Thread: Distributor Drive Gear

Originally Posted by Richard Kaye

I have been running the original Lucas 35DLM distributor for at least the last 5 years in my 1988 Range Rover. Decided to get it regraphed due to the engine now being a 4.6 with upgraded cam, compression, heads, exhaust and manifold running on straight LPG.


I got hold of a Proflow distributor, the type with the coil built into the distributor cap to run while waiting for the original distributor to be done. After only 15km the car stopped and I could not restart it, had to get it towed home.


Removed the timing case cover today and found the distributor drive gear on the front of the cam completely chewed up. It's missing a few teeth, and the rest are damaged. The teeth on the distributor gear showed no wear whatsoever. Never had a problem with the drive gear while using the Lucas distributor.


So, now I am after a new drive gear. Are the Britpart gears worth using or should I try to get an original. Or is there another brand I should look at?


I won't be using the car again now until I get the regraphed distributor back from the shop.

1.jpg2.jpg3.jpg4.jpg

Wow ... you are lucky its a seperate gear! In most engine I'm pretty sure you would be up for a new camshaflt

So the gear on the Proflow was not the same pitch or size as the Lucas drive gear.
Regards PhilipA

Could it be the gear on the new distributor is not meshing correctly causing it to chew out ? I would fit the gear of the original dizzy and see what that's like.

Just as a bit of trivia, my old man bought a scorcher dizzy back in 1984 for his brand new rangie and took it out when he traded it on a datsun 4wd (GQ).
He using the stock gear so put it back in the rangie and the scorcher sat on the shelf for 6 years ubtil i bought my first RRC, i did a 2brl holley conversion and fitted the scorcher dizzy using a Buick V6 (not commodore version) gear which fitted right on.
Not surprising since the V6 was cast off the Buick 215 alloy V8 which rover later used and used the same timing cover and water pump.

I left the original gear on the distributor I took to get regraphed. I do have another original gear here, but it is cracked so I can’t use it.

Looking closely at the Proflow gear, the teeth seem to have the correct pitch but the diameter of the gear where the teeth are is slightly larger and the teeth also are not as deep.

I have ordered another cam drive gear from the UK, couldn’t find one here.

It will be another 2 weeks before I get my distributor back, took it over to Performance Ignition, they seem to have a good reputation.

Originally Posted by Richard Kaye

I left the original gear on the distributor I took to get regraphed. I do have another original gear here, but it is cracked so I can’t use it.

Looking closely at the Proflow gear, the teeth seem to have the correct pitch but the diameter of the gear where the teeth are is slightly larger and the teeth also are not as deep.

I have ordered another cam drive gear from the UK, couldn’t find one here.

It will be another 2 weeks before I get my distributor back, took it over to Performance Ignition, they seem to have a good reputation.

They do, being in the game for over 40 years.

Originally Posted by PhilipA

So the gear on the Proflow was not the same pitch or size as the Lucas drive gear.
Regards PhilipA

Spot on. Well, definitely a mesh mismatch.

I can't recall if it was RRC but someone (Meccles?) on the forum had a very similar issue to this and it turned out that the drive gear on the aftermarket dizzy had actually been installed upside down on the shaft at the factory.

DL