13 replies to this topic

[stigg10]

I was trying to get the car into gear this morning, and got a little over-exuberant (I believe the cable was frozen).

 

Heard a snapping noise and it now looks like this... I'm guessing you can't just buy a new plastic sleeve bit, and that I've now got the ball-ache of having to replace both cables?

 

If so, are these the best ones to get:

 

https://www.elise-sh...0-p-502360.html

 

Edited by stigg10, 13 February 2021 - 03:33 PM.

[oz2044]

Hi, sad news indeed!
Mine went about a year ago and Jonny directed me to Liz Pennington who had plenty!
You can find her on Facebook if not on here. She is a true life saver!
Its worth changing them both while you are doing it I would say.....😁

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

[stigg10]

Damn it.

Ok, anyone else looking to drive their vx220 when it's been -2 degrees outside for a week, and you get in, and you need to be somewhere quickly, and you have zero fore/aft movement in the gearbox, don't do what I did...

...assume if I leave the engine running for a couple of minutes it'll warm up and be fine...

...I'll just wiggle the gear stick about a bit, spray wd40 around, then whack it forwards and backwards a lot. Because "I'll 'break the ice, and 'we'll be on our way' in no time."

[Ivor]

Did the same about 8 years ago. Managed to put a sleeve round the broken plastic so could change gear until I got a new cable

[stigg10]

It feels like I can still get 1st, 3rd and 5th fairly reliably so probably sufficient to drive it to a garage - just so long as I don't have to reverse in to the garage to park it!

[Ivor]

Found my old cable yesterday, I put a piece of 15mm copper pipe over the broken plastic piece, possibly padded out a bit

[Ivor]

Found my old cable yesterday, I put a piece of 15mm copper pipe over the broken plastic piece, possibly padded out a bit

[stigg10]

Great thanks for the tip, I'll give it a go.

[H1 HWK]

Hey Stigg, mine broke just as I rolled up to the VX national in Pembrey a few years ago.... That was a long journey home on a flat bed.

Anyway, the elise cables are very good and seem really well made, BUT they are thicker than OEM so can be a bit tricky to fit apparently. Andy @QMech fitted mine, but something to bear in mind if having ago yourself. Definitely replace both same time... Why risk being stranded twice.

[Ivor]

Hey Stigg, mine broke just as I rolled up to the VX national in Pembrey a few years ago.... That was a long journey home on a flat bed.

Anyway, the elise cables are very good and seem really well made, BUT they are thicker than OEM so can be a bit tricky to fit apparently. Andy @QMech fitted mine, but something to bear in mind if having ago yourself. Definitely replace both same time... Why risk being stranded twice.

Bit of a wrestle but I changed mine with the VX only raised on a jack ( supported of course)

[stigg10]

Managed to drive it to BackonTrack to get the elise-shop motorsport cables fitted using just the fwd facing gears of 1st, 3rd and 5th.

Worth keeping in mind, it turns out the elise-shop cables are a smidge shorter so will not work if, like my car, you have a short shift linkage on the f23 gearbox.

[stigg10]

I gaffer taped the broken plastic sleeve bit together so it stayed in place where the linkage flexes to ensure the forward gears worked well enough for the 2hr drive.

[stigg10]

I've just posted in the wanted section for a standard gear selector for the F23 gearbox...

 

http://www.vx220.org...elector-wanted/

 

if anyone would like to swap there standard one for a quick shift, or have a spare OEM selector lying around please let me know!

[stigg10]

All sorted now thanks to back on track in Guildford.

Ended up buying a scrap gearbox to get the required bracket off it, and managed to retain the main quick shift selector even with the shorter than stock cables.

The Elsie shop motorsport cables feel great, offering a more accurate change than stock; it feels more 'click-clacky' especially 2nd to 3rd (though that could just be the benefit of switching out cables that were 15yrs old).

You can't source original cables anyhow, so a recommended 'upgrade' if/when you snap the flimsy plastic bit on the stock ones.

Edited by stigg10, 12 March 2021 - 11:15 PM.