Shifter won't move to correct position to allow new cable

parkinpants

Hi,

Strange problem I've never had before...

Ultegra 11 speed shifters
Rear shifter

Problem: I can't insert a new gear cable because I can't shift down to the smallest cog position (where you need to be before inserting a new cable).

I can only "shift up" twice before I meet "brick wall resistance", I can then shift down again twice.... but that does not get me in to correct position required for inserting a new cable.

Background
The cable snapped whilst riding. It was frayed inside the shifter and I pulled it out from the inside of the shifter... rather than the outside of the shifter.

I wondered if the end of the cable had got stuck inside the shifter thus "blocking" it from shifting down to the correct position for inserting a new cable. However, I unscrewed the flap underneath the shifter and I can't see anything stuck in there.

This is the left shifter (working fine) where you can see the end cap of the cable is "locked in" correctly



This is the right shifter where you can see the end cap of the cable can't see the "locking port", because it isn't aligned in to the correct gear position



Any ideas?

arlowood

Can only imagine that there is some residual crap left inside the shifter somewhere that is preventing it clicking all the way to the "open" position so that you can insert the new cable.

Have a look here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znc6pZXN_O0

This illustrates how to access the innards of your rear shifter so that you can examine it more closely for any foreign bits in the mechanism

parkinpants

Yeah I found that exact video and thought that would be the solution, alas I've opened it and can't see anything in there. I've put in a few "probes" to see if I can flush anything out but nothing there

carl_p

The shifter won't work with the hood rolled back. Have you tried it rolled back in its normal and with the cable under tension?

svetty

Carl_P wrote:

The shifter won't work with the hood rolled back. Have you tried it rolled back in its normal and with the cable under tension?

This.

Alejandrosdog

Svetty wrote:

Carl_P wrote:

The shifter won't work with the hood rolled back. Have you tried it rolled back in its normal and with the cable under tension?

This.

This this

shirley_basso

2 things -

1) There is a small lever which sometimes gets caught (under the downshift lever) and needs to return to it's resting position in order for another downshift to take place

2) As the 3 posters above have said, the cable is required for the ratchet to turn when downshifting. If you stick a mini screwdriver in the side of the shifter where the ratchet is ( you can see it through the side you normally put the new cable) you can force it to rotate.

StillGoing

I've just fixed an Ultegra shifter for a ride buddy with similar issues to yours. He'd tried indexing his gears, but hadn't taken the slack up in the cable inner when activating the shifter with the cable detached from the derailleur. The result was the cable nipple had jumped out of the retainer in the ratchet, so that when he pulled the cable taut to reattach it, he pulled the cable nipple under the ratchet jamming the shifter.

The only way of spotting it was to remove the shifter and the bottom cover where you could see the nipple. Unfortunately removing it took some cutting of the plastic casing to get enough access, but eventually the nipple was removed and the shifter is now working fine. It could be that you've got a bit of cable jammed in the ratchet like he had.

svetty

philthy3 wrote:

I've just fixed an Ultegra shifter for a ride buddy with similar issues to yours. He'd tried indexing his gears, but hadn't taken the slack up in the cable inner when activating the shifter with the cable detached from the derailleur. The result was the cable nipple had jumped out of the retainer in the ratchet, so that when he pulled the cable taut to reattach it, he pulled the cable nipple under the ratchet jamming the shifter.

The only way of spotting it was to remove the shifter and the bottom cover where you could see the nipple. Unfortunately removing it took some cutting of the plastic casing to get enough access, but eventually the nipple was removed and the shifter is now working fine. It could be that you've got a bit of cable jammed in the ratchet like he had.

If this happens you can carefully drive out the pin that holds the ratcheting barrel/lever assembly in place and ease it aside to clear the nipple then carefully push the pin back in again.

StillGoing

Svetty wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

I've just fixed an Ultegra shifter for a ride buddy with similar issues to yours. He'd tried indexing his gears, but hadn't taken the slack up in the cable inner when activating the shifter with the cable detached from the derailleur. The result was the cable nipple had jumped out of the retainer in the ratchet, so that when he pulled the cable taut to reattach it, he pulled the cable nipple under the ratchet jamming the shifter.

The only way of spotting it was to remove the shifter and the bottom cover where you could see the nipple. Unfortunately removing it took some cutting of the plastic casing to get enough access, but eventually the nipple was removed and the shifter is now working fine. It could be that you've got a bit of cable jammed in the ratchet like he had.

If this happens you can carefully drive out the pin that holds the ratcheting barrel/lever assembly in place and ease it aside to clear the nipple then carefully push the pin back in again.

Not in this instance. He'd managed to jam it completely under the mechanism making it difficult to drive the pin out. He was on the verge of ordering Di2 when I managed to free it. His wife will be pleased he didn't have to, but not sure he was