Ferrari 360 f1 spider bad brake switch?

Brake switches from what I've read here are a replacement item. Not unreasonable to have this go..

But.. I'm having a tough time imagining it causing a short.. possible.. but not very high in my book.

To replace the exhaust they had to remove the rear bumper and grille. Why not trace the wires and see if a wire got melted or pinched or incorrectly re-installed?

 

I'd start with the brake lights, undo the connectors behind the bulbs, check the bulbs.. and just follow the wires tracing them forward. I can't think of one specific place to check unfortunately.

Could just be a bad switch.. been known to happen... if it were me I'd replace it. Stoopid plastic.

 

Those brake switches are VERY cheaply made. I had one turn flaky and it caused a transmission error light and brake switch code to trigger at the same time.
It was only around $40 at the dealer and it took about 3 minutes to replace. I would probably start with that just because it's so cheap, easy to replace and may save you hours of troubleshooting. All that said, I have a feeling that it's not your issue. The reason I say that is because the whole case of the switch is plastic, so there shouldn't be a direct short to ground via the switch (not positive though). If the terminals touch together, I would think that the brake lights would get stuck on. If the terminal shorts on the F1 part of the switch, then I would expect F1 issues (issues not caused by the brake lights not coming on as you have in your car). Since a fuse is being blown, I have to agree with curt and say that you may have a shorted (pinched) wire somewhere along the wiring for the brake lights. You will have to trace the circuit one wire at a time and try to find the short circuit.

 

The brake switch is just installed into the bracket with a 1/4 turn and should mostly adjust itself. When you purchase a new one, the plunger is on a ratcheting mechanism and pulled all the way out. When you install it, the brake pedal is pushed all the way in while installing the switch. Once you let go of the brake pedal, it will ratchet the plunger back in, close to the correct position (or possibly the correct position). It sounds to me like you have a bad brake switch either way, just replace it and eliminate that possibility.

 

Yes please let us know the outcome.
Since you said that you did a clutch and an exhaust, try focusing on those areas of the wiring. I hate to say it, but pinched (or melted insulation) wire seems likely (if it's not the brake light switch itself).
As far as expense if it's a fried wire, it's hard to tell. The main cost is the troubleshooting cost. If they get lucky and find it quickly, it may not be that much. If it's a pain to find, it can unfortunately be expensive. Try not to worry yet (I know it's easy for me to say when my car is fine now), but I would swap the switch first, if it still doesn't fix, then try your best to trace all the wires related to the brake lights and look for obvious wiring problems. If you still can't find it, maybe have one person push on the brake pedal to activate the lights, while another watches the tail lights. At the same time, systematically try moving and pulling on the wires to see if you can get the fuse to blow again. That may help you narrow it down a little. Stay quiet while doing this, you may even hear the arc when it blows. Also try turning the headlights on and braking at the same time, maybe that is the combo needed to blow the fuse (not likely, just getting desperate).
By the way, make sure you get the correct brake switch for your car. Most are the style that I described, but some have a screw in type that screw onto the mounting bracket instead of a 1/4 turn. Ricambi has both.
Good luck! Keep us informed

 

Curt is spot on - if the car will not go into gear when the brake pedal is depressed (but sometimes WILL go into gear if you depress the pedal harder) it's the switch located on the brake pedal "arm". Daniel got me fixed up for around $20 (it was 5 years ago, though).

Easy fix - twist off \twist on - hardest part was getting my incredibly lithe/lean/flexible 50 something year old body in the correct position to access the switch....I seriously almost got stuck....

 

I think I would take the car back to where you had the work done and ask them to fix it


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You need to check to see what type of brake switch you have. I got one from Daniel and when I got home it was not the correct one. Mine has a threaded barrel and a nut that you use to fasten it to the bracket and adjust its position. Fortunately I live 10 minutes away from Daniel's office so he swapped it out. Not sure when Ferrari changed to the newer type.
Alan

 

My gut said that the switch wasn't your only problem. As I mentioned, I wouldn't think a switch with a plastic housing can cause a direct short. Maybe lights that are stuck on, or stuck off, but not a direct short.
I would try to find a tech that is very good at trouble shooting wiring. There is a high probability that you have a damaged wire somewhere.
Good luck, please keep us informed.

 

I agree with everyone. Start with the brake switch. I was amazed first time I saw the brake switch on my 360. Very cheaply made!

But a switch won't usually give short circuit. Most likely like everyone said you have a wire with damaged insulation shorting to ground. The problem is where to look.

Yep, start within the area where service was last done as someone could have damaged or pinched the brake wires accidentally. Time consuming indeed......

Perhaps find a local guy looking for work, tell him to find the damaged wires for you and you'll pay him $100.00. Your time is worth a lot more.

 

Did you find the issue yet? I am having the exact same issue with my 360CS. Blown stop light fuse and car wont go into gear. Replaced the fuse and it blew instantly I started the car and put my foot on the brake.
Cauley had it last year for the same problem. The said they changed the 'brake services relay' but I cant find any reference to that in any manual or forum so not sure what relay that is (yet). I think Cauley changing that relay and the fuse last year helped but the problem has now returned after less than 150 miles so I am guessing that was not the root cause. I haven't looked at the brake switch yet but agree with the others here that its hard to imagine how that can give you a dead short.

 

Hello Everyone.
I have basically the same problem in a 2002 360 F1; not not brake lights and transmission stock in gear 1, i check with the Leonardo and not fault codes in the TCU, i did replaced the brake pedal switch but still not brake light and not way to get the Transmission in "N". any ideas?

 

I have a 15 amp stop light fuse blowing frequently in an F430 as well. Has anyone from the earlier posts resolved the issue? I'm going to look at my bulbs and wires