Lotus Elise Service Notes page 274

Lotus Service Notes
Section HE
Gearchange Cable Replacement
For access to the gear cables, the gear lever shroud and parking brake lever trim must be removed:
Unscrew the gear lever knob, remove the single screw each side of the shroud, and withdraw the shroud.
Remove the single screw securing the parking brake trim to the rear bulkhead and ease the panel over the
lever.
Unclip the crossgate cable from the bellcrank lever, or unsnap the select cable from the lever ball. Pull
off the spring clip retaining the cable outer to the abutment bracket, and release the cable from the bracket. At
the rear end, prise the cable off the lever, pull off the outer cable spring clip, and release from the abutment
bracket. Release cable ties and clips as necessary to allow the cable to be withdrawn, noting the routing past
the park brake lever.
Refit in reverse order to removal, paying particular attention to the routing through or alongside the park
lever and gear lever mounting brackets. Check the cable adjustments as detailed above.
Gearlever Mounting Bracket
The gear lever mounting bracket is secured to the cabin floor by four M8 bolts, the rearmost of which also
fixes the front of the parking brake lever bracket. Note that alloy spacers are used on the front three fixing
points between bracket and floor. The whole assembly is offset towards the passenger side of the car, with
alternative fixing holes provided either in the mounting bracket, or in the cabin floor.
FH.3 - LUBRICATION
The PG1 transmission is 'filled for life'
with Texaco MTF94 fully synthetic lubricant,
and requires no periodic renewal. If there are
any signs of leakage, the source should be
identified and appropriate action taken to rec-
tify the fault.
A filler/level plug is provided on the left
hand side of the the final drive housing, and
with the car parked on a level surface, the oil
level should be up to the level of this hole. A
drain plug in the underside of the casing
(square socket plug) permits the oil to be
drained prior to transmission removal or re-
pair.
Dry fill capacity = 2.4 litres. Refill = 2.1 litres.
Level/filler plug
FH.4 - DRIVE SHAFTS
A driveshaft assembly comprising a steel shaft with a constant velocity joint at each end, is used to
transmit the drive from each differential output gear to the rear wheel hub. The two shafts are of unequal
length due to the offset transmission housing, with the longer shaft on the right hand side. Both driveshaft
assemblies use plunging tripod type inboard C.V. joints, and six ball Birfield type outboard C.V. joints. The
outboard joint is available as a service part, as is the inboard joint complete with shaft. Replacement gaiter kits
are available for both joints. The joints themselves are packed with grease on initial assembly, and are
maintenance free. It is however vitally important that the protective gaiters are carefully inspected at service
intervals, to check for splits, tears or punctures, since the joint will deteriorate very quickly once contaminated
with dirt or water. Damaged gaiters should be renewed immediately, once the servicibility of the joint has been
established.
Clicking noises, torque reversal 'clonks', or shudder and vibration when accelerating are all possible
symptoms of worn C.V. joints. It should not be possible to discern any free play in a joint, but care must be
taken not to confuse this with transmission backlash, which may be considerable. Any symptoms that could be
due to worn driveshaft joint assemblies, should be investigated and rectified without delay, since safety consid-
erations are always of paramount importance.
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