/CHANGES.txt b/lucene/CHANGES.txt
index b94a00d9a5a..4bce4455a78 100644
--- a/lucene/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/lucene/CHANGES.txt
@@ -105,6 +105,9 @@ Optimizations
   the postings data (via flags to TermsEnum.docs/docsAndPositions) to use
   ForUtil.skipBlock.  (Robert Muir)
 
+* LUCENE-4497: Don't write PosVIntCount to the positions file in 
+  Lucene41PostingsFormat, as its always totalTermFreq % BLOCK_SIZE. (Robert Muir)
+
 Build
 
 * LUCENE-4451: Memory leak per unique thread caused by 
diff --git a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsFormat.java b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsFormat.java
index 3cbc9653bed..df87cb61080 100644
--- a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsFormat.java
+++ b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsFormat.java
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ import org.apache.lucene.util.packed.PackedInts;
  *   <li>Header --&gt; {@link CodecUtil#writeHeader CodecHeader}</li>
  *   <li>TermPositions --&gt; &lt;PackedPosDeltaBlock&gt; <sup>PackedPosBlockNum</sup>,  
  *                            VIntBlock? </li>
- *   <li>VIntBlock --&gt; PosVIntCount, &lt;PositionDelta[, PayloadLength?], PayloadData?, 
+ *   <li>VIntBlock --&gt; &lt;PositionDelta[, PayloadLength?], PayloadData?, 
  *                        OffsetDelta?, OffsetLength?&gt;<sup>PosVIntCount</sup>
  *   <li>PackedPosDeltaBlock --&gt; {@link PackedInts PackedInts}</li>
  *   <li>PosVIntCount, PositionDelta, OffsetDelta, OffsetLength --&gt; 
diff --git a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsReader.java b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsReader.java
index 8c52f2723e4..5979ad75116 100644
--- a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsReader.java
+++ b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsReader.java
@@ -597,6 +597,7 @@ public final class Lucene41PostingsReader extends PostingsReaderBase {
     final boolean indexHasPayloads;
 
     private int docFreq;                              // number of docs in this posting list
+    private long totalTermFreq;                       // number of positions in this posting list
     private int docUpto;                              // how many docs we've read
     private int doc;                                  // doc we last read
     private int accum;                                // accumulator for doc deltas
@@ -661,6 +662,7 @@ public final class Lucene41PostingsReader extends PostingsReaderBase {
       payTermStartFP = termState.payStartFP;
       docIn.seek(docTermStartFP);
       skipOffset = termState.skipOffset;
+      totalTermFreq = termState.totalTermFreq;
       posPendingFP = posTermStartFP;
       posPendingCount = 0;
       if (termState.totalTermFreq < BLOCK_SIZE) {
@@ -721,7 +723,7 @@ public final class Lucene41PostingsReader extends PostingsReaderBase {
         // if (DEBUG) {
         //   System.out.println("        vInt pos block @ fp=" + posIn.getFilePointer() + " hasPayloads=" + indexHasPayloads + " hasOffsets=" + indexHasOffsets);
         // }
-        final int count = posIn.readVInt();
+        final int count = (int) (totalTermFreq % BLOCK_SIZE);
         int payloadLength = 0;
         for(int i=0;i<count;i++) {
           int code = posIn.readVInt();
@@ -1009,6 +1011,7 @@ public final class Lucene41PostingsReader extends PostingsReaderBase {
     final boolean indexHasPayloads;
 
     private int docFreq;                              // number of docs in this posting list
+    private long totalTermFreq;                       // number of positions in this posting list
     private int docUpto;                              // how many docs we've read
     private int doc;                                  // doc we last read
     private int accum;                                // accumulator for doc deltas
@@ -1100,6 +1103,7 @@ public final class Lucene41PostingsReader extends PostingsReaderBase {
       payTermStartFP = termState.payStartFP;
       docIn.seek(docTermStartFP);
       skipOffset = termState.skipOffset;
+      totalTermFreq = termState.totalTermFreq;
       posPendingFP = posTermStartFP;
       payPendingFP = payTermStartFP;
       posPendingCount = 0;
@@ -1163,7 +1167,7 @@ public final class Lucene41PostingsReader extends PostingsReaderBase {
         // if (DEBUG) {
         //   System.out.println("        vInt pos block @ fp=" + posIn.getFilePointer() + " hasPayloads=" + indexHasPayloads + " hasOffsets=" + indexHasOffsets);
         // }
-        final int count = posIn.readVInt();
+        final int count = (int) (totalTermFreq % BLOCK_SIZE);
         int payloadLength = 0;
         int offsetLength = 0;
         payloadByteUpto = 0;
diff --git a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsWriter.java b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsWriter.java
index 19391afcaa7..8dd4cd10e4c 100644
--- a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsWriter.java
+++ b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/codecs/lucene41/Lucene41PostingsWriter.java
@@ -417,9 +417,7 @@ public final class Lucene41PostingsWriter extends PostingsWriterBase {
       } else {
         lastPosBlockOffset = -1;
       }
-      if (posBufferUpto > 0) {
-        posOut.writeVInt(posBufferUpto);
-        
+      if (posBufferUpto > 0) {       
         // TODO: should we send offsets/payloads to
         // .pay...?  seems wasteful (have to store extra
         // vLong for low (< BLOCK_SIZE) DF terms = vast vast