Lost all me gears!
Discussion
Whilst driving home from work I was looking forward to the night ahead ... I had planned on taking the girlfriend to Oxford to see Turin Brakes play at the Carling Academy - A perfect end to a difficult day at the office!
However this soon escaped my mind as I turned my attentions to the fact I couldn't select 5th gear. I realise 5th gear is a pain on most days, usually requiring a little extra force, but this was different. As soon as I thought I had 5th gear it turned out to be 3rd. Feeling a little embarrassed with myself that I kept missing the gear, no matter how many times I fought or tried, 3rd gear was the only option.
Luckily I managed to arrive home, whereby I discovered reverse had also given up the ghost. Until suddenly *crack* - No gears at all! The stick just wobbled freely as if in jelly with the sound of a rod scraping against the aluminium floorpans underneath the car ... Strangely, when I released the clutch it bit as if it was engaged in 5th gear and stalled. After some further wiggling I managed to get a couple of gears back, but I'm guessing (I'm not mechanically minded, yet!) the rods that go back to the gearbox have fallen out - A pin has broken somewhere?
So hopefully as soon as my boss has cleared my request, I'm having tomorrow off, waiting for all the rush hour traffic to die down, and then I'm driving the car (with someone else in another car just in case!) to my local Lotus dealership
Could be expensive? Didn't really need this, especially as I'm having the Bilstein upgrade done next week! All my friends and family have said, "Well, what do you expect with such a car? They're high maintenance!"
I'm not angry with it at all ... I would've been if it was my previous 306 ... I can't help but look at it and think, 'It all part of the car's character'
Can't wait to get it back on the road again
However this soon escaped my mind as I turned my attentions to the fact I couldn't select 5th gear. I realise 5th gear is a pain on most days, usually requiring a little extra force, but this was different. As soon as I thought I had 5th gear it turned out to be 3rd. Feeling a little embarrassed with myself that I kept missing the gear, no matter how many times I fought or tried, 3rd gear was the only option.
Luckily I managed to arrive home, whereby I discovered reverse had also given up the ghost. Until suddenly *crack* - No gears at all! The stick just wobbled freely as if in jelly with the sound of a rod scraping against the aluminium floorpans underneath the car ... Strangely, when I released the clutch it bit as if it was engaged in 5th gear and stalled. After some further wiggling I managed to get a couple of gears back, but I'm guessing (I'm not mechanically minded, yet!) the rods that go back to the gearbox have fallen out - A pin has broken somewhere?
So hopefully as soon as my boss has cleared my request, I'm having tomorrow off, waiting for all the rush hour traffic to die down, and then I'm driving the car (with someone else in another car just in case!) to my local Lotus dealership
Could be expensive? Didn't really need this, especially as I'm having the Bilstein upgrade done next week! All my friends and family have said, "Well, what do you expect with such a car? They're high maintenance!"
I'm not angry with it at all ... I would've been if it was my previous 306 ... I can't help but look at it and think, 'It all part of the car's character'
Can't wait to get it back on the road again
Edited by Ikemi on Tuesday 9th October 18:09
Mrs Lotustuart said:
possibly the gear linkage. remove undertray and look the cables may have become unattatched. It happened to me in my S1. Eliseparts upgrade sorted it. cheap too! Hope it simple and cheap for you.
Stuart
Second that, gear linkage. You should be able to fix it without replacement unless you've lost a few bits!Stuart
bananamana said:
Was your gearbox making a slight grinding noise if you let off the throttle in 5th before this happened??
Were there any symptoms prior to the fail?
Mine makes the grinding noise when I come off the throttle... what's it mean? Were there any symptoms prior to the fail?
Otherwise my gearbox seems ok, 1st can be a bugger to get into but all the others are fine...
LotusEater666 said:
Thank you, that has completly put my mind at rest!Also I thought a bushon was gone, but really its just loose bolts that can be tightened. God I love this car more and more every day. I will not be loosening the suspension now
Also to the OP, looks like you may be able to get a cheap solution to your problem
Good news Good luck with it!
Thanks bananamana, and to everyone else who has replied Just seen on EliseParts that a replacement gear linkage is £45 ... A lot less than I thought it would be ... At the time I was worried it was something more serious!
There was no grinding noises or any symptoms that ran up to the point of failure. This morning I had no problems engaging all the gears, only this afternoon on the way home I just couldn't find the 5th gear gate and the rest went as soon as I pulled up outside my house.
Looking back, I'm fortunate this didn't happen on my way up to Oxford on the M40 - Could've been a lot worse!
Just seen on EliseParts that a replacement gear linkage is £45 ... A lot less than I thought it would be ... At the time I was worried it was something more serious! There was no grinding noises or any symptoms that ran up to the point of failure. This morning I had no problems engaging all the gears, only this afternoon on the way home I just couldn't find the 5th gear gate and the rest went as soon as I pulled up outside my house.
Looking back, I'm fortunate this didn't happen on my way up to Oxford on the M40 - Could've been a lot worse!
To the OP, you're cable might have snapped or come adrift somewhere. If all's OK at the gearbox end, check at the stick end. Mine went with similar symptoms last year.
LotusEater666 said:
Mine makes the grinding noise when I come off the throttle... what's it mean?
It means the clutch release bearing is working. TADTS Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff