What's Wrong?

[lwasson]

I may buy a 1983 Turbo Esprit and I need the advice from the group. The car is stuck in 4th gear. Other than that the car appears to be in great shape. Does anyone have a clue why the gear is stuck? The shifter moves around when the clutch is in. The gentleman drove the car almost daily until the tranny got stuck this past summer.

Thanks,
lw

[lotusguy]

lw,

I have an '85 Turbo and just ebuilt the tranny this past summer. What you describe could be many things, but I woul first suspect the shifter, cable or linkage. Get under the car and try to move the crossgate on the side of the tranny and push/pull the gate back & forth(in/out). You will probably have to remove the cable and throw rod, 2 small bolts. It you can get it to shift this way, it's in the shifter, if not, it's probably in the box itself. Lotus will rebuild a box completely for $4,000USD, maybe a bargaining chip if the rest of the car checks out. If experienced, you can rebuild it yourself, but it may cost more, or less, depending on what you find. Hope this helps...Jim '85TE

[cnh1990]

Is that the car from Milwaukee, Wi.?
Calvin 90 SE

[lwasson]

Yes, the car is from Milwaukee. Do you know anything else about the car?

Thanks,
lw

[cnh1990]

The car was first advertised for sale just days after LOG. Which I thought was rather strange. I would have posted it earlier before LOG so people would have had a chance to see it. Milwaukee was about 20-30 minutes from the LOG site with many familiar with the workings of the Esprit and if asked, many owners attending the meet would surely have stopped by for perspective owners to have a look see. If the car has a simple linkage problem it could be a good deal for you. Easy to tell if you crawl under the car and shift it from there.
Calvin 90 SE