Choke cable and dash thickness

[Robbie693]

Hello,

I am trying to find out if the choke cable is the same on an Elan and a Plus 2. I am concerned about the threaded portion being long enough.

Does anyone know what the length of the threaded portion of the cable is on a Plus 2 please?

Robbie

[Phil.C60]

As far as I’m aware most choke cables are pretty similar, and the wooden dash should have a counter bore at the back to reduce the thickness and allow sufficient thread for the nut and washer. That all depends, of course, on who made the dash…..

[Robbie693]

Thanks Phil,

Yes I thought it likely as I think they come from the same source of Anglia/Zephyr/Zodiac but I was looking at an original Elan one and it had a 8mm thread length which seemed a bit short. I didn't realise the back of the dash was counter bored. Or at least should be...

Robbie

[oldelanman]

On my S4 the choke and heater cables fit in a recessed bezel with corresponding 'cup' behind the dash, there is no counter bore. I thought they were all the same.

https://parts.classicteamlotus.co.uk/be ... -293-p.asp

[Phil.C60]

That makes sense. I have no choke cable in my car, three or four pumps does it for me. I was working from my experience of wooden dashes in things like TR6 and Stag etc. The deep bezel clearly achieves the same idea only by setting the cable assy. back from the front of the dash and also reduces the amount that the knob sticks out when the choke is fully home is off which is a smart idea.

[Robbie693]

This is getting curiouser and curiouser! So it looks like the early Elans had a different choke to the later ones, the later ones having the cups Roger mentioned and the early ones having the same as the Plus 2 -

- so the Dash thickness is important.

Classic Team Lotus have a replica choke but is listed only in the Elan parts section, not the Plus 2. I have emailed Clive to see if they are applicable to both...

Robbie

[tonyabacus]

For that sort of query try Clive Green at Classic Team Lotus, he was Paul Matty's spares guy and pretty knowledgeable.His mobile is shown on the CTL site.
Tony

[Robbie693]

And the answer is the 8mm long thread will fit but only just... It has engaged into the ferrule by about 1/2 turn!

I don't know it this is normal or whether there were different chokes for the later Plus 2 but the ones now being sold by Classic Team Lotus have a 1/2" thread which would be better.

Incidentally I bought the NOS one because I thought it would be the locking type, which the modern reproductions aren't, but it turns out the NOS one isn't locking either. Did they originally come with locking chokes?

Robbie

[smo17003]

Do you have a copy of a Drivers Handbook? In the S4 book starting procedure has no mention of "twist to lock" for the choke, just pull/push to operate.

Mike

[RichardHawkins]

If I remember correctly some of the 1960’s BMC cars had choke cables that were push pull. This was achieved by having a kink in the solid wire near the dashboard end.

Hope this helps,

Richard Hawkins

[Robbie693]

It does mention turn to lock in the handbook yes, also this post by JonB leads me to think they should be - https://lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=41573

As it is the choke sort of stays out when pulled but slips back in slightly meaning I don't get full choke unless I hold it out.

Robbie

[Richardsona39]

FWIW my choke is twist to lock on my 71 Elan +2 (Federal). I coincidentally pulled mine out a couple of days ago as I think I will need a fractionally longer cable for my Mikuni carb swap (see other recent thread). I undid the ring around the choke handle and pulled the handle out - I was surprised to see how long the rod with the cable inside it was! A good 4" or so. I didn't investigate further yet to see how the end of the cable is captured in the knob, still have to figure that out.

[Robbie693]

Interesting Richard, thanks. There is plenty of thread clearance through the dash there so there must be long and short versions.

I don't know how the locking chokes function - the shaft on mine looks the same but doesn't turn, unless the mechanism has seized up perhaps. Does anyone know how they work?

Robbie

[andywatts]

My choke is twist-to-lock on a 69 +2S. However the original, and a more recent replacement, refused to lock, hence a need to resort to the tried-and-trusted clothes peg. All Elans should have one!

[ericbushby]

Ah! a clothes peg, I never thought of that.
To hold my wrong heater knob out I made a special spacer from some PTFE round bar. Turned it to size, drilled and cut up the side to make a `C` section. Took me ages, Damn.
The dodgy heater knob is being replaced soon, hopefully.
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC