| Author |
Message |
Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member
Username: Doody
Post Number: 1858
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 5:17 pm: | |
failed motor mounts.
that was apparently it. when you took your foot off the gas, the engine stopped twisting towards the passenger side and rested on the frame on the drivers side, sending all sorts of weird vibrations throughout the car.
i'll try to post some pictures.
started a thread querying on the frequency of this issue, since it seems like a dumb thing to fail. cf: http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/21/324527.html?1065218970
doody. |
Malcolm West (Ferrari_uk_tech)
Junior Member
Username: Ferrari_uk_tech
Post Number: 69
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - 5:24 am: | |
Hope it's good news
MW |
Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member
Username: Doody
Post Number: 1613
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - 4:42 am: | |
thanks for that info, malcolm. all data is helpful - regardless of its potential severity :-).
this car is a june 1999 build. no clue what the gearbox number is.
zero problems with 3,4,5,6. standard when-cold issues with 2. have had a few odd difficulties getting into 1 at stop lights every now and then.
the car's being looked at now - should know something today.
doody |
Malcolm West (Ferrari_uk_tech)
Junior Member
Username: Ferrari_uk_tech
Post Number: 67
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - 3:54 am: | |
Don't want to worry you, but there is a known problem with the locking nut undoing itself (early cars with a gearbox number lower that 4134) on the end of the gearbox mainshaft, later boxes had a two-nut locking system to fix the fault. With the nut loosening the gears on the mainshaft start to grind and cause noises like you're describing - this usually results in poor gear selection as it gets worse, have you noticed and difficulty in selecting gears, especially 3rd /4th & 5th /6th gears? Draining the oil and checking for debris may also give an indication as to any damage inside the box.
MW |
Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member
Username: Doody
Post Number: 1603
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 6:18 pm: | |
super info mike, thanks. fyi - my 550 has less than 7,000 miles on it.
doody. |
Mike Florio (Mike_in_nevada)
New member
Username: Mike_in_nevada
Post Number: 29
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 6:06 pm: | |
I've seen them fail lots of different ways. They usually go through several different stages, until the bearing just falls apart. I'm not sure if the inner race is splined on a 550, or is round and rides on the transmission input shaft. The outer race is usually held stationary by the clutch fork, and the inner race either rotates with the transmission input shaft, or spins on the shaft.
The bearing itself is usually a sealed pre-lubricated unit, but will make noise if the lubrication has failed, or if it is getting loose. When you depress the clutch pedal the inner race loads against the clutch "fingers" and that will quiet down a slightly loose bearing.
At any rate, if my theory is correct, its telling you it needs attention. Total failure will leave you dead in the water and could damage the transmission input shaft ($$$).
Just for comparison - I had a '78 BMW 530i that still had its original clutch when I sold it with 250K mi. Then I had a '83 633 csi where the t/o bearing disintegrated at 180K miles (still original clutch). In addition to my Ferrari I now have a '91 850i with 120K miles -the original clutch is still fine, and the t/o bearing is quiet as a church mouse... touch wood! |
Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member
Username: Doody
Post Number: 1601
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 5:40 pm: | |
mike - interesting theory. i will try that out in the morning and see what happens. thanks!
doody.
ps: i thought throwout bearings tended to "squeal" when they were hosed? |
Mike Florio (Mike_in_nevada)
New member
Username: Mike_in_nevada
Post Number: 27
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 5:28 pm: | |
Sounds like a throwout bearing to me. See if you can modulate it with the clutch pedal, e.g., with the car cold, motor running, gearbox in neutral. As you push down slowly on the clutch does the noise go away just as you begin to feel some resistance? That would be the point where the throwout bearing is beginning to engage the clutch fingers and some load is applied to the bearing. |
Dave (Maranelloman)
Advanced Member
Username: Maranelloman
Post Number: 2712
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 5:03 pm: | |
Dood, I have never had this issue, thankfully, even after some time of not driving the car. With an output shaft issue, it is possible that, upon hiting the gas, there is sufficient tension on the shaft to keep it straight & true, and thus not allow it to rub? I dunno.....just guessing here.
Best to have it checked out ASAP.. |
Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member
Username: Doody
Post Number: 1598
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 4:37 pm: | |
btw, when i say "some piece of metal spinning" i mean like a shaft. a big piece of metal rotating that is rubbing against whatever tube is containing it or at some point where the shaft exits some container. you can almost feel it as well as hear it, so it's something with substantial mass.
if it were the input shaft to the tranny, why wouldn't it make the noise ALL the time?
if it were the output shaft from the tranny, it would make sense that it wouldn't make the noise when the clutch was depressed, but wouldn't make sense necessarily that the noise would stop when hitting the gas.
i don't have any gear grinding or slippage.
my operating theory is that it's a lubrication problem in the gearbox; hence it gets better when everything warms up. if so, i'm going to have the shell lubricant swapped out for agip, which purportedly works much better (we'll see).
doody. |
Dave (Maranelloman)
Advanced Member
Username: Maranelloman
Post Number: 2708
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 3:08 pm: | |
Maybe a clutch problem?? |
Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member
Username: Doody
Post Number: 1597
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 2:31 pm: | |
curious to hear if anybody else here has experienced this odd noise.
it generally happens only when the car is cold. i recently came back from vacay, and it was very prevalent when i took the car out (2+ weeks of sit-time).
it is most notable in first and second gear, but also in third. not so sure about 4-6 off the top of my head.
i hit the gas and move. no problemo. when i lift my foot off the gas the noise starts. it sounds like some piece of metal that is spinning is rubbing against another piece of metal.
if you hold the gas pedal down you don't hear it (though i guess it's possible the engine sounds are masking the noise).
when the clutch is depressed, the noise stops completely. when the engine is revved with the car in neutral or with the clutch depressed there is no such noise.
the sound sounds like it's coming from the engine compartment somewhere right in front of the driver's seat, but that seems like it might be unlikely, since it seems to be gearbox-related and that's towards the rear.
it's not a horrific grinding sound or anything like that.
any opinions or thoughts most appreciated. i'm not driving it right now pending this getting looked at.
doody. |