Lotus 2004 ELISE Service Notes page 183

Lotus Service Notes
5-Speed
The gear lever is spring biased towards
the 3rd/4th gear plane, and must be moved
against light spring pressure to the left before
selecting first or second gear, or against similar
pressure to the right before selecting 5th.
Engaging Reverse Gear:
With the vehicle at a complete stand-
still, pause for a moment with the clutch
pedal fully depressed before moving the lever
against spring pressure fully to the right, and
then rearwards to engage the gear. Note that
an inhibit mechanism requires that the lever
approaches reverse gear only from the central
neutral position. Direct access from 5th gear
is blocked.
A two cable mechanism is used to connect the gearchange lever with the transmission, one cable ('shift')
to transmit the fore/aft movement of the lever, and a second ('crossgate') cable for the sideways movement.
The gearchange lever is pivotted at its base and operates the shift cable directly via a ball joint half way up the
lever. The base of the lever has an extended ball pin on the right hand side which engages with a crossgate
bellcrank lever, the other leg of which operates the crossgate cable. An inhibit mechanism prevents the gear
lever being moved into the reverse gear plane unless a collar beneath the gear knob is lifted. Prior to May '07,
the collar is connected by control cable to a pivotted stop arm sprung to an 'up' position. In this position, a stop
pin on the crossgate bellcrank lever abuts against the end of the stop arm and prevents gearlever movement
into the reverse gear plane. When the collar is lifted, the stop arm is pulled down against its spring, to clear
the stop pin and allow reverse gate selection. From May '07, lifting the collar raises a boss at the base of the
lever above a curved inhibitor block, allowing the lever full leftward movement.
Reverse
gate
release
cable
Gear lever
ball pivot
Crossgate
Shift
Reverse gate lift collar
Crossgate
bellcrank lever
Reverse gate Abutment
stop arm block
5-SPEED CHANGE PATTERN
Gearchange Cable Schematic (prior May '07)
Section FJ
ohs15b
Crossgate cable
Shift cable
f133
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