Robert...
now you tell him..

I was wondering why he wanted to remove the pin?

Mike

At 12:53 AM 3/4/2003 -0800, Robert Keezer wrote:
>Giant Light bulb FLASH!!
>
>You don't need to remove the pin to remove the Hall sender.
>
>You remove the trigger wheel instead,, carefully(first mark it to replace in
>original position), put the dist in a vice, pry carefully with two flat
>blade screwdrivers all the way under the trigger wheel to the shaft, and pry
>upwards. Use some penetrating oil if it needs it.
>
>
>Removing the trigger wheel is easy , and it can be done if you are careful
>while  in the engine.
>Make sure you put the trigger whjeel back on in the exact same position it
>was before you removed it.
>
>
>Robert
>
>1982 Westfalia
>
>
>>From: Mark Belanger <belanger@FLUID.COM>
>>Reply-To: Mark Belanger <belanger@FLUID.COM>
>>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>Subject: Mark vs. the Distributor - Chapter 1(was "Driving dog" pin
>>      removal)
>>Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 00:02:57 -0800
>>
>>[Before you read another word, if you're first answer to a problem is
>>"just *buy* a damn replacement," you shouldn't continue reading.  You
>>have been warned... ]
>>
>>After tons of scouring Google and Gerry and my local bible and trying to
>>learn the goddamn German language I'm still no closer to an answer of
>>how to get that damn distributor pin out.  So, in typical American
>>fashion, I decided to resort to violence.  Since I don't own a gun(I
>>live in San Francisco), I had to opt for less exciting technique of a
>>drill press and a Dremel.
>>
>>Before I continue, perhaps a little background: It all started with me
>>trying to figure out why my '91 would crank, but not start.  Thanks to
>>the likes of Ward Smith and Devon Campbell(you know, he's the guy who
>>wanted to rebuild his first engine, whom a number of you heartless vets
>>crushed without blinking), I was able to track the problem down to a bad
>>Hall Sender.  For those of you who have no idea what what one looks
>>like, check out the following blurry photo.  Pay close attention to the
>>lovely straight pin in the photo on the right.  It'll be making a
>>sinister return later in the story.
>>
>>  Two Hall Senders: I wonder which one is new...
>>  http://www.geocities.com/mbelanger/dist/dist0.JPG
>>
>>Haynes manual has a fairly simple description of how one takes apart a
>>distributor.  My favorite line from 5b4 20.a, "The shaft is removed from
>>the distributor body after extracting the pin which secures the driving
>>dog to the base of the shaft" implying that one can do this with a pair
>>of eye tweezers.  As you can tell from the first photo, I used a bit
>>more than tweezers to get that goddamn "driving dog" off.  I figured I
>>had license to destroy since the replacement Hall Sender came with a
>>replacement dog, pin and spring.
>>
>>(For those obsessive among you, here's a closeup of my freshly clean
>>distributor head with the various proper model numbers displayed
>>[http://www.geocities.com/mbelanger/dist/dist0a.JPG].  Not that I'm
>>obsessive for actually cleaning the damn thing and taking a picture of it).
>>
>>So I have my freshly cleaned distributor and replacement parts ready to
>>go, as you can see here.  If you have a microscope, you can see that I
>>used about 10 gallons of WD40 to make the parts so clean I could eat off
>>of them(I had macaroni and cheese).
>>
>>  Mmm, shiny old parts...
>>  http://www.geocities.com/mbelanger/dist/dist1.JPG
>>
>>So for those of you who haven't figured it out, that split open "driving
>>dog," is supposed to fit on the end of the distributor shaft, with the
>>pin and large spring to hold it in place.  I assume it all works, *IF*
>>you can get the old bastard out, which seems to have been cold welded in
>>place by nihilistic sprocket-dancing VW engineers.  It doesn't budge.  I
>>tried pliers, clamps, vises, drill bits and even a "persuader" with zero
>>luck.  The thing won't move.  Following is a nice detailed picture of
>>the havoc that I hath wrought upon my distributor:
>>
>>  Old and new.  A tired spring and a new pin.
>>  http://www.geocities.com/mbelanger/dist/dist3.JPG
>>
>>(Slight digression on dialect: Our Vanagons seem to be quite popular
>>over in Europe for some reason and the Haynes manual was written by some
>>blokes out of Somerset, England.  They use strange terms like "driving
>>dog," which seems to have no earthly translation and according to Google
>>is only used by people referring to canines.  They also use terms like
>>"tyres," which I can only assume refers to some sadistic satanic ritual.
>>  I hope I don't get burned in one of them...  Lastly, they explain in
>>detail how to pass MOT tests.  I've been studying for my test for
>>months.  Hopefully I'll pass...  Don't be scared.  It's the same
>>language, just written by people who actually understand what the word
>>"affectation" means.  If you're still confused, I recommend studying as
>>many episodes of "Benny Hill" as you can get your hands on.)
>>
>>Where were we... Oh, yeah.  My troubles.  So I'm still trying to get
>>that damn pin out.  At this point, I've written to a number of the
>>illiterati(should that be illiteratati?) from the Vanagon list with no
>>result.  A couple of people told me to give up the ghost and buy a
>>replcament, whatever that means...  Peter from Volkscafe, who sold me
>>the replacement Hall Sender and warned me "not to break" my distributor,
>>hasn't replied telling me his secret technique yet.  I plan on stalking
>>him very soon...  Stan Wilder did his best to understand my problem
>>claiming that I found the first thing on a Vanagon he hadn't worked on.
>>  He did his best to wrap his head around the problems of us waterworld
>>people before he suggested I throw my distributor in the freezer.  "Oh,
>>yeah.  That'll get the pin out," he said.  He also told me to stick a
>>firecracker up my ass.  Stan, the firecracker didn't seem to work, but
>>the distributor is still in the freezer.  I'll tell you how that goes
>>after I can sit down again.
>>
>>Thus far flumoxed, I again resorted to violence and broke out the Dremel
>>with a vicious grinder attachment, which at least got me to the point
>>where I could take the damn thing apart.  You can see my damage here:
>>
>>  Please ignore the gouges.  They're casualties of war.
>>  http://www.geocities.com/mbelanger/dist/dist2.JPG
>>
>>So here I am.  I have an immaculate set of Distributor components with
>>no clue to get that pin out and attach the new dog and pin.  For those
>>of you who disregarded my earlier warning and read on, I *will* get this
>>distributor working again if I have to take out of all of Western
>>civilization to do it.
>>
>>Now before I commit such a heinous crime, any advice?
>>
>>
>>Thanks,
>>-MB
>>
>>Mark Belanger wrote:
>>>Greetings all,
>>>
>>>Is it possible to remove the pin from what Haynes refers to as the pin
>>>for the bottom of the "driving dog" without use of a small tactical
>>>nuke?  This is the pin that holds the off-center key at the bottom of
>>>the distributor which connects to the shaft below.
>>>
>>>If so, I'd love to hear before I heat up the flame thrower.
>>>
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>MB
>
>
>Robert
>1982 Westfalia 1987 Wolfsburg
>
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