Discussion
Well this is my first post and "uh oh", im afraid i have been bit. There is a 1983 Lotus Esprit Turbo down the road from my workplace. I am SO in love with this car. I get to work early just to drive by and stare at it. I know the dealer pretty well and I have inquired about the car. He states that the car "will not stay in fifth gear". He is going to have it looked at by a local mechanic who specializes in exotic car repair. Is this a common problem? The car seems to be in really good shape. Its in my system now so theres no turning back. Im sure this wont be my last post.
Will,
I don't know about "common", but it happens. It may be just a linkage adjustment. Have them try disconnecting the linkage pushrod to see if the lever detents further into position (ie, the pushrod is holding is out, slightly short of full engagement). If that's it, there's a threaded adjustment on the end of the pushrod. Adjust the rod's length so it matches up with the lever when it's fully detented into fifth gear.
If it's not the linkage, then the engagement dogs between the gear face and the synchro hub are probably rounded off. That usually happens to 1st or 2nd, and rarely 5th... but it's possible.
A fix would require replacing fifth gear and it's synchro hub. The upside is that fifth gear can be accessed without removing the transaxle from the car. For any other gear, the transaxle would have to be removed.
Lotus Lust is hard to shake, so don't waste your effort trying. Just roll in it and have a good time.
Regards,
Tim Engel
Lotus Owners Oftha North (USA)
>> Edited by Esprit2 on Saturday 2nd April 17:47
I don't know about "common", but it happens. It may be just a linkage adjustment. Have them try disconnecting the linkage pushrod to see if the lever detents further into position (ie, the pushrod is holding is out, slightly short of full engagement). If that's it, there's a threaded adjustment on the end of the pushrod. Adjust the rod's length so it matches up with the lever when it's fully detented into fifth gear.
If it's not the linkage, then the engagement dogs between the gear face and the synchro hub are probably rounded off. That usually happens to 1st or 2nd, and rarely 5th... but it's possible.
A fix would require replacing fifth gear and it's synchro hub. The upside is that fifth gear can be accessed without removing the transaxle from the car. For any other gear, the transaxle would have to be removed.
Lotus Lust is hard to shake, so don't waste your effort trying. Just roll in it and have a good time.
Regards,
Tim Engel
Lotus Owners Oftha North (USA)
>> Edited by Esprit2 on Saturday 2nd April 17:47
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