Scottish Elises

Hi all,

I'm having a few problems with my CUP's gearchange and was wondering if any of you knowledgeable chaps/chapesses might have any experience in the subject:

The gear lever is really loose around neutral and when in gear. It feels really imprecise changing gear and wobbles a lot. Sometimes reverse gear can be a struggle to engage and if done with any force the little collar you pull up on the lever can jump off, re-egaging it involves a lot of jiggling around... and swearing profusely!

I'm hoping these problems can be 'adjusted out' but wouldn't know where to start... can anyone give me any pointers?

I've done a few track days in the car so the gearbox oil will be getting changed soon along with its first service.

Cheers peeps,

Nick

These newfangled Lotuses, eh! Sheesh!

I don't know and don't quote me, but sounds potentially like something is loose in the linkage rather than the gearbox. Have you had a look at all the connections at both ends? Worth an exploratory wiggle before paying someone to look at it.

Is it loose left/right as well as front/back? If it feels a lot sloppier in one direction than another then you are looking at a problem with the cable. Perhaps where the cables are clamped at the gearbox end before the selector shaft.

If you identify where the cables are clamped at the gearbox end and then get somebody to wibble the gearstick about to the limits of the slack and perhaps change gears (no need to have engine running!). Take a look and see if the cable outers are moving at all. If they are, chances are that's the problem - any movement in the cable outer is wasted stick movement.

Cheers,
Robin

I also heard that if MY2010 car it's worth checking that the gear cables are not crushed by the undertray fitment.

There is also adjustment available via the rod ends at the gearbox which may allow you to remove the slop.

However from the service notes:

Gearchange Cable Adjustment
Under normal circumstances, no adjustment to the gear cables should be required. If a cable is replaced
in service, it may be necessary to make minor adjustments via the threaded ball joint at the front of the cable
in order to accommodate lever movement within the shroud aperture.