| Author |
Message |
Bill V. (Doc)
Junior Member
Username: Doc
Post Number: 93
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 8:18 pm: | |
Thank you all for the great input --the problem is solved! I didn't need to replace anything--after retightening, cleaning , and refitting every ignition wire /connector I could reach, she started right up and, so far, is running great! Hopefully that's the end of this chapter! Once again, thank you very much for your valuable advice. |
Mitchel DeFrancis (4re308)
Member
Username: 4re308
Post Number: 606
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 2:58 pm: | |
Bill, I think all these guys are right about the spark plug extenders. I am almost positive that is your problem. My car did the same thing, I replaced all 8 extenders and bought some extras as well! |
Bill V. (Doc)
Junior Member
Username: Doc
Post Number: 89
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 9:06 pm: | |
Mark I.--yes, the engine had been washed . A mechanic suggested that I may have harmed a pick-up on the engine. What are your thoughts about the washing? |
Mark Izzo (Tdf355)
Junior Member
Username: Tdf355
Post Number: 79
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 07, 2002 - 7:38 pm: | |
Bill-
Was the engine washed by any chance?
-Mark
|
Richelson (Richelson)
Member
Username: Richelson
Post Number: 794
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 07, 2002 - 5:19 pm: | |
I have heard that a bad ground on the K-Jetronic ECU can cause these types of symptoms. Just a thought. |
Bruno (Originalsinner)
Member
Username: Originalsinner
Post Number: 356
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 07, 2002 - 5:15 pm: | |
I'd go for a new set of ignition coils.There cheap enough. About 60-70 for the pair.Accell 8140. |
Mark Eberhardt (Me_k)
Junior Member
Username: Me_k
Post Number: 84
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 07, 2002 - 4:59 pm: | |
On the wires, even if the resistances check good I would replace them if they are more than five years old or show any marks or bends. Time, heat, and abuse do bad things to the insulation. I think the standard "When in doubt - throw it out" most of the time. |
Kurt Kjelgaard (Kurtk328)
Junior Member
Username: Kurtk328
Post Number: 121
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 07, 2002 - 10:25 am: | |
Also check your ignition wires with an ohmmeter- compare their resistance (whatever it might be) which should be equal when corrected for their different lengths. If any shows an abnormal reading, replace. Make sure that they are fitted in their retaining guides to avoid excessive vibration.
|
Brian stewart (Eurocardoc)
Member
Username: Eurocardoc
Post Number: 352
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 07, 2002 - 6:50 am: | |
Spring for a set of extenders, if 1 or 2 are bad now, the rest will follow. You have to look up inside to catch the problem, sometimes they are obviously bad when you can see the hole burnt through them. |
Bill V. (Doc)
Junior Member
Username: Doc
Post Number: 79
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 06, 2002 - 3:53 pm: | |
Thanks, Ken--I'll do that this evening. Bob and Dave--I'll be doing some investigating of your ideas tonight as well. In the meantime, does anyone else have ideas as to the solution to this problem? Any help would be much appreciated--I'm 2 hrs from the nearest Ferrari mechanic. |
JPM (John_308qv)
Junior Member
Username: John_308qv
Post Number: 51
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 06, 2002 - 11:02 am: | |
Thanks Ken. |
Ken Ross (Kdross)
Junior Member
Username: Kdross
Post Number: 107
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 06, 2002 - 10:40 am: | |
John:
I would have to write a novel to do so. I have asked Bill to call me so that I can discuss the matter with him. Drop me an email if you are experiencing similar problems and we can arrange for a conference call.
Ken |
JPM (John_308qv)
New member
Username: John_308qv
Post Number: 50
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 06, 2002 - 9:23 am: | |
Ken, can you share the info with the rest of us? |
Ken Ross (Kdross)
Junior Member
Username: Kdross
Post Number: 106
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 06, 2002 - 9:17 am: | |
Bill:
Send me a private email at [email protected] I just went through this with my 1985 308 QV. I can save you a lot of time and money. |
Bill V. (Doc)
Junior Member
Username: Doc
Post Number: 78
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 06, 2002 - 6:17 am: | |
Thanks,Bob and Dave. I'll chechk those things out. Dave, what did you mean by "heat checking"? Although I'm not a mechanic and am a complete novice to Ferrari, the extenders seemed to look OK.
Once again, when I replaced the plugs, it ran like a new car for about 60 miles before the idle/low rpm syptoms reappeared--suggesting a steady deterioration of the plugs' sparking. If it were the extenders or oil residue in the dist cap, wouldn't the symptoms be apparent even with the new plugs and at all rpm ranges? Again, it only acts this way under 2k rpm.
What do you think of the bad injector hyothesis? How difficult is it to replace the injectors--if that's the problem? |
david handa (Davehanda)
Junior Member
Username: Davehanda
Post Number: 133
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 11:53 pm: | |
Check your spark plug extensions as well. They can fail with age (cracks) which can cause a voltage leak to ground, giving you a miss. Take them out and check them, you may see heat checking or cracks on them. If even one is bad, probably best to just replace them all. |
Bob Campen (Bob308gts)
Member
Username: Bob308gts
Post Number: 281
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 8:41 pm: | |
I would remove the cap from the distributor that you saw the oil leak around. Check inside for oil, the seal at the drive is most likely bad. The oil inside the cap could cause your misfire. |
Bill V. (Doc)
Junior Member
Username: Doc
Post Number: 77
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 8:30 pm: | |
Well, I've been in possession of my '85 QV for 1 month and I've encountered my first real problem. The car has begun to miss and sputter at idle to the point of barely running. Upon reving above 2000 rpm it clears and ,once I get it gong, runs fine as long as the rpms are kept over that level. However, when stopped at a light, the idle rapidly deteriorates again and I get the same scenerio. I replaced all of the plugs and it ran like a new car for about 60- 80 miles ( with a number of start-ups during those miles) . However, it's back . While none of the plugs looked that bad to begin with, one seemed to have some unburned fuel on it. Also, I have a cheapo spark detector , (which you hold next to a plug wire and you can see if it's sparking--crudely), and all wires appear to be delivering spark. I also noted a light oil leak at one of my distributers . A knowledgeable friend of mine suggested a possible leaky injector as the culprit. Your opinions and advice would be much appreciated, as always. |