New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Body parts, seats, dash, headlining, windows and stuff!

Moderator: Board Moderators

Post Reply
Megatech
Verified Poster
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 06, 2009 14:15

New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Post by Megatech »

I just bought a '83 Eclat/Excel and drove it 370 enjoyable mls to my home in Denmark.
My Smith speedo is not working. I would expect this to be caused by a broken cable.
Behind the dash I can feel the cable connected to the rear of the instrument. How do I disconnect the cable?
I am a little afraid of using too much force.
On my '82 Matra Murena it is just pulled of, as it has a snatch coupling.

Another problem is the dahsboard light - it works fine in the centre console - but not at the instruments. How do I get to the bulb?

3rd problem is the horn. The compressor and horns should be located under the left pod - how do I get there?

Can I use eg. Golf I headlights for continental use? They are easily available.

I have been searching the internet for tires. I know the 14 rims are a challenge. I guess goint to 15 rims does not solve this problem.
Falken has a fit, but only H (max. 210km/t). Are there better solutions?

User avatar
83Excel
Senior Poster
Posts: 428
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 16:00
Model: Evora 400
Colour: Racing Green
Location: Surrey

Re: New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Post by 83Excel »

Hello and welcome.

If I recall correctly the speedo cable on the early models (Smiths dials) screws into the back of the speedo, so you need to unscrew it - you definitely do not need any brute force. You can (just about), see it from below with your head in the drivers footwell. It is also quite tight to get your hand up there, but it is possible (and I have quite large hands).

Instrument lights - surprised that they are all out because I think they each have their own bulb which requires the removal of the gauge to replace, is the rheostat turned down (the black knob to the right of the cigarette lighter)

Horn - can't help I'm afraid

Tyres - very difficult to get V rated tyres of this size. Nokian apparently made one fairly recently - see thread below (not sure if they still do - by the time I got around to trying to buy these they had sold out and I can't find anyone with any). Now others will take offense at this but I am running H rated Falkens at present (with the blessing of my insurers I hasten to add). Not sure what the laws are in Denmark concerning this. Please see this thread http://www.lotusexcel.net/phpbb/viewtop ... f=17&t=143

Hope this is of some help.
Evora 400 Hethel Edition in Racing Green with Red Leather interior.
Mini F56 John Cooper Works for the laydee

User avatar
jimmybondi
Senior Poster
Posts: 254
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 09:55
Year: 0
Location: Germany - Bonn
Contact:

Re: New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Post by jimmybondi »

Megatech wrote: Behind the dash I can feel the cable connected to the rear of the instrument. How do I disconnect the cable?
...
3rd problem is the horn. The compressor and horns should be located under the left pod - how do I get there?

Can I use eg. Golf I headlights for continental use? They are easily available.
I would undo all the speedo cable fixings in the engine bay to slacken the cable a bit, this gives you litte bit more room to get behind the speedo. If it is Smith then the cable is screwed on. The latter VDO have a push-turn coupling

You can disconnect the lifting rod of the light pod to swing the pod upwards. But I am afraid that the horn and compressor can only be accessed from underneath.

I heard that some people have fitted VW headlights, not sure if from the Golf. But the fixings are definitely different.


Good luck :)


BTW, where in Denmark are you from?
Ciao,

'88 Excel SE
'99 Elise
'87 TurboEsprit

Image

http://excelregister.lotusexcel.de

User avatar
hodders
Senior Poster
Posts: 452
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 22:13
Model: Excel Celebration
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1992
Location: Lambourn, West Berkshire
Contact:

Re: New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Post by hodders »

If it is Smith then the cable is screwed on. The latter VDO have a push-turn coupling
On my '92 model, with VDO gauges, the speedo cable is screwed in. See photos in this sequence http://s511.photobucket.com/albums/s355 ... =slideshow
-- hodders

1992 Lotus Excel Celebration, Calypso Red
2021 BMW i3s, Blue Ridge Mountain
2020 Jaguar I-Pace, Eiger Grey

User avatar
jimmybondi
Senior Poster
Posts: 254
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 09:55
Year: 0
Location: Germany - Bonn
Contact:

Re: New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Post by jimmybondi »

hodders wrote:
If it is Smith then the cable is screwed on. The latter VDO have a push-turn coupling
On my '92 model, with VDO gauges, the speedo cable is screwed in. See photos in this sequence http://s511.photobucket.com/albums/s355 ... =slideshow
Yepp, you are right! Somehow I mixed it up with the Esprit... :oops:




Now I should mumble something about getting old etc... :lol:
Ciao,

'88 Excel SE
'99 Elise
'87 TurboEsprit

Image

http://excelregister.lotusexcel.de

AndyC
Senior Poster
Posts: 2196
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 20:01
Model: SE x2 + Celebration x2
Colour: Gold,blue and green
Year: 1987
Location: Norwich

Re: New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Post by AndyC »

Headlights are a special fitment designed to work with those mountings, I've swapped to generic light pods (Hella actually) and just used generic H4 7inch headlights.

User avatar
amarshall
Moderator
Posts: 8296
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 18:09
Model: SE
Colour: Monaco White
Year: 1990
Location: Darlington
Contact:

Re: New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Post by amarshall »

Club Lotus used to advertise replacement headlamp units for "continental" use. Not sure if they still have them, but it would be worth asking.
https://www.lotusexcel.co.uk/
SORN - just say NO!

User avatar
dpr59
Senior Poster
Posts: 954
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2005 18:02
Model: SA
Colour: Silver
Year: 1989

Re: New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Post by dpr59 »

I changed my reflectors for these, left hand drive pattern is available.

Image
A

terry
Senior Poster
Posts: 318
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2005 12:43

Re: New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Post by terry »

Best way to get to the horn and compressor is through the headlight pod opening.

It's a gynachological (wrong spelling I know) pain to do it from below.

open the pod (HAL!!), this joke only got by +50 year olds, anyway, once the pods open, disconnect light wires, pull reflector out of the nylon fixings, then disconnect the pull rod and unscrew the two bolts that are actually used as the light pod bearings!!

Once the pod is out any compressor/horn type can be fixed, I laminated a fixing to the inside of the wing, and mounted the whole lot there.

Terry

User avatar
barker_001
Senior Poster
Posts: 905
Joined: Mon May 07, 2007 19:50
Model: Excel SE
Colour: Calypso Red
Year: 1990
Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Re: New owner - new challenges. Speedo cable, dashboard light

Post by barker_001 »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcNkMIwolKc

:D :D :D

dpr59 never said he'd been into space....! :lol:
Bryan

1990 Excel SE

"Look, there's a Ferrari..."

Post Reply