Date:         Tue, 4 Mar 2003 00:02:57 -0800
Reply-To:     Mark Belanger <belanger@FLUID.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Belanger <belanger@FLUID.COM>
Organization: Fluid, Inc.
Subject:      Mark vs. the Distributor - Chapter 1(was "Driving dog" pin
              removal)
In-Reply-To:  <3E61B5B4.1090504@fluid.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

[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