Distributor removal on a 993

[Anchor]

I was going to change the distributor drive belt for my 95 993 and hit a snag. I could not get the distributor out. Lined everything up at tdc, removed the caps, hold down bolt and could not get it out. Tried moving the car back and forth in 6th, gentle tapping and pulling with brute force. P-car mentioned drilling a hole to relieve vacuum behind the shaft but I was not comfortable with that. Is there a pulley tool made for this or another trick I have not tried?

[Don Plumley]

Spray penetrating lubricant at the base.

It takes leverage - I made a pry bar out of 1/2" socket parts. It was so hard to pull out!

[rsrmike]

+1 on hard to pull out, Thay can be a total PITA, you'll most likley have to pry it somehow. I use a "crow's foot" prybar that is adjustable

Here's a pic from Snap-on

It's opened all the wap up in the picture, but you push a button and flip the lever around to suit the angle you need.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=&item_ID=80257&group_ID=21064&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

You can also try a regular bar like one of these

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=&item_ID=8914&group_ID=1004&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

Try to pry as close to the shaft as possible so as not to risk damaging the dist.

[bazar01]

Maybe I was just lucky, mine pulled out with bare hands after twisting the distributor back and forth. The red o-ring keeps it tightly sealed. And I just caught the worn feathery belt just in time before it broke.