Problems selecting gear and are these S1/S2/AB cables?

[HJ2]

Hmmmzzz...

Since i am stil looking for a suitable tool to undo the cable adjustment bolts... i didn't get a chance to look under the gearlever.
A horrible scenario unfolds in my head: The S1 cable series plastic lock.... on what side of the cable is the little bugger that tends to break? Engine end or.... don't speak this out loud... shift stick side?

Ah! Found it... Plastic seems to be on the selectorbox side so at least i am sure that i don't have S1 cables.
Anyone know the differences between S2 and AB cables?

viewtopic.php?f=48&t=10392&p=126997&hilit=shift+cable#p126997

[Mike_H]

I think yours are S2 gearcables .

Have a look at these A B gearcables .

Mike.

[HJ2]

thnx, i can see the bracket's different (no slots in the AB, but mine is slotted for easy cable change (!) For the rest they look identical?

Are there any differences on the other (gear lever) side of the cable?

[bobbrown]

thnx, i can see the bracket's different (no slots in the AB, but mine is slotted for easy cable change (!) For the rest they look identical?

thats because they are...............................

[HJ2]

???
Just when i thougt i was getting it...

So you say AB cables and S2 cables are identical (on transmission side) except for the bracket
Are there differences on the shifter side between S1/ S2 / AB cables?

[bobbrown]

Should have said they are AB cables! as far as I am aware the S2 cables are similar to the SE ones and still use a plastic end.
As for the lever end I think the AB cables are the same all be it better components you just need to make sure nothing has come loose that end.
If every thing is still tight and it was working correctly then I would favor something else other than the cables.

Bob

[Specky]

thnx, i can see the bracket's different (no slots in the AB, but mine is slotted for easy cable change (!) For the rest they look identical?

Are there any differences on the other (gear lever) side of the cable?

It could be worth mentioning my AB bracket do have slots... The new style

TTFN

[HJ2]

OK, I finaly was able to loosen the nuts that secure the cables on the transmission side... After a friendly colleque welded a nut to a shortened spanner size 22 they were off in under 10 minutes ....
After this i could finaly remove (squeeze is a better word) the shifter assembly out of the tunnel... (after securing the cables with a tie-wrap so they don't dissapear in the tunnel )

1. Cables look fine, but i'll have to remove the C-clip to verify that (tomorrow)
2. Shifter end of the cables are connected to the bracket with plastic interfacing thingeys (wich are secured by C-clips) so... It must be the S2 cable set then?


I'll take some pictures tomorrow.
To be continued....

[ovi]

I look forward to the photos my friend!
Good luck.

[HJ2]

Soooo...Here's a little update i didn't expect
Read and learn, it could save you a few hours...

I'll start were i left: trying to get the shifter assemby out of the tunnel

1. Friendly collegue welded nut to shortened 22mm spanner
2. Had the cables out of the bracket in a just couple of minutes (later it would turn out to be a little too quick)
3. Now i had enough free play to remove and inspect the shifter's side of things... All seemed well, nothing fractured or loose...
4. Put the shifter assey back in it's little hole in the tunnel, got ready to fasten the cables back to the bracket in the engine bay and start troubleshooting all over
5. Started to fix the cable back... Damn! the nuts and rings slipped happily along the cables, away out of sight
6. Not to worry, I have long and thin hands and flexible joints. Get the car a little up into the air for easy access...
7. Damn again, my thin hand won't reach past the cable bracket... Well. then let's start removing the 3 bolts and remove the bugger.
8. Ah! That's better, now i can reach till the beginning of the tunnel! ... Still no nuts and rings! Bugger me!
9. Put a long wire through bouth cable ends, so i can pull things back if needed.
10. Back tot the driver's seat and remove the shifter assembly again from the tunnel.
11. Reach inside the tunnel... still no nuts! My arms are too short!
12. Whatever... so, pulled the cables entirely out of the tunnel and there they where. Screwed them back on the thread a little
13. Put the cables as far back in the tunnel as i could
14. back to the engines side to pull on the wire to get the cables back.... nothing
15. Fiddled a little from the driver's side and back to the engine side again (repeat this a coule of times)
16. Ah! Succes at last! 1 cable visible. ... no movement from the engine's side of things...
17. Back to the driver's seat, remove assembly complete and put tie rap around the threaded part of the cable ends and tie them tight together so they'act together as one cable.
18. Forget all about the wire attached to the cable end... in fact.. cut it off!
19. The connected cables can easily be fiddled through the tunnel now with a little "fingerspitzengefuhl"
20. Got the cables finaly back.
21. Replaced the bracket and placed the cables in the bracket (careful not to drop those nuts again!)
22. Adjusted the cables as they where before this operation starrted...
23. Still a little slack in the cable and a resitance in the cross-gate cable, when controlled from the shifter.
24. No resistance when operated from the selector box?
25. Tied a wire to the shifter so i could operate it (just one way) while observing the selector box
26. Keep fiddeling and switch position several times from drivers seat to engine bay (this is getting annoying since i have a very narrow garage...)
27. Back to the engine bay, have another look and feel (78'th time today)
28. What's THAT ?

Problem found!.... The part where the flexible cable is crimped to the adjustment part got out of the crimped metal! I wonder if this happened to the other cable as well since it is covered in Araldite at the same junction...

The good news is that by now i am able to swap a set of cables in just under two hours, starting from scratch...

Can this be repaired? My guts tell me NO, but it would be nice to keep them as spare's
I hope that i can score another set of new cables tomorrow, since i need to drive the car this sunday!

and now... (i truly earned it )

[ovi]

Good news!

[HJ2]

Here's the little bugger!

You can see clearly that the steel armouring slipped out of the adjuster...






This is the other side with a plastic connector under the shifter, so i assume this IS an S2 cable, not AB...

[G UK]

Almost exactly the same thing happened to me including losing the nuts down the tunnel, the only exception was that I damaged the cables (popped the crimped flexi whatsit ma thingy on the other side of the connector) getting them back in and didn't notice . The cables still worked for a while in my case but unfortunately the cable broke where it was flexing because the crimped bit had popped out . I ended up getting AB's but even then the fun didn't stop as the first set of those were faulty.

I can now also confirm that those are most certainly S2 cables after seing the latest pictures

[HJ2]

Problem solved!

I'm on the road again, and that for just 5 Euro....
I removed both cables and drove to the harbour. A Marine shop had a tool big enough to crimp the adjusters back to the cable.
I also re-crimped the one that was covered in araldite (!)

Shifting like a King! , thanks for all the advice! (gotta love LEC...)



Cheers,
HJ2

[M100 TWO]

That happend to me in Switzerland, which left me stranded for three days, the garage owner said it was the first time he had seen this fault with the cable, the motor was very hot when this happend.
diff

[HJ2]

3 days looking for the right tool, or did it happened on a friday?

To make the story complete, here's the Shifter side of things (C-clip 's removed as you can see)
SO this appears to be the S2 cable!



And here's the one that was glued, but did not give me any problems so far!