Pictures of OEM gearshift cables installed

[tweetdriver63]

Does anybody happen to have any pictures of the OEM cables installed? Before I go in there to adjust mine, it'd be nice if I knew what they're supposed to look like. I've seen pictures of them not installed, but it would help a lot more to see them in their natural environment. That would make it easier on me deciding whether to adjust or replace. I kinda need to do the cheapest option at the moment.

[Enright]

About the only thing you could use to photograph them is an endoscope!

[tweetdriver63]

I didn't mean pictures inside the tunnel (although I'm sure I saw one like that on here somewhere). I can see both cables where they connect to the brakets, and where the adjustments are made. It just seems ligical that if I can see that, somebody here has probably taken a picture of it.

The stock cables, as they are shown in the manual, look like they are supposed to be locked/unlocked by hand. They look like they have grips vs. a nut. Is that true? Should I be able to make that 1/4 turn to unlock a cable with my bare hand?

I can reach it by moving the coolant overflow tank aside, but I can't turn it.

I know. I'll try to take a picture of mine, then maybe you can tell me something about it.

[tweetdriver63]

Here's a picture. It's the best I could get.

It doesn't look or feel like any of the hard plastic parts are broken. The rubber accordian-like boots can be moved, but everything else is quite tight.

[Mike_H]

Hi there
I replaced mine with the A B cables last year as one of mine had broken at the plastic shroud that holds it to the bracket. This is where they all break eventually so I think to replace them is the way to.

I have just taken a picture of the cable that did not break and as you can see there is a big arrow on the plastic shroud showing the way to turn it .

The big C clip holds the cables in position and all you do is get hold of them where the arrow is and turn.

Whichway you turn will give you a different position of your gear stick.

On the A B cables they have 2 nuts and a couple of small spanners are suppied to enable you to adjust the cables .

I am sure you will be able to adjust them ,I hope the picture helps you.

Mike

[tweetdriver63]

This actually confuses me a little. According to the manual, you turn the plastic housing one way 1/4 turn to unlock the cable, adjust the cable, then turn the housing back to lock it in place. The illustration in the manual shows which direction to turn to unlock and to lock. Am I misreading it?

You're saying I turn in the direction of the arrow to adjust the cable, but the cable could be adjusted either direction, couldn't it?

OK. I just went and looked over the procedure in the manual again. I'm supposed to turn the locking mechanism (the plastic sleeve) opposite the direction of the arrow, 1/4 turn, to unlock the cables. Then put the shifter into 3rd gear, and position the lever 5 degrees forward and 10 degrees toward the driver side. Then while somebody holds the lever there, turn the locking mechanisms back the 1/4 turn in the direction of the arrow to lock the cables in place.

Sounds easy enough. That, of course, means it won't be.

Thanks for the picture, and the help.

[Enright]

From your picture nothing looks broken.
The cables usually fracture at the groove where the big C clip goes in the picture above, so be as gentle as possible with them when trying to adjust them, bearing in mind that after 15 years they will probably have either too much resistance, or not enough!
You could use an assistant to move the gearstick while you peer at the cables to see how they operate.
If the squareish plastic part that comes through the middle moves, then the cable is unlocked (or the lock has lost it's grip, which they sometimes do).

As Dico says at the bottom of this thread, you don't need to remove the plenum or even the coolant tank - just the big top plenum hose (but only 2 jubilee clips on mine, not 4).

[Ghost]

I have just changed my gear shift cables for AB ones.
The collar on the 'fore & aft' cable had broken off.
Before I started, I took several photos so that I had a reference later in case I cocked things up!
If you remove the rubber air duct to the plenum chamber and unbolt the header tank it will move sufficiently to give good access to the cables.
A pair of leather gloves will help grip the adjusters and also reduce the number of cuts and bruses!

[tweetdriver63]

Thanks for the great pictures. The gloves sound like a great idea.

[tweetdriver63]

Well, I managed to unlock one of my cables. I couldn't get the fore/aft one to unlock.

i'm starting to believe adjustment isn't going to be the answer anyway. One thing I noticed is that I can move the cable ends around a lot where they connect to the gearbox levers. (arrowed in the picture I borrowed from Ghost) I'm assuming they are supposed to have some bushings that hole them tightly to the posts, plastic ones I would imagine. These appear to be either missing or just badly worn, making it so the cable has to move maybe half in an inch before it starts to move the lever. This could explain a lot of the free play I have at the shifter.

An example of my problem is illustrated by the shift pattern picture. The green line shows basically what movement should be when shifting from 3rd to 2nd. The red lines show what I have to do. I think it's because of the cable end connections.

Anybody think I'm way off base, or does it sound like I may be onto something?

Also, can those bushings be replaced, or do I have to go ahead and replace the cables? For financial reasons, I'd rather not have to replace the cables unless/until it's absolutely necessary.

[Ghost]

The fore/aft cable connects to the pin on the gear selector with a rubber bush with a metal central tube that fixes to a metal backing washer.
This gives a tight fit on the selector pin while the rubber bush allows a very slight movement to cushon the gear change action!
I would have posted you a photo but my youngest daughter has my camera somewhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have just been and had a look at my old cable, and the rubber bush/metal washer can be removed with a little brut force.
I did this with the cable on the bench so I don't know how difficult it would be to do it with the cable 'in situ'.

If the rubber bush is the part you need, PM or email your address to me and I will post the bush to you. The cable no use as the fixing collar is broken off.

Steve

[tweetdriver63]

On mine, here's what that bushing looks like. sorry the picture is out of focus, but you can get the idea about how messed up the thing is. I put it back on, which was a bear, and used a couple of extra washers to make sure the loop at the cable end can't slip back off of it. That should be ok as a temporary fix.

After I did that, I went for a drive, and I don't notice any improvement. I'm afraid before long I'm going to have to seek professional help...and maybe even take the car along to a mechanic.

[tweetdriver63]

For anyone who's following this saga, I did another test, suggested by another LEC member.

What I did was tie a string round the shaft on the cross-shaft lever, where the shifter cable connects. I routed the string around the intake hose and up to where I could sit in the driver's seat while holding the string in my left hand. The idea was to move the shift lever and determine whether the other end of the cable moved the cross-shaft lever simultaneously. Lo and behold, when I moved the shifter from 3rd to 4th repeatedly, I felt no pull on the string until I had moved the shifter quite a bit. It should have moved as I moved the shifter, but there was a significant delay.

This means the cable isn't properly seated at the bracket, either at the gearbox, or at the shifter; the locking clamp isn't holding the cable sleeve firmly in place, or there's something broken in the shifter setup, allowing it to move without moving the cable. I know the cable is firmly attached to the bracket at the gearbox end, and there typical breakage isn't there, but I can't budge the locking clamp. It could be broken at the other end. I also need to get a partner to sit in the car and move the shifter while I watch to see if the locking clamp is allowing the cable to move. I'll get one of my kids to do that later today.

[Doug]

well on the picture below, the bottom cable is not attached to the bracket with the clip, while the top cable is -- is this your problem? or was it temporarily disconnected to mess about in there?

[tweetdriver63]

well on the picture below, the bottom cable is not attached to the bracket with the clip, while the top cable is -- is this your problem? or was it temporarily disconnected to mess about in there?

That picture isn't my car. Ghost originally posted that one, I just borrowed it when I was talking about the rubber bush on the cable end (I added the arrow to point to it). I just borrowed his because it was handy, and I was too lazy to go back and take another picture of mine to show it. My cable are pictured earlier in the thread. The connection at the bracket appears fine. Nothing broken there, but the locking tube may not be holding the cable firmly enough. I'm going to get a partner to move the shifter so I can see if that's the case.

[Doug]

I am not the guru of cables but the plastic lock is the thing that breaks--so examine it carefully with someone rowing the celery stick and you should see the problem. I never had the AB cables, but that's what I'd get if I were you if you need them!

[Monty]

Just wondering has something gone at the gearstick end

[Ghost]

The rubber bush from the gearbox end of your fore/aft cable looks a bit 'chewed' up from your photo!

If you need to check the plastic bush at the gear stick end, you will have to disconnect both of the cables from the gearbox selector and disconnect the cables from the securing bracket. This will then give you enough cable length to remove the gear stick and check the bushing there.

By the time you have done the above, you are well on your way to changing the shift cables!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve

[tweetdriver63]

The rubber bush from the gearbox end of your fore/aft cable looks a bit 'chewed' up from your photo!

If you need to check the plastic bush at the gear stick end, you will have to disconnect both of the cables from the gearbox selector and disconnect the cables from the securing bracket. This will then give you enough cable length to remove the gear stick and check the bushing there.

By the time you have done the above, you are well on your way to changing the shift cables!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve

The rubber bush from the gearbox end of my fore/aft cable is really bad off. I've basically got it wedged in with some extra washers holding it there.

I can't even budge the locking clamp at the retaining bracket.

Being a bit short of cash right now, I put out a request for good used cables (I figured somebody would still have some laying around after they upgraded theirs with the AB's), and an LEC member responded and is sending them to me. (I'm sure I'll go back in later and upgrade, but right now I don't have the clams.) When those get here, I'll do whatever it takes to get that fore/aft cable out. I assume it can be disconnected from the retaining bracket by removing the circlip without needing to unlock the adjusting clamp.
The side/side cable looks to be in perfect condition, so I don't anticipate replacing it right now. I'll just loosen it enough to get the shifter out.

[tweetdriver63]

Thanks DaveT for the cables.

I got them in today. Not an easy job for me, but I managed. The only real problem I had was getting the circlip on the fore/aft cable. I had to remove the bracket to do it, then get the bracket back on with the cable already clipped in.

It turned out my fore/aft cable was bad after all. With the locking clamp turned fully locked, I could still move the cable.

The play in the shifter is gone, and the fore/aft movement is reduced to about 1/3 what it was before.

It's great. It makes me wonder if a previous owner installed a short-shift kit, though. I can't imagine wanting to make the throw any shorter than it is now. Fore/aft is no more than two inches, and side-to-side may not be that much.