Elan S2 Gear Cable Change - which parts

[Motocompo]

Dears,

today my 1994 Elan S2 got stuck in 4th gear.

I need to replace the gear cables. Since it is an S2 I am extremely careful because I don´t want to order the wrong items.
Due to the customs to Germany and everything I want to avoid sending anything back.

If anyone can help me that would be great. I have the handbook of the SE but I think the cables in the S2 are different

Also any advice regarding the exchange itself is appreciated.

Thanks!

[Motocompo]

How it happend:

First the 4th gear and the 2nd gear were jumping off when decelerating.

Then today I was unable to choose 2nd gear.

Then when switching into 4th I was maybe a little bit harsh because I wanted to show the transmission who the boss is (this was not very clever).

Then the 4th got completely stuck and the lever was moving between 4th and neutral without any resistance.

[Saltire]

As I recall having done the same job on my S2: the cables are the same, but the end linkage at the gearbox end is different. As long as you don’t throw away those parts from your existing car, you should be OK.

However, what I would do in your situation is to run, not walk, to John Callahan in North Carolina. He has an excellent replacement cable kit which I (and several others on the forum) can thoroughly recommend. It comes with a short-shift kit which transforms the gear change. Not cheap, but well worth the investment. See this posting (and the previous ones in the thread) for more information.

Hope that helps!

[Motocompo]

OK thanks but I want to order the spareparts regularly

[Rambo]

Once you've replaced the cables they will be good for another 30, 40, 50 years or more. You won't need to order them again

[M100-NC]

How it happend:

First the 4th gear and the 2nd gear were jumping off when decelerating.

Then today I was unable to choose 2nd gear.

Then when switching into 4th I was maybe a little bit harsh because I wanted to show the transmission who the boss is (this was not very clever).

Then the 4th got completely stuck and the lever was moving between 4th and neutral without any resistance.

Thanks Jonathan and Mark,

Mr. Moto: I am John Callahan in North Carolina USA (formerly Brit-Car-Nut but now M100-NC on LEC) and I still make a HEAVY DUTY Shift Cable kit that also comess with a "short-shift adapter kit".

What concerns me is your description: "First the 4th gear and the 2nd gear were jumping off when decelerating" and "Then today I was unable to choose 2nd gear."

The shift cables only push and pull on the gearbox shift levers. They don't have anything to do with keeping the selected gear from "jumping off"

Before blaming the shift cables, you should look at the 4th/5th gear retaining nut in the gearbox.

This nut has come loose for other drivers and when it does, the gears will move around on their shaft which will cause the gearbox to jump out of gear.

If it has come loose, it can be gently / carefully realigned and the nut tightened.

If you are careful, you can usually reuse the gasket for the cover.

As for the shift cable kits I offer, they are very heavy duty and the short-shift kit makes the shifting much more responsive like it should have been from the start.

You can read about them at "https://forum.lotuselancentral.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=22461"

The M100 5th gear is common to the Isuzu Impulse and the GEO Storm in the US, so if you find a damaged gear, i might be able to scrounge one from a used gearbox.

I hope you find the cause of your problems,

John C.

[Motocompo]

Does anyone know how to remove the gearnob and the sack? Thanks again.

[Saltire]

The gear knob is held by an Allen-headed grub screw which (on my car anyway) is at about 3 o’clock looking down from the top on the side of the knob in the recess which runs around.

Once you’ve undone the grub screw, unscrew the knob anti-clockwise to remove it from the lever.

The leather boot pulls upwards and out (gently) once the knob is removed.

[Motocompo]

Center.jpg

OK thank you. This helps me a lot.

Does the center console also has to be removed? And if so, how can I do it?

[Saltire]

OK thank you. This helps me a lot.

Does the center console also has to be removed? And if so, how can I do it?

As far as I remember, I didn’t remove the centre console to do the shift cables (although I have had it out several times, so my memory may be played no tricks).

If you do need to take it out:

- remove the handbrake grip by pulling it forwards off the lever
- lever up the mirror and window switches, and disconnect the cables from underneath
- remove the mats on the two storage recesses, one under the handbrake lever and one right at the back of the console
- unscrew the three bolts you’ll then be able to see.

You will then be able to lift the console upwards and forwards, over the top of the handbrake lever and down into the passenger (RHD car) footwell. It’s a bit fiddly, and you may need to move the gear-lever around a bit, but it will come. I usually rotate the console at the same time to help get it over the handbrake lever.

Note that there are spacers and washers underneath the front fixing bolts, to stop you over tightening and cracking the console. They have a habit of falling down behind the carpet I’ve secured mine in place with a drop of Araldite

[M100-NC]

Hi Jonathan,

To change the shift cables, you have to remove the "in-car shifter assembly" to pull the old cables out of the engine bay and through the tunnel so you can attach the new cables to the shifter.

The fun part is then feeding the "new" cables back through the tunnel and into the engine bay.

Some owners attach a "pull-back" string to the cables before pulling out the originals so they can use the string to pull the replacements back into the engine bay.

Using the string method is mostly a two man task and the tunnel has obstructions and flanges that seem to jump out and tangle with the cables.

Basically, the installer should follow the service manual so all of the steps are covered.

The cables that I supply are a bit easier to get through the tunnel because they are heavier and a bit less "floppy" so they can be pushed through the tunnel by hand.

It is still eaasier with two people working together.

JC

[Saltire]

Agreed, John. When we fitted your cables, we didn’t use string; I had a couple of lengths of strong 3-core mains electrical cable which I fed through with the old cables, attached to the front end of the new cables, wrapped the join with duct tape, and then guided them through. No hiccups on the way, although there were two of us swearing at it at the time

[Motocompo]

Hello again,

can anyone give me the exact length of the cables in cm?

Or has anyone an instruction how exactly they have to be fitted?

All help is appreciated, thanks.

[M100-NC]

To try to remain forthright and honest, I am John Callahan and formerly Brit-Car-Nut.

I still make and sell the heavy duty shift cable kits with the short-shift adapters.

The cables are approximately 53 inches and 54 Inches in length.

You will have to make up special adapters to fit the gearshift cable bracket and then devise a method to connect the cables to the shifter and gearbox ends.

That is why I provide the "uprated" cables as a complete kit - WITH the short-shift adapters included - so all of the fittings are included and adjusted.

The current price is $565.00 for the kit + postage from the US.

The kit includes all parts needed to shift the car and they have been assembled and tested in my spare M100, so I know they will work as promised.

The kit comes with a custom abutment bracket made for my choice of cables.

These are my cables at the abutment end.

Cables at Abut1.jpg

These are my cables at the shifter end.

Shifter End.jpg

There are also the short-shift adapters:

asm2a.jpg

There is a lot more to the project beyond getting cables.

My kit is a deal at $565.00 + postage for the cables, the mounting adapters, the abutment bracket, the short-shift kit and the installation guide showing how to install the kit.

Sj Sportscars' un-bushed cable kit sell for $270.00 + postage.

Anyway, I thought I would explain again what comes in one of my shift cable kits.

I can't control the cost of shipping the complete kit, but shipments to Europe seem to cost around $100.00 to $130.00 depending on the location I am shipping to.

Remember, there is import taxes and duty assessed at delivery.

[HJ2]

I've done many shift cables and short shifters, although not John's cables yet! I do have a set of Johns cables at home though and they look just as good or even better then Dave's which i used for replacement.

@Motocompo, if the Credo is OEM- or better (mine is) the I strongly recommend you order a full set from the US of A, be it with or without the shortshifter.
They will last longer, improve the feeling of shifting (by a mile, if you use the shortshifter as well) and are simply better and cheaper then OEM.

Now pull the bell housing open first as suggested to see if any nut has become loose or confirm that your current set of cables have indeed failed.

About installing: If you have thin arms, and removed the center console, you can slide your arm in the hole like a vet and with a little (well.... a lot! + a lot of foul language) wiggling you are able to feed the cables through by yourself (no 2 people job).
It helps when the car is on stands so you can crawl under it to see (mirror) what you are doing from below. It also helps to unbolt the expansion tank and push it aside + remove the intake pipe to the plenum obviously.

Not rocket science, but a time consuming and annoying job to do. As a bonus you will have nice scratches on your arm to remind you on the job for a couple of weeks