shifting problems
Discussion
Car back on the road after dry sump install and switch to side shifter/cable shifter from CMS. Very difficult to shift and imprecise. Detaching the cables from the transaxle reveals that the cable moves freely in the guides but that the effort required to shift the transaxle is high in the fore/aft gate more so than in the lateral gate. Additionaly I can't get the car into fifth. The clutch is complely disengaged when the pedal is depressed.
So it is back out and back to CMS.
It was great to drive the car around a bit despite the hard/vague shifting. I remeber reading somewhere on this board that the Ultima could easily be bested by a Lotus Exige in tight corners. As an owner of both cars I can confirm that this is a giant negative.
The SpinTech muffler that I have is loud. When I bought it I told them I wanted a track day muffler and that a quieter version was available. I'm thinking that I'll need the quieter version as well for street use.
ken
So it is back out and back to CMS.
It was great to drive the car around a bit despite the hard/vague shifting. I remeber reading somewhere on this board that the Ultima could easily be bested by a Lotus Exige in tight corners. As an owner of both cars I can confirm that this is a giant negative.
The SpinTech muffler that I have is loud. When I bought it I told them I wanted a track day muffler and that a quieter version was available. I'm thinking that I'll need the quieter version as well for street use.
ken
Ken,
Before you put everything back, are the cables secured well along the whole length as any movement will make the shift feel vague?
Are the cables exactly in line with the levers on the box so not pulling or pushing at an angle?
lastly - i had a similar problem with difficulty in engaging gears when I replaced one of my cables - the problem was sorted by trail and error regarding the lengths of the cables, they need a lot of fine adjusting.
Cheers,
Martin.
Before you put everything back, are the cables secured well along the whole length as any movement will make the shift feel vague?
Are the cables exactly in line with the levers on the box so not pulling or pushing at an angle?
lastly - i had a similar problem with difficulty in engaging gears when I replaced one of my cables - the problem was sorted by trail and error regarding the lengths of the cables, they need a lot of fine adjusting.
Cheers,
Martin.
Thanks for the information.
The cables are in line with the motion of the transaxle input shafts and the routes are smooth with only one radius smaller then 6 inches in diameter. The cables are fine when disconnected from the transaxle. The transaxle is difficult to shift when I cycle through the gears with the side shift lever only.
Ken
The cables are in line with the motion of the transaxle input shafts and the routes are smooth with only one radius smaller then 6 inches in diameter. The cables are fine when disconnected from the transaxle. The transaxle is difficult to shift when I cycle through the gears with the side shift lever only.
Ken
Hi Ken,
It can be frustrating as hell to get this dialed in right. I don't doubt that we'll never get the G50 to shift as well as a Lotus but it can get pretty good. I too couldn't find fifth or reverse and it seemed that when I made adjustments I could one but not the other. I had to mount the cable lower on the shift arm on the side shifter to extend the throw of the arm. I don't quite know why I had to do this as others seem to be able to make it work farther out of the arm, but it did. I now get R & 5th very well. It is still annoying that shifting this car the way its set up is a "feel" thing and takes practice because the gears are pretty close together and its easy to get 3rd instead of 1st. You'll need to play with adjusting the large nut on either end to set it up correctly, as well as the choice of mount on the shifter and the side shifter arm.
Good luck!
Paul
It can be frustrating as hell to get this dialed in right. I don't doubt that we'll never get the G50 to shift as well as a Lotus but it can get pretty good. I too couldn't find fifth or reverse and it seemed that when I made adjustments I could one but not the other. I had to mount the cable lower on the shift arm on the side shifter to extend the throw of the arm. I don't quite know why I had to do this as others seem to be able to make it work farther out of the arm, but it did. I now get R & 5th very well. It is still annoying that shifting this car the way its set up is a "feel" thing and takes practice because the gears are pretty close together and its easy to get 3rd instead of 1st. You'll need to play with adjusting the large nut on either end to set it up correctly, as well as the choice of mount on the shifter and the side shifter arm.
Good luck!
Paul
I had exactly the problem as described above by Paul (San Diego GTR), plus shifting when teh car is cold is a real challenge. When I get the car back (yes still not done) I'm also going to pin the shift arms on the CMS side shifter better as under extreme (track) driving the cheapo grub screws slip when hot and I'm back to square one. I understood CMS were resolving this with a spline system, not sure if that happened.
I also think a lot depends on the in cab gear shifter you are using and I'm saving up for the CMS billet one to replace my Renegade unit.
I also think a lot depends on the in cab gear shifter you are using and I'm saving up for the CMS billet one to replace my Renegade unit.
Hi also have shifting issues. I have the Renegade Hybrid shifter connected via a home made bracket to the G50 selector shaft, and I currently don't have Reverse. The Renegade shifter just doesn't have enough lateral movement to reach it. I'll modify the gearbox bracket to adjust the cables, but then I'll have the same problem mentioned above of having gears very close together, and it will be easy to select 1st instead of 3rd.
It is getting better, turns out that there was a significant angle between the for/aft shift cable mount and the input shaft for the side shifter. CMS is sending me a new bracket. I will have to revise the cable mount bracket for the shifter as well.
The transaxle shifts smoothly without the cables attached so it is in the car to stay.
Some photos follow. I wanted to keep the front engine bay as uncluttered as possible so I used the light weight 2 gallon tank with a single -16 return line. It fits fine by the transaxle and allows easy access to the front of the motor. The car has a single Spintech muffler that is not suitable for regular street use (this is a race muffler, they sell other mufflers that work well on the street).
The oil pan is made by Stef's and will be replaced when a custom pan is completed by Billet Fabrication Specialties.
More photos are posted on the website gallery at Home of the Ultima Car Club.
The transaxle shifts smoothly without the cables attached so it is in the car to stay.
Some photos follow. I wanted to keep the front engine bay as uncluttered as possible so I used the light weight 2 gallon tank with a single -16 return line. It fits fine by the transaxle and allows easy access to the front of the motor. The car has a single Spintech muffler that is not suitable for regular street use (this is a race muffler, they sell other mufflers that work well on the street).
The oil pan is made by Stef's and will be replaced when a custom pan is completed by Billet Fabrication Specialties.
More photos are posted on the website gallery at Home of the Ultima Car Club.
Edited by k wright on Saturday 2nd May 00:25
Edited by k wright on Saturday 2nd May 00:27
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