distributor gear pin removal

On an 88 renix, I am having distributor disassembly issues. How are you guys driving out the roll pin that holes the gear piece to the shaft? I’m like 100% sure that that is how it is supposed to come apart, but short of being far more brutal than I want to be with an expensive aluminum part, I can’t figure out how to get it out. I’m already replacing the cap, stator, rotor, and the other metal thing I forget what it’s called, I don’t want to destroy the housing or shaft too.
Thanks in advance!

A roll pin punch and a hammer.

Make sure you put it on a soft surface (wood or plastic, not metal or cement or something) when driving the pin out!

... just don't ask...

Frank Z said:

A roll pin punch and a hammer.

Click to expand...

Off to the hardware store, distributer in hand. Thanks!

.70$ at Ace, where they are known as 'tension pins'.

just knock it out with punch and hammer, it will come easier than you think, but yeah, use a softened surface to back it.

I went to ace and got a 3/16ths pin punch and the tension pins, which are 3/16 x 3/4, and only .25. They are cheap enough that I got a few, which came in handy when I put it on backwards so the hole didn’t really line up :dunce:. At this point, I found an exploded diagram online and it turns out that I never had the gasket that goes between the washer and the drive gear. I gave it a test spin and it turns out that the tone ring hits the cam position sensor every revolution.
At this point, I was a little discouraged, but I wanted a new tone ring anyway so I started calling around to find out who sold one. Nobody does but the guy at Napa (who has a tight jeep) helpfully added that a whole new distributer was only 80 bucks. That is only like 25 more than the damn sensor I went in there for! So now, I am taking my old one apart to get the new stator out to return and use for a core. Thanks for your help, I’m just giving up, I want my jeep back as quick as possible.:gee: