Glad to see you fellows ferreted out another flaw in the Vanagon Repair
manual.
Someone needs to write this up as a Tech Note and post it.
I've never removed one of those pins and now that I know they are
manufactured by Fu King Industries in China, I hope I never have to.

Stan Wilder

On Tue, 4 Mar 2003 03:03:50 -0600 mike boland <westy@MVBOLAND.COM>
writes:
> 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
> >
> >_________________________________________________________________
> >MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE*
> >http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
>
>

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