This is my first post. Thanks a bunch for this forum. I am sure I will use it a bunch. I hope to post a lot of questions so be ready. :grinyes:

I'll give you a little background on Ol' Blue as I call her. She is a 1994 Chevy Silverado 1/2 ton 2 wheel drive, V-6 automatic with 180K + miles on it. She's been a great old truck. I do not plan on getting rid of her for a while but she has been a little cantankerous lately.

A little over 2 weeks ago I stopped to get gas and while I was paying for it, I came out and the wife had told me that it had died. I pumped my gas and got in and started it and it fired up. Put in drive, pulled forward, turned right and about a half a block it stopped dead. Would not start. Had it towed and the mechanic said he got into it and it started. He replaced distributor cap, wires, rotor, fuel filter and a few other odds and ends that it needed at a cost of around $250.

I picked it up the next day and it ran fine (until the following Saturday). I went to town and as I came back and turned left into the driveway, it died just like before. I let it set, came back later and it started. I pulled it forward into my parking space and shut it off. Went out to start it a little later and nothing, just cranks.

I had the electronic module in the distributor tested and it tested good. The man at the parts store said that it was probably the pickup coil inside the distributor. Now, I have pulled the distributor and need to know how to get the pickup coil out of it. If anyone could tell me before I go to work tonight I would appreciate it a bunch. Just don't want to tear anyting up. I am posting a couple of pictures so you will know exactly what it looks like.

http://sticks-n-stuff.com/Chevy/chevydistrib1.jpg


http://sticks-n-stuff.com/Chevy/chevydistrib.jpg


Thanks
John

You punch the roll pin out of the distributor drive gear, pull the gear off, deburr the shaft with a file and pull the shaft up through the top of the unit. Coil should come off fairly easy, but don't lose that roll pin!

Thanks a bunch. I would have torn it up without this knowledge. The service manager from one of our local Chevy dealers told me that I wouldn't even have to pull the distributor out to change it. Thanks again.

John

Well....it all worked great...I put it in the first time and it wouldn't go back down. Got to looking at the picture and realized that I had the gear back on upside down. :grinyes: :grinyes:

Now...ocassionally the rpm gage will jump up from 2500rpm to 4500 to 5000 rpm and back down again. I know it is not really changing that fast. Does this feedback come from the distributor or could it possibly be from the crank sensor? I understand that they will keep a motor from starting too. Thanks in advance.

howdy, can you tell me how to change the pickup coil, aka cam shaft sensor, on a 2002 1500 silverado ? sure would appreciate it, frustrated in texas, Patty