Disassembling the distributor?

MadMatt5oh

Member
Jan 10, 2003
441
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16
St Paul, MN
Im onto the next chapter of throwing parts at my 5.0. Im going to try replacing the ignition coil pickup located inside the distributor. I removed it once and looked but saw that I have to disassemble the shaft by pushing out those pins?

I guess my questions are what tools do I need to buy to remove those pins?

Can they be reused afterwards?

AND whats the garauntee that these pins wont come out and destroy my motor?

Any tips guys? I could really use a hand on this. This car has been hell!
 
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i gather that the pick up is a pain to do. remove the pins and then press the pick up off, as i recall. id probably get a new dizzy - i have the same fears you do.

good luck and bump.
 
Ok, its done by using a center punch to remove the pins and its a good idea to "dimple" them on the way back in so they dont come back out! :nice: I'll be doing this tomorrow along with injector replacement. I find it amazing that no one knows how to do this here, some one had to have replaced a coil pickup!
 
MadMatt5oh said:
Ok, its done by using a center punch to remove the pins and its a good idea to "dimple" them on the way back in so they dont come back out! :nice: I'll be doing this tomorrow along with injector replacement. I find it amazing that no one knows how to do this here, some one had to have replaced a coil pickup!
i dont think it is so much that no one has done it - if you search you will find info on it, but that a lot of folks choose to get a new dizzy rather than swap a PITA part - other parts in the dizzy after many years and miles are probably not spring chickens.

good luck with it - please let us know how it goes for you. :)
 
Done it in a beer drinking BSing 2 hours with simple tools. Basically this distrubutor is brand new now. I cleaned the shaft and sleeve and oiled it with KY jelly :D - it also made putting the gear and holders much easier. I tapped the top of the dist to remove the gear and holder from the shaft. Putting it back I used a large socket over the gear and was extremely carefull to pound it on straight so it would line up with the holes. I tapped the dowls back in, reassenbled and rematched the marks on the engine. It started right up BUT didnt fix my driveability issues