Thread: I broke the plastic clip on my distributor.

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Lucas V8 dissy nylon clip repair method.

Thanks heaps. Now all I have to do is fix what I broke. Your quick reply is appreciated by myself and everyone who is hoping to come in my car.

Browsing62

The easy way not always easy! I thought at this late point in our preparations it maybe safer to grab a new distributor and just throw that in, got one for a good price but the only one they had available was 35DLM8 with the amplifier mounted the current broken one is 35DM8 with remote amplifier. Was told to extend the wiring from the current location, I have attached two photos the remote mounted one has three pins but only two wires white with black trace going to pin 1 and solid white going to pin 3. Are these the two I should be running to the mounted amplifier and in the photo of new one which wire would go to which terminal? I will have to knock up a connection and try to find a proper connector when I'm not desperately running out of time.

Browsing62

1. Move the original amp off the remote bracket to the dissy.

2. Or undo the amp off the dissy and fit the plug off your existing harness straight to the dissy minus amp.

3. Your ignition coil is incorrect, you will not get a good spark with that set-up. It is designed to work with points. Find a compatible electronic coil.

Again thanks for your reply I have been sitting here looking through any posts related to distributors with my panic levels going through the roof. I will have a look and see which suggestion to use. Wrong coil, that would be why I have always experienced issues with LPG I must have been plain lucky for the last five years any suggestion re brand or model.

Thanks again you might just be saving our Christmas trip.

The closest coil you can purchase off the shelf seems to be a Bosch BIC290. Otherwise find a good used OEM coil. I have a few I removed during upgrades, pity you are probably in another state, you coulda had one.

BTW if you are having problems on LPG you should consider chucking out the OEM amp and coil set, upgrade to a Bosch BIM024 amp/module and matching coil. Thread here:

Lucas ignition amplifier replacement by Bosch 024

Thanks again I will grab a bosch as you suggest, the linked post was one of the posts I was feverishly reading through trying to work out my wiring sounds like it could be a solution when this nightmare is over. I am usually reasonably mechanically adept but immediately after getting your reply re the amplifier situation I was walking out to the car with the new dissy and removing the cap as I walked popped one of the hold down clips and off sprung the cap on to the tiles and exploded into 23 pieces luckily I have the new one I purchased for this quick tuneup, then I tried to remove the oil drive from the bottom of the new dissy by punching out the pin since my old one does not have one and proceeded to crack the cast iron gear, so back to the old one and carefully remove gear and replace new broken one. So now I've gone from one damaged and one new distributor to fingers crossed one slightly damaged one and something for the rubbish bin. I swear I haven't had a drink all day but I must have run over a busload of black cats.

It's now the day before we leave and the last thing I need to do is grab a new serpentine belt and pack. The rest of the service tuneup went like clockwork once I got the new distributor in and timed, Bee Utey I ended up sticking with the amp in the original location and removed the new dissy mounted one I did have to knock up a connection at the dissy but all seems good. I couldn't get hold of a bosch coil so settled for the correct lucas one it may not be as good but it is sure to out perform the wrong one I had.
Again thanks for your knowledge and advice even up to yesterday morning before the poor old girl roared back to life this trip was looking very doubtful. I only just realised I never mentioned 1994 3.9 Disco 5 speed just in case anyone was wondering.