Hi, With the history of owned a 1979 308 GTB a while ago and still owning a 1994 F355GTS I just bought a 456GT, so I knew what to expect with an almost 20 year old Italian Diva. The car is well known here, verde mugello / tan. After driving her up 600 miles without any major issues I started last week to check out the problems which I overlooked/not realized during the test drive some weeks ago. One time “slow down 1-6” – nothing really unexpected. I have to say, the previous owner took care of her and did a lot of maintenance. Timing-belt, valve adjustment, powder coating of the head, new tires (Kuhmo – performing better than I expected), replaced several hoses and gaskets and so on. According to the invoices the owner before got ripped off by a workshop replacing the rear shock absorbers and removing leakages in the fuel system and an oil leak. The Ferrari database in Maranello has not much, just a steering wheel change/update in the 90’s and new manifolds as I encrypted the Italian description. The things I noticed immediately are mainly easy fixes: The frame of the switches of the center dash needs to be replaced, the grill of the temperature sensor as well and the frame of the left air outlet is broken. The inside rear-view mirror has leftover stuff of a radar detector – needs to be replaced and the gasket of the trunk as well. Interior and paint need detailing, my Swissvax-Collection is already on the way from my garage in Germany to my garage in Tennessee. Now the things found at “second view”: Wet floor detected. After removing the cover massive condensation of water at the evaporator, seems that the drainage hose is clogged, this is the first issue I will take care of. At that time I found a cable without being connected to anything, maybe somebody here knows it’s function. Driver side. Then I inspected the radio-system. The changer plays not even self-burnt audio-discs, reset does not help. The front speaker are dead and the cables in the truck are a mess. I found in the front on the driver’s side this part “Soundstream Excat 5.3”, looks like somebody upgraded already the speaker system. My plan is to keep the Sony-display where it is, just detailing it a bit, remove all of the rest of the system in the trunk and place a remote controlled radio with iPod there. Actually I don’t really need a radio, later I will take the car with me to Germany and the frequencies there are different, just iPod would be enough. Maybe a system like this and use the rest of the space for luggage. And get the speakers working again. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Secret-Hidden-iPod-MP3-USB-Hot-Rod-Custom-AM-FM-Stereo-Radio-SMRS-w-LCD-Remote-/231283171372?pt=Car_Audio_Video&vxp=mtr&hash=item35d98d202c Last thing I noticed is that the switch for the suspension has no function or at least the light does not come up in the dash. Last thing? A, do not ignore the “slow down”. I have the feeling the engine is not running totally smooth at low rpm. Cruisin’ at 2,500 rpm sometimes one cylinder misses, you see the needle vibrating a bit and the engine sound gets a bit rougher. As usual having a Ferrari you never run out of work. Overall she runs quit good, I took her up from 75 mph to 140 mph on the Interstate one morning in 6th gear without shifting down – yeah! I cannot wait to get her on the Autobahn and run at top-speed a while. I am struggling getting the pictures at the right location in the thread, so use your imagination where they belong to, please. Regards, Bjoern Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I read the manual, it seems, there is no control-light in the dash for the shock absorber setting as I was used to from the F355.
Nice looking car. I can see why you might want such a remote radio system but if going that route I would also demand DAB+ audio and Bluetooth. I would also be annoyed by having to charge the control unit. Personally I would try to keep/repair the original sound system. I have documentation for it if you're interested. Front speakers inoperative can either be because of the wiring mess in the back, or a problem with the Sony unit in the trunk, the left one in the pic with the cooling fins on top. The amplifier inside of it goes bad because of heat (new capacitors required, not difficult for someone who knows electronics). The "Ferrari" amplifier only powers the rear speakers. The CD changer can also be fixed or replaced with a working unit (as it is Sony, it's quite easy to find second hand). If you opt for replacement, keep the system in a box for posterity.
Similar problem here. There are two engine crank position sensors, one for each bank. I had a "slow down" light that eventually went to "bank not running" or some such. Traced it down to the sensors, which I swapped, and the problem changed sides. Surprisingly for a Ferrari part, the "bad" sensor replacement was under $100 from Daniel @ RICAMBI. I now carry a spare.....
Thanks for the offer and the point of view. Actually I never listen to the radio. Last time I was in Germany and did a 700km drive with a Jag with only the radio working, nothing else. At the end of that day I wanted to throw the radio out of the window ... Charging the remote is not a big deal, I thought about using the 12-V-Outlet between the rear seats. But I might come back to your offer about the documentation. I will definitely look into these issues. And as I am traveling often between Germany and the States I can order the parts at Eurospares as well.
Should be pretty easy to use a small brush with a long handle to clean out the drain hose. Some folks put a little bleach in the "catchment" area to kill the "growth" that is sustained by the continuous water bath. Every Ferrari I have owned - including my 575M - have had this problem. If your air conditioner blows cold, you are pretty lucky. Every Ferrari I have owned - including my 575M - have needed a new compressor at some point.
That "slow down" light could also be telling you that one of your fuel pumps is producing out low pressure. That car has two (2) fuel pumps, one (1) for each bank. So, when one pump quits, you can go some distance to get help. The pump failure is often caused by the foam around the pump disintegrating, and blocking the fuel pickup into the pump. If that blockage continues for long enough, it will "kill" the pump. Access to the pump(s) is easily gained through the trunk forward bulkhead. Make a ring spanner and remove the plastic cover (about 5" diameter) and lift out the pump assembly. New foam is about $50 New pump is about $500 New plastic cover (often cracked) will be $100-$300. Signs of cracked cover: a) smell of fuel that is strongest in the trunk b) fuel leaks to the ground when tank is filled more than 1/2 way up. Every Ferrari I have owned - including my 575M - have had this problem.
Thanks, I will take a look at the fuel pumps. Actually two years ago some mechanics were replacing parts of the fuel system searching (9 hours!!) for a leakage. I need to check the invoice in detail. Today I unblocked the drainage hose of the air condition. After some trials with a zip-tie I used compressed air - blubb - and the water came. A lot! Tomorrow I have to go to the emissions check, does the OBD-plug only have 3 pins? Is it the cable in the picture I have in my first thread?
Björn- If your 456 GT is a 95 model, it does not have an OBDII system and they will have to use a sniffer. If it is a 97 model, the plug will be under the dash near the steering wheel.
It is a 1995: The (printed Original looking) manual says: OBDII under the dash. I guess, I got a wrong manual for that car. The electronic version of a 1995 model really does not mention OBD. I am sure I have a 2.7 motoronic, so it makes sense that the manual-book does not belong to this car. One more item on my list of making it original again (beside the keys). They will hate me at the emissions control station ... anyway, we will see. At least according to the Carfax report she passed the inspection several times in other states.
Björn- You can download the OMs for free at ferraridatabase.com, get the part number and order a replacement from Maranello Classic Parts if Daniel at Ricambi cannot get it for you. Part number is 95990168 for a US MY 95 456 GT.
I have had downloaded them already, including the workshop manual. Getting an original printed version of the OM is not urgent, I will work with the pdf-documents. I just didn't realize the the OM in the car does not fit to the car until I actually started to read it.
You can't just "keep the display" and remove the rest unless you plan on never using the display portion in the main cabin to control audio volume. You can, however, nix the CD changer in the trunk. Anyway, I did a guide about this a while ago, maybe it'll be helpful for you: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/456-550-575-sponsored-bradan/222934-1992-1998-ferrari-456gt-456gta-stereo-guide-ipod-more.html
Actually I read your thread a while ago already. If I replace the whole part in the trunk and just keep the display I am totally aware that this wouldn't function anymore. I really think about a full remote solution. The very easiest would be to put any modern head-unit in the trunk and operate it with a remote.My old 80-GB-iPod could find a permanent home in the trunk as well. I would just like to have a remote with a display -- so I came up with the idea mentioned earlier. Not finally decided, still thinking.
