I know this should be a simple process...take the cap off and pull the rotor straight off but I pulled and pried at both of the rotors on my 1997 525SC Mercury engines and I could not get either one off. I called the marine shop today and was told...that they are SOB's to get off and was told to use 2 flat screw drivers and get under them and pry up together and hopefully not break my distributor housing. I was doing this with one screw driver with no luck...

Does anyone have a simple trick to getting them off?

Very sharp small chisel or Dremel tool.

Yea, crack the rotor. It's a throw away part, so break that before you break anything else.

Thanks for the response but I am not following you on how to use the Dremel (which I have one), are you saying cut/crack the plastic part of the rotor?

Thanks for the clarifying...did not mean to seem dense but I guess that solution option went right over my head... to many of this past weekend.

Slice a vertical groove in it without cutting into the distributor shaft. Wedge a screwdriver into the groove you just cut and twist it thus cracking the plastic.

Merc recommends using Loc-Tite when reinstalling the rotor.

Thanks for all the great feedback and tips guys, it sure will help. If the last peopl used Loc-tite....they pu the heavy duty stuff on that is for certain.

Loc-Tite? I used grease this year so wouldn't happen again. Bad idea?

I always thought the locktite was a bad idea. This year my timing marks were jumping all over and I though, "crap, I knew I should have changed that distributor gear" But, I looked real close at the inside if the rotor (1 year old) and it was worn and somewhat loose on the dist shaft. Ah ha, put a new rotor on, problem gone. Now I locktite them on too. The inside of the rotor is just plastic and seems to wear and get loose if there is any movement. Locktite em.