Gear Change Translator upgrade

[GordonMasson]

I have seen various posts on the gear change Translator Repair Kit although most are quite old now. (my car is a MY97 GT3)

What’s the best place to get one of these kits at the moment and what should I be looking to pay?

On the parts diagram it shows a couple of bearings on the translator. Are they pressed in? Need any special tool to get them out?

[red vtec]

Hi

When I did mine I just took the old ones to a bearing shop (essex bearings) and they matched them up for me.

I also did the rose joints I paid about £40

Heat the translator in the oven and then just drop the bits in, Really easy to do.

Chris

Edited April 5, 2011 by red vtec

[rogerch]

I did the same as Chris, bought 2 bearings and 2 rose joints. I'm sure I noted the SKF number for the bearings, but I can't find it. The rose joints are pretty standard.

Bearing Number 6001-2RS

Edited April 5, 2011 by Roger the Dodger

[CHANGES]

Hi Gordon

Yes the bearings are pressed in but nothing a good quality vice won't do with ease,, The old will tap out quite easy with a drift ,, Its not adifficult job takes about two hours . start to finish, when removing take note of the positions and lengths of each of the rod/cable ends. try to refit as close as posible to original, This will save a bit of time and fiddling about with the setting to get just right. .. Refer to workshop manual for exact way to set up...

I fitted a kit from PNM ..Price £47.50 + vat available ex stock..for 88-96 model esprits

The PNM Kit has slightly different rod ends fitted with seals to stop road dirt getting in .... the stabalizing rod is mono thread ,which does not make much diference but you do have to undo one rod end to adjust.... However you can bench set this to match your original.

This is PNM Kit fitted.. works great..

Dave

Edited April 5, 2011 by CHANGES

[davevr6car]

Hi Gordan,

Just did mine on my S4s at the wqeekend.

DON'T GET RIPPED OFF BY LOTUS DEALERS ! I got the same rod ends / ball joints as Dave. 4 x M6 ball joints cost me 12 pounds including delivery off ebay and I got the two bearings from a local bearing shop for 7 euro for both. Total cost 20 euro! or 17 pounds, that means that some of the advertised suppliers are making at least a min of 35 pounds. These are standard parts from a bearing shop. I also changed my drive shaff seals. Got my seals from the same bearing shop. The 2 seals cost........wait for it.............10euro in total.

cheers

Dave

[rogerch]

Forgot one thing, mark the threads on the ends of the cable, so the new rose joints go on exactly the same. That way you should maintain the shift adjustment, or at least have a good starting point.

[dodge1979]

Chaps, just read this post.. Ive been looking at the rose joints available on ebay and wondering whether the quality is up to the job. Has anyone got any long term experience with these items? Obviously a sloppy gearchange is not wanted! Also, has anyone changed to a clevis joint instead of a rose joint?

Darren

[andydclements]

The ones on eBay will probably vary wildly in suitability for the purpose. Avoid those which are plastic lined, ideally go for those which include a boot to keep the dirt and water out while keeping grease in.

[rogerch]

I got mine from my local bearing supplier, they're not expensive, and (if like mine) they are relativity close to the exhaust, so subject to heat. I think the threads and thread depths are pretty much universal, but ???? is it worth the risk.

[GordonMasson]

Just thinking about this again………

Before the engine was out and the gearbox was changed, the gear change wasn’t too bad although I am sure for a car of that age it wouldn’t hurt to refurbish the translator mechanism.

Perhaps that’s a job that I can leave until later but I would like to get the gear change back to the way it was this week and I don’t have too much time to work on the car (fitting a new kitchen – wife seems to think that having a sink in the kitchen is more important than having a nice slick gear change….women!).

Dave…when you say that the kit you used is supplied a stabilizing rod with a mono thread does that mean that the genuine Lotus part has two separate threads meaning that rotating the bar while its connected up will work without the need to disconnect one end? (thanks for the pictures by the way…great help)

Apparently the rod is pretty rusted and the garage said its unlikely they would get the nuts undone without snapping the rod.

Getting the car over into the 1st 2nd gate is really difficult, especially when changing down from 3rd to 2nd so I am wondering if its more to do with the adjustment on the cables than any issues with the translator mechanism….what’s your thoughts?

Not had a chance to have a look under the car myself yet but how easy is this to get into the translator mechanism? Do you have to remove anything like the exhaust etc?

I will order a kit this morning anyway but it sounds like getting a stabilizing rod that has discrete threads at both ends might make adjustment easier anyone know a kit that does that?

Thanks for the info.

[rogerch]

Can't answer the last question, but a couple of points. The mounting of the tie rod as can be seen in Dave's shot is not IMO cleaver, I remounted mine to sit under the bracket giving much better alignment, I had to "add" clearance, Dremerl to the rescue but it is now mounted under the bracket. No you don't need to remove the exhaust, but I have "sectioned" the boot floor so it comes out without the back, which makes adjusting the gear linkage amongst other things much more accessible. The other thing is I didn't think my rose joints were too bad, but made a massive difference when I changed them.

[GordonMasson]

Thanks Rodger

Don’t suppose you have any pictures of what you did to the boot floor?

[Rich H]

My translator bearings just tapped into place with a soft hammer.

The generic rose joints will be fine, the super ones are overkill IMHO. They will rust before they wear out and they are cheap enough not to worry about.

More of a problem is the overall diameter of the heads, there isn't much room.

Boots are a good idea, but hard to fit! you can get rubber 'wipers' that are like shaped washers that fit over the bolts, not seen them that small though.

Watch for binding at the extremes of movement (5th/Reverse) the tie rod can hit the body (Mine did) a few shim washers sorted it.

If you want to do things properly ger a left hand/right heand threaded pair of rod ends/rose joints and fit the corresponding shaft.

That way you can rotate the shaft to adjust the length, otherwise you need to undo one end to adjust the link.

As above, bearings are common and cheap.

[CHANGES]

Hi Gordon

It is as you said, the stabalising arm on original has left and right hand thread but PNM has only right hand , this means you undo one joint to adjust.. not as easy i admit, but as i said. if you take off your old one and make length of new the same you will find it won't be that far out if at all...

Usually when you take off the translator you actually find out how knackered it is, and its is nearly always far worse than you thought... A total refurb makes a big diff. and enables you to set up correct.... when it has any play in it ,which is not always evident , it creates enomalies that fustrate you on set up...

As has Roger, i too have sectioned the boot floor to access the translator and g/box for ease of service. very handy mod... ( have no pic's at mo and car away till next week ,if still interested then i will photo and post with list of fixings and method used, )

Dave

[rogerch]

There you go Gordon, there is an "L" shaped aluminium strip riveted to the upright which the floor then sits on and is fastened normally, when I say it takes my weight when I climb in for engine access, I should point out that I only weight 68 kilos.

You can also see that the tie-rod from the translator sits under the mounting bracket which gives far better alignment. You need to "ease" out the side a little for clearance.

[eeyoreish]

It looks to me like 4 of these:

http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/DMG6_Swagged_Retained_Ball_Joint__Right_Hand_-95680-p

 

Plus 2 of these:

http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/6001-2RSH_Sealed_SKF_Ball_Bearing-1844-p

 

Plus 4 M6 nylocs and 4 M6 nuts

 

Equals the PNM translator refurb kit.

 

Altogether under £25 delivered for everything required to refurb the translator 

[eeyoreish]

It looks to me like 4 of these:

http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/DMG6_Swagged_Retained_Ball_Joint__Right_Hand_-95680-p

 

Plus 2 of these:

http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/6001-2RSH_Sealed_SKF_Ball_Bearing-1844-p

 

Plus 4 M6 nylocs and 4 M6 nuts

 

Equals the PNM translator refurb kit.

 

Altogether under £25 delivered for everything required to refurb the translator 

 

For the benefit of anyone reading this I can confirm that the parts listed above do indeed make up the content of the PNM kit, and all for less than £25. Definitely worth buying the parts separately!

 

I refurbed my translator successfully using these parts a few weeks ago and my gearchange is now much improved. I'll look at the condition of the lever/selector in the cabin when I strip out the interior for a refurb at the end of the year, just to make sure that end is OK too.

[OwenGT3]

Here is my refurbishment. I went to a local bearing company that also done rose joints. I fitted stainless steel ones on my car and they are still working fine. I usually just give them a light oil over them and that's enough to keep them going. They weren't cheap, around £20 each, but well worth going stainless. Bearings were no cost at all.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/owengt3/sets/72157625831153885/

 

 

A lot better than the old ones, which one owner decided to repair with a roofing bolt!

[Qavion]

Love that spanner modification in your photos I think a short combination spanner will work, too.

[Loose Cannon]

Did you notice much improvement in shift quality Owen? Hard to tell with slow deterioration (and the fact the shift was never nice) but swear mine is feeling a bit crotchety

[eeyoreish]

Did you notice much improvement in shift quality Owen? Hard to tell with slow deterioration (and the fact the shift was never nice) but swear mine is feeling a bit crotchety

 

Post translator refurb mine is much better than it was (I was doing 3rd gear starts and going 1st to 4th before) but still doesn't feel quite as it should be. I suspect the bushes at the gear stick stick end might need attention too. 

 

I'm comparing to the change in my 2009 Audi though, so not a direct/fair comparison!

 

I also notice that in reverse the gear stick touches the ring around the base of the gaitor and has actually cut through the gaitor over time (before translator refurb and still now). Not sure if that's a problem with the translator adjustment or bushes at the stick end...

[mdw]

I don't think there is any adjustment at the stick end from memory ( apart from the reverse block).  However mine did need all the bits at the stick end doing as they were shot as well.  Even the spring to centralize the stick was broken however someone on the forum had had some made up.  You may need the reverse block replacing at the stick end which was a nylon or delrin  block on the side of the stick. 

[eeyoreish]

I don't think there is any adjustment at the stick end from memory ( apart from the reverse block).  However mine did need all the bits at the stick end doing as they were shot as well.  Even the spring to centralize the stick was broken however someone on the forum had had some made up.  You may need the reverse block replacing at the stick end which was a nylon or delrin  block on the side of the stick. 

 

Yes, I'll be very surprised if these bushings don't need replacing too...

 

My plan is to check/fix that first and then address the translator adjustment if I still have the same problem with the stick hitting the gaitor. For the moment I'm reluctant to meddle with it because I set it back to where it was originally and I can get all the gears!

[Loose Cannon]

Even the spring to centralize the stick was broken however someone on the forum had had some made up. 

 

My self centre-ing doesn't seem as positive as it once was, must check the spring