I cannot believe I waited 3500 miles -- the adjusting screw wasn't even hand tight -- although it really didn't look like it had moved from the paint marked spot -- until I moved it up,, wow wow wow what a difference. Reverse, 1st, and 2nd, much more like buttah now compared to the force required 10 mins ago! 1st to 2nd AMEN!, downshift 3rd to 2nd AMEN! WOO!
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DIY: V6 Manual 1st, 2nd & Reverse Adjustment - Hard To Get Into Gear
- Thread starter kitkat
- Start date
It doesn't look like you shifted it much at all. Almost looks like a shift down? Maybe some of the improvement is related to just screwing the damn thing down tightly. Mine was also not super tight and could explain why sometimes it was fine and sometimes a little crunchy. Now, just smooth all the time.
My experience is rubbery BMWs, vague Toyotas, Porsche perfection and Honda s2000 slippery sexiness (sorry, but that's what it is). The Lotus shifter is now precise, smooth and by FAR the most mechanical feeling. It fits the open gear look and overall ethos of an old school supercar. It still leans a touch to the right of center, but it's a Lotus right? Very happy with it.
You can see the move better zoomed in on the original alignment mark -- I moved the plate forward
I looked at the original photo again and see the old washer marking (both the outline and the green mark). Wow! yours was setup from factory almost at the extreme bottom setting.
I didn't even notice the washer mark until you mentioned it -- I hope I made it tight enough when I put it back, doubt I cranked it tight enough to make a mark with the washer, we'll see.
- Thread starter
- #68
Figuring out why they only have 18 minutes to install a whole ass dash and a shifter or something lol.
Gents,
Completed this lil tweak - when stationary - shifts as smooth as butter, yet when im moving - its still giving the same resistance as before
I also needed to move it up around 5mm at least - you can very much see the plate touching the other part regardless of where it is - might need to open it all up again
Any thoughts??
Completed this lil tweak - when stationary - shifts as smooth as butter, yet when im moving - its still giving the same resistance as before
I also needed to move it up around 5mm at least - you can very much see the plate touching the other part regardless of where it is - might need to open it all up again
Any thoughts??
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How many miles on your car? It looks like most of us did the adjustment after a few thousand miles of break in
7500
I'm also curious if there's a sweet spot in the adjustment range? Where have others ended up on their adjustment? Maybe I have more to go; it would be nice to know a ballpark range folks found they liked. I think reverse and going into 1st is very much improved, but 1st to 2nd and 3rd to 2nd are the only slots I feel still have more to give.
mine looks like kitkat's original photo. slightly off to the north. all my forward gears are completely clear and crunch free. I can't imagine it getting better.
I suspect each gearbox is relative to itself (and all the other cable positions), but this might be a good starting reference.
btw I have found that when going 3 to 2, it is even smoother if you actually make an effort to pull towards the left. So instead of pulling down diagonally, pull to the left and down and it is smooth. It still requires more effort than 2 to 3 which more or less glides into place diagonally.
Wow, comparing my as left to Kit Kat's as left is a big difference (photo attached), I'm going to open it back up and move it much further forward. Edit -- went and took care of it but can't take for a drive until later or tomorrow. That was a big move of the plate -- very very smooth in all directions when just sitting in the car afterward.
Attachments
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just did this. Having the shift boot delete really makes this a 5 minute job. My bolt was not even tight. Thought I would have to break it loose. not tight at all. Now have to find just the right spot to smooth out these shifts
I'd like to thank @kitkat and @Eagle7 for this ridiculously helpful tweak. My shifts are significantly smoother! 
I'd recommend this to ANYONE whose Reverse/1/2 shifts are more difficult than 3-4-5-6. I think the moderators should make this a sticky thread (not sure how to "at" them?)
I didn't think I "needed" to do this tweak, and I was very reluctant about pulling my console apart. I shouldn't have been. My biggest pet peeve about the car has been 1st-2nd has always felt like stirring a stick in a bucket of stones, and reverse feels like putting a truck in reverse. I've heard the transmission is the same one used in a truck, and every review has said it's a bit clunky and can't be "rushed". As long as I shifted slowly the gears have gone in, so I figured I'd be pulling apart my dash for no reason, or worse doing something that might leave me stranded on the side of the road. Kitkat's instructions and video are excellent and it's not nearly as daunting a task as it seems.
Obviously this factory-set plate position varies by car, and Lotus factory tech, and how rushed they were, but here's where mine was set from the factory:
Pretty much as far back as it could go!
And here's where I've set it now using the super-helpful Lotus technical manual page instructions @Eagle7 inserted early on to the thread. As per the manual, this position when in first gear "shoves the stick slightly to the right":
The angles are different in these shots but you can see the mark of the washer in the second shot how I moved the plate forward 2-3mm.
I did not need to clip the ziptie for the surround, or even unplug the starter button. Just pulled out the bit of extra wire stuffed down in the hole, and make sure you pull the console up all the way so the shift boot exposes the zip tie. No need to cut it, it just gives you plenty of room to work:
I'm going to attach a video here of how this plate contacts the reverse-lockout on the left. This may help some people who haven't done it visualize what this plate is doing. Note when you watch it how my plate only contacts at the upper-left corner for N to 1st gear, but the plate moves to sit flush against it when moving into 2nd. I'll get to that in the second attached video.
One potential issue I noted was that the whole adjustment plate is screwed down to that the silver metal block, which is attached to the silver "sleeve" around the actual shift post. You can twist the angle of this whole assembly a small amount by twisting the sleeve (see the video below), which makes a big difference in whether the plate hits with its full length flush, or just on one corner or another. The plate appears to be made of a tough plastic like Delrin, which will wear. I think this is why some users said they saw "metal shavings" after several thousand miles, or that the shifts eventually 'got smoother'. My guess is this is the Delrin wearing down, which is softer and better than metal shavings wearing and getting into your linkage, but ideally the contact/wear would be spread evenly along the length of the plastic plate. I can see some wear marks on the lockout bar itself at the left, which I believe is from the underside of the Delrin plate every time it's actually moved to/from reverse.
My question for the brains here: anyone know of a way to stop the "wiggle" in the silver sleeve? Having it align flush with the reverse-lockout seems fairly important to how it will wear over time. Mine sits flush going into second, wearing at the upper-left corner going into first.
End result: big improvement in N-1 and 1-2 shifts. 2-3rd is now "like buttah". In general, 1-2 now feels a lot more like the rest of the gears. Reverse is still a little difficult to get into once in a while, so I may need to move it even a bit further forward, or that may just be the way it is.
Thanks again for this hugely helpful thread! This is the best of what car forums can be: kind people sharing a tip that helps many others!
PS - I'd add a flashlight, or better yet a headlamp to the list of tools needed. Made a world of difference trying to see the black-on-black tab of the console, and lighting down in the shifter linkage. Camera to document before/after positions of things is helpful too. Thanks for the tip to wear gloves to pull up the metal console tab. It does take some force to lift up and I would surely have cut my fingers without that great tip!
I'd recommend this to ANYONE whose Reverse/1/2 shifts are more difficult than 3-4-5-6. I think the moderators should make this a sticky thread (not sure how to "at" them?)
I didn't think I "needed" to do this tweak, and I was very reluctant about pulling my console apart. I shouldn't have been. My biggest pet peeve about the car has been 1st-2nd has always felt like stirring a stick in a bucket of stones, and reverse feels like putting a truck in reverse. I've heard the transmission is the same one used in a truck, and every review has said it's a bit clunky and can't be "rushed". As long as I shifted slowly the gears have gone in, so I figured I'd be pulling apart my dash for no reason, or worse doing something that might leave me stranded on the side of the road. Kitkat's instructions and video are excellent and it's not nearly as daunting a task as it seems.
Obviously this factory-set plate position varies by car, and Lotus factory tech, and how rushed they were, but here's where mine was set from the factory:
Pretty much as far back as it could go!
And here's where I've set it now using the super-helpful Lotus technical manual page instructions @Eagle7 inserted early on to the thread. As per the manual, this position when in first gear "shoves the stick slightly to the right":
The angles are different in these shots but you can see the mark of the washer in the second shot how I moved the plate forward 2-3mm.
I did not need to clip the ziptie for the surround, or even unplug the starter button. Just pulled out the bit of extra wire stuffed down in the hole, and make sure you pull the console up all the way so the shift boot exposes the zip tie. No need to cut it, it just gives you plenty of room to work:
I'm going to attach a video here of how this plate contacts the reverse-lockout on the left. This may help some people who haven't done it visualize what this plate is doing. Note when you watch it how my plate only contacts at the upper-left corner for N to 1st gear, but the plate moves to sit flush against it when moving into 2nd. I'll get to that in the second attached video.
One potential issue I noted was that the whole adjustment plate is screwed down to that the silver metal block, which is attached to the silver "sleeve" around the actual shift post. You can twist the angle of this whole assembly a small amount by twisting the sleeve (see the video below), which makes a big difference in whether the plate hits with its full length flush, or just on one corner or another. The plate appears to be made of a tough plastic like Delrin, which will wear. I think this is why some users said they saw "metal shavings" after several thousand miles, or that the shifts eventually 'got smoother'. My guess is this is the Delrin wearing down, which is softer and better than metal shavings wearing and getting into your linkage, but ideally the contact/wear would be spread evenly along the length of the plastic plate. I can see some wear marks on the lockout bar itself at the left, which I believe is from the underside of the Delrin plate every time it's actually moved to/from reverse.
My question for the brains here: anyone know of a way to stop the "wiggle" in the silver sleeve? Having it align flush with the reverse-lockout seems fairly important to how it will wear over time. Mine sits flush going into second, wearing at the upper-left corner going into first.
End result: big improvement in N-1 and 1-2 shifts. 2-3rd is now "like buttah". In general, 1-2 now feels a lot more like the rest of the gears. Reverse is still a little difficult to get into once in a while, so I may need to move it even a bit further forward, or that may just be the way it is.
Thanks again for this hugely helpful thread! This is the best of what car forums can be: kind people sharing a tip that helps many others!
PS - I'd add a flashlight, or better yet a headlamp to the list of tools needed. Made a world of difference trying to see the black-on-black tab of the console, and lighting down in the shifter linkage. Camera to document before/after positions of things is helpful too. Thanks for the tip to wear gloves to pull up the metal console tab. It does take some force to lift up and I would surely have cut my fingers without that great tip!
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Just a heads up if you did not see it. There is a small clip that is used to attach the wiring from the start button switch to the shift rod. I'm assuming to keep the wire out of the way of the movement of the shift rods. It is not obvious. You may have unclipped it when you pulled the center console hardware out. I did this when I did the floating console mod and did not notice initially.I'd like to thank @kitkat and @Eagle7 for this ridiculously helpful tweak. My shifts are significantly smoother!
I'd recommend this to ANYONE whose Reverse/1/2 shifts are more difficult than 3-4-5-6. I think the moderators should make this a sticky thread (not sure how to "at" them?)
I didn't think I "needed" to do this tweak, and I was very reluctant about pulling my console apart. I shouldn't have been. My biggest pet peeve about the car has been 1st-2nd has always felt like stirring a stick in a bucket of stones, and reverse feels like putting a truck in reverse. I've heard the transmission is the same one used in a truck, and every review has said it's a bit clunky and can't be "rushed". As long as I shifted slowly the gears have gone in, so I figured I'd be pulling apart my dash for no reason, or worse doing something that might leave me stranded on the side of the road. Kitkat's instructions and video are excellent and it's not nearly as daunting a task as it seems.
Obviously this factory-set plate position varies by car, and Lotus factory tech, and how rushed they were, but here's where mine was set from the factory:
View attachment 65187
Pretty much as far back as it could go!
And here's where I've set it now using the super-helpful Lotus technical manual page instructions @Eagle7 inserted early on to the thread. As per the manual, this position when in first gear "shoves the stick slightly to the right":
View attachment 65188
The angles are different in these shots but you can see the mark of the washer in the second shot how I moved the plate forward 2-3mm.
I did not need to clip the ziptie for the surround, or even unplug the starter button. Just pulled out the bit of extra wire stuffed down in the hole, and make sure you pull the console up all the way so the shift boot exposes the zip tie. No need to cut it, it just gives you plenty of room to work:
View attachment 65189
I'm going to attach a video here of how this plate contacts the reverse-lockout on the left. This may help some people who haven't done it visualize what this plate is doing. Note when you watch it how my plate only contacts at the upper-left corner for N to 1st gear, but the plate moves to sit flush against it when moving into 2nd. I'll get to that in the second attached video.
View attachment 65191
One potential issue I noted was that the whole adjustment plate is screwed down to that the silver metal block, which is attached to the silver "sleeve" around the actual shift post. You can twist the angle of this whole assembly a small amount by twisting the sleeve (see the video below), which makes a big difference in whether the plate hits with its full length flush, or just on one corner or another. The plate appears to be made of a tough plastic like Delrin, which will wear. I think this is why some users said they saw "metal shavings" after several thousand miles, or that the shifts eventually 'got smoother'. My guess is this is the Delrin wearing down, which is softer and better than metal shavings wearing and getting into your linkage, but ideally the contact/wear would be spread evenly along the length of the plastic plate. I can see some wear marks on the lockout bar itself at the left, which I believe is from the underside of the Delrin plate every time it's actually moved to/from reverse.
View attachment 65190
My question for the brains here: anyone know of a way to stop the "wiggle" in the silver sleeve? Having it align flush with the reverse-lockout seems fairly important to how it will wear over time. Mine sits flush going into second, wearing at the upper-left corner going into first.
End result: big improvement in N-1 and 1-2 shifts. 2-3rd is now "like buttah". In general, 1-2 now feels a lot more like the rest of the gears. Reverse is still a little difficult to get into once in a while, so I may need to move it even a bit further forward, or that may just be the way it is.
Thanks again for this hugely helpful thread! This is the best of what car forums can be: kind people sharing a tip that helps many others!
PS - I'd add a flashlight, or better yet a headlamp to the list of tools needed. Made a world of difference trying to see the black-on-black tab of the console, and lighting down in the shifter linkage. Camera to document before/after positions of things is helpful too. Thanks for the tip to wear gloves to pull up the metal console tab. It does take some force to lift up and I would surely have cut my fingers without that great tip!
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