Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

piss-ant wrote:On google, searches can be effective with a couple of qualifiers and specifying this site as most of the info is concentrated here. So my google searches (after trying the search engine here) start with

site:www.lotuselan.net/forums

And then add a qualifier (or two if there are too many hits)

site:www.lotuselan.net/forums shifter

Gary

That's worth knowing. I just googled Lotus Elan gearbox stuck or jammed or something like that. I didn't think to specify this site as well.

On my first outing with my Elan, I too had a problem with the shift lever. While attempting to engage reverse gear, the gearbox became locked between two gears. With the gearbox locked in two gears, the car would not move. Needless to say I was panicked because the car was in a dangerous position in an intersection.

What I found, after unscrewing the cap, was both reverse and 2nd gear were both engaged. This was caused by the shifter lever being raised up too far, and catching the 2nd gear shift rail. Once I knocked it out of 2nd, everything was fine. Since I was on a tour, for the remainder I was very careful not to pull up on the shift lever until it stopped. Just enough to engage reverse.

After I got home, with some trial and error, I wound up with a .035" spacer that I installed on the shift lever, to prevent the lever from being raised to the point that it would select two gears. I should note that the retaining cap is metal, rather than the plastic style. Nary a problem since.

THANK YOU!

My S3 got stuck in first gear in the office carpark this afternoon after taking a colleague for a spin.

In between meetings I took the trim, the gear stick, and the domed plastic cap off, I lined up the forks with a big screwdriver, put everything back together (no bits left over always good) and hey presto 4 forward gears and a reverse as well. Quietly impressed with myself.

Love this forum.

Best
Steve