89 SE thottle cable

[Kev@carnoisseur]

Mine snapped the other day due to some very heavy right foot action. Has anyone on here ever replaced one? as it dont look one bit easy!

[danny tattersall]

Kev, replacing the throttle cable is not too difficult at all. I would suggest disconnecting it from the engine end initially. Then, from inside the cabin, lean under where the pedals are and remove the footrest adjacent to the clutch pedal. This is attached by two nuts that secure the footrest onto two studs. Once you have done this you can get easy access to the nipple on the end of the throttle cable to disconnect it. Securely attach a good length of string to this end (it will have to be long enough to go from one end of the car to the other). This next bit depends on whether or not your cable has a nipple on each end. If you do you will have to replace the cable and it' s sheath. If you need to do this you will see that the cable goes through a metal sheath. Follow this back for about eight inches before it goes into the transmission tunell and pull the carpet back slightly. It will reveal a clip that is attached by a couple of screws. Loosen them both. Then, from the engine bay, pull the throttle cable and outer sheath out. Pull it sufficiently to get the cable completely out but be careful not to pull the string out too much because if you loose the end of the string in the cabin you will be in trouble! Then, disconnect the old cable from the string, attach the new one to the string (ensuring that it is orientated correctly i.e. the throttle pedal end is attached to the end of the string in the engine bay) and reverse the procedure. However, I would recommend that you connect the engine end first and then the throttle pedal end. Once you have connected this end, refit the footrest making sure that the cable has not slipped off before you tighten the nuts. Finally, set-up the cable tension so that there is only a little bit of slack at the throttle end. Check that the throttle opens fully when the accelerator is pressed fully down. This can be a bit awkward but is worth peersevering with otherwise you will reduce performance. If your cable does not have nipples on each end you do not need to replace the outer sheath, so there is no need to loosen the two screws on the clamp that I mentioned. Otherwise, the procedure is the same. SJ Sporstscars and Lotus have the parts readily available and there is no real difference in price because they are both Lotus original parts. Expect to pay no more than about £15.

[dr.hess]

I replaced mine with some stainless (of course) 1/16" wire rope. 480 lb break strength from:
www.mcmaster.com/asp/framework.asp?reqtyp=catalog&CtlgPgNbr=1321&sesnextrep=400878934390950&CtlgEdition=109&k1=8912T32&t1=PN&k2=8912T324&t2=PN

Cost me $3.60. I made the ends and welded them on. Welded the motor end on, fed the wire through the existing sheath, put some cloth/foil down on the carpet and a hunk of steel and welded the foot end on. Works well.

Dr.Hess

[Kev@carnoisseur]

Cheers people, Sjsportscars had none in stock so Im still waiting for one from nelmes romford which was ment to be with me for friday.