Gear selection problems

[Ghost]

I am having trouble with gear selection of second, fourth, and reverse!!
The problems started after a 'spirited' run around the back lanes of Macclesfield, pursued by a 911! Second gear started to feel as if it was not engaging fully, as did fourth gear. By the time I reached home, reverse gear would not select at all.

Is there any adjustment on the gear cables, and if so, where is it?

Would this be a suitable time to replace both gear cables with AB ones?

If I do replace both cables with AB ones, has anyone done a comparison between Dave's and AB's short shift gear change?

Any helpfull sugestions to resolve this problem quickley would be welcome.

Steve.

[Dico]

Probably a good time to replace them with AB cables. Chances are the cable is knackered, though sometimes (if you're lucky) the clip has come loose.
Monty has used both versions of the short shift, currently he's on AB's version. I don't think he found much difference between the two.

AB's cables - fit and forget

[johnny]

Ghost, very same thing happened to me. Apart from the 911.
Cable problem, cost me about 250 pounds in parts and labour from a
guy i didnt really trust at the time but needed it doing ASAP.

If i remember the cable was 90 pounds.

If you get yours done much cheaper, let me know....

[Enright]

Cables are usually a bit more.
So it's worth spending £250 on AB ones and doing the job yourself.
Then it should never need doing again.

[al]

yup, I did it little while ago after the lateral one snapped (on the way to the garage for it's MOT !).

It's a bit of a fiddly job but if I can do it then anyone can; just be prepared to wear the scars of victory on your arms & knuckles for a little while afterwards

[Enright]

Thought I might as well post this here - it's as good a place as any.

I have AB cables, grommets and an IsuzuPerformance short shift kit fitted.

The gearchange has always been a little stiffer since fitting the cables and grommets (which further remove play from mounting the gearlever mech to the chassis), but I just made do with it. Until Sunday that is, when I really started to struggle to find gears.

So I removed the gearknob, gaiter, and the four allen bolts that secure the gearlever mech.
And this is what I found:

In case it's not too obvious from the first pic, have a look at the second and then the third.

The mounting bracket had fatigued and snapped in three places, meaning that the whole assembly was only being held on by one bolt! I came very close to being stranded.

Fortunately I had another mechanism on long term loan from Monty which I've now fitted, and just bought another off DaveTEA this evening. So I can get my old one welded and still replace Monty's.

But if you think you can just live with a stiff gearchange mechanism, beware. Because you can't.

[paulwatkins]

What do you think was the cause of this failure Neil?

Could it be the extra stress applied by the short shift kit?

Paul

[Enright]

1) With the AB cables and the delrin grommets, almost all springiness and play is removed. Therefore any force is transmitted straight into either the components or the bracketry holding them together, which can accelerate fatigue.

2) With ANY short shift kit you are trying to get the same effect for half the amount of movement. Therefore the trade-off is that you have to put double the amount of force into it.

So it's a combination of 1) and 2) Paul.

I'm not saying that fitting either is a bad idea.
Far from it - having felt a standard Elan gearchange just last night I know that I could never go back, and I'd recommend AB cables and grommets (and even their short shift kit despite using a different one) to anybody.

All I'm saying is that having done the installation, you MUST make damn sure that it all operates as freely as possible, or it WILL come back to bite you in the bum!

[Ghost]

I have now found the source of my gear shift problem.
The gear cables were held in place by plastic zip ties!!!!!!!!
People who do things this stupid should not be allowed to own an Elan (or even a roller skate)!

I am buying a set of AB cables from WillB which will sort out the problem.

I think I will install a short shifter at the same time to do a complete job.

As I will be doing the work myself, does anyone who has replaced their cables with AB's, have any tips to make the job go smoothly??

Thanks for the information and help.

Steve

[al]

As I will be doing the work myself, does anyone who has replaced their cables with AB's, have any tips to make the job go smoothly??

When you're ready to pull out the old cables, make sure to tie a good length cord to the end so it pulls through the cavity as you take the old cables out, then you can do the reverse to help pull the new ones back through.

The nylon washers/bearings on the AB cables are sometimes not drilled out to a sufficient dia to fit on the pins, so be ready to file them out a bit, try not to stab yourself in the palm while doing this - I can assure you that it really hurts if you do this...

You can take the coolant header tank off to make access to the gearbox end a bit easier if you need to.

It can be quite fiddly, especially towards the end when you're putting the cables adjusters into the bracket, and you'll end up scraped knuckles and arms, but it's most definitely worth it

Good luck !

[Enright]

Here are a couple of tips:

It's pointless jacking the car up to do the job. There is no benefit to be had by gaining access from underneath. In fact all you do is make it harder to access from above because the car is higher!

Remove the upper intake pipe but don't remove the expansion tank. Just undo the bolt and swivel the tank out of the way - that way you don't waste any coolant.

The centre console HAS to come out though.

Unbolt the cables from the selector and from the gear lever mech, but leave them in place. Then cable tie one the selector end of a new one to the gearlever end of an old one and use the old one to pull it through into the engine bay. Do this one at a time and it will stop them from getting twisted.

In hindsight I probably would have applied graphite spray to the cables before installing them.

[gtm100]

Ghost,
I too lost 2nd, 4th and reverse. Logic told me it must be one of the cables and sure enough, following the advice of Enright to remove the upper air trunking and move the water reservoir out of the way, I could see where they attached to the gearbox. With a friend moving the lever I could see the outer sheath of the lower one was not attached to the bracket. I removed the C clip and rotated the end cap through 90 degrees as it says in the manual (this cap is a circle with two flats). I then removed the split pin and washers from the inner and was able to see the problem.
The outer cable is terminated with a cylindrical plastic collar which is locked into the end cap by the usual little plastic catches. These are no match for a vigorous tug on the gear lever so you can still get 1,3,5 as the cable pushes together, but not 2,4,R as it pulls apart.
Now where can I get those much vaunted AB cables or is there a Vauxhall update for what I have been told is the Cavalier 16F gearbox linkage?
George

[Dave Eds]

Ghost,
Now where can I get those much vaunted AB cables ?
George

Will B

[Enright]

WillB is the only one who distributes them over here at present.

You MAY just find some contact details for him in this thread - if you're lucky!

Would like to hear more about that Cavalier 16F gearbox linkage. I've looked under the bonnet of a Cav before and it all seemed to be rods and levers. However if the selector box sitting on top of the gearbox is the same it could be very useful. Can you question your source a bit more please GTM?

[gtm100]

Yes, the later cavaliers were rod linkage (I wonder why!!) I will ask more questions.
Will B has responded already by private email, the cost is £245 and delivery about 1 week.

[Ghost]

I have ordered a set of AB cables from Will B, and also contacted Dave for one of his short shifter kits.
The cables are available as the above thread says in about one week, but Dave has run out of parts for the short shifter.
Dave is having another run of parts made, so anyone wanting a set should contact him and register their interest, which will give him an idea of the number of sets to have produced.

Steve

[Sy V]

Steve

An alternative:

http://www.lotuselancentral.com/forum/v ... 9&start=40

[Ghost]

Thanks Sy.
I know AB also make a short shifter kit and have contacted Monty as he has tried both kits.
Monty tells me there is little difference in 'feel' between the two kits, other than price (AB = £150; Daves = £65) and in his opinion, Daves kit was easier to fit.
I will wait for Dave's short shifter kit as I am in no hurry to fit the cables and shifter as I will be out of the country for four weeks at the end of April.
By the end of May, Dave's short shifter kits should be available and I will have a go at fitting it together with the AB cables from Will B.

Steve

[gtm100]

Will B,
The cables arrived today, many thanks. The ends look much more robust than the originals and a new bracket is included plus two special spanners for adjustment. I will fit them over the w/e and post the results.

[gtm100]

(double post replaced)
Both cables replaced -7.5 hours!. I read all the advice on the forum and it was straightforward but painful and exasperating. Points I would add to the excellent writeup:
1. Fold back the hood, don't go under the car
2. Use electrical ties to fix the old cable to the new one and pull the old ones into the car - make sure any bits which might drop off are removed first. ( I "pinged" a clip down the tunnel and had to replace it with a split pin)
3. The gear lever will come out if you move the lever into the right position relative to its bracket.
4. It is easier to work in the engine bay if you remove the header tank completely (and the air hose).
5. The new cables will snag on a bulkhead within the tunnel but you can get your arm down through the gearlever hole and waggle the cables past it.
6. Fit the gearbox end to the new bracket before bolting the bracket in place. I had to find a third bolt.
7. Any gear selection problems will be within the gearbox, not due to the new cables (IMHO) as the adjusters are merely to bring the lever to a suitable position within the car. My next problem is to find out why I can can get 4th with engine switched off but not in normal use. Any ideas?
8. The plastic bush on the gear lever end of one of the AB cables is a tight fit on it's pin - don't drill it out. Make sure you put the cable on the correct side of the lever or you will get fouling.