Now that she is home and registered it is a nice feeling to reflect on how I got her. First saw her 13 years ago in Melbourne in the care of Satan, sounded evil but beyond my means to own one. Fast forward 12 years, an engine rebuild and full bare metal respray later and Satan and I are driving down to a fish farm on the northern Great Dividing range around Bellingen and Satan's car is idling down the dirt road (he likes dirt roads ) towards the fish farm I'm already at. As I listen for the 355CH to appear the noise is echoing off the mountainsides and reverberating down the valley ...... it's evil, it's mean and it sounds great. Then Satan rings me up and says "Do you want to buy my car ? " ......... well derr, of course I do, but how do I get the cost past the wife ? Easy it seems, just tell her it's $50k like all other Ferraris and you're home and hosed Well, after the 2,000 km drive home she is having a rest following the rego and doesn't leak oil (none in it so how can it leak ), off to the panelbeaters tomorrow for a buff and touch up for some minor scratch of the spoiler , and then thanks to SD I'll be putting new Speedline decals on the wheels when they get refurbished next week (so it seems to be heading into the poofter polishers realm ) I love this car, I smile whenever it starts, my boy smiles whenever it starts, my wife scowls whenever it starts, seems the perfect car to me Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Oh ffs 14 years of love and the very best of care, apart from one idiot mechanic (pm for details) and now you're taking over! Moretti told me that the way to check the oil was let it sit for 15 minutes then check the dipstick. Bloody hell. ... the only dipsticks are him and the 355 owner who told him that's how it's done. I'm lucky I sold that piece of crap, but I really feel sorry for the car.
ok, will call you later but the guy who buffed the QV did an excellent job .... I've tried a few down here, only two of them were hopeless
What are you going to buff?? The 3m?? There's almost no exposed paint to buff!!!! OMG....what have I done??
There are a few small scuff marks on the lower part of the spoiler, probably the steep speed hump at Macksville as you come into the servo for fuel , ok for the knucklehead 4wd brigade but too steep for a Ferrari of any kind
Well I checked the oil level as per your instructions and it is over the top of the full mark I'm not dobbing the 355 owner in who told me to wait 15 mins but he drives a yellow GTS and goes by the name of Roger B ...... he may have been taking the piss
Then it was probably over filled. Dry sump cars maintain a constant level in the oil tank while the motor is running, the scavenge pump is constantly returning oil to the tank. When you shut the engine down, there is no scavenge, so gravity drains the tank into the sump via the pressure pump. The usual way to check the oil is immediately after shutdown. I would be amazed if "wait 15 minutes" is correct. There is usually a horizontal splash panel in the tank and the oil should be at that level. If too low, you risk aeration (bubbles in the oil), too high and you'll have oil getting into the breathing system.
Thanks Ian, PP said I've got less than 60 secs to check the oil level due to the draining back into the sump
Correct....exactly what I just yelled down the phone at him. You have less than 60 seconds to check before it starts draining, and it's gone VERY soon after that.
well if you had have given me the manuals and other books I'd have known ..... and BTW, how come the key says Nissan on it ?
go to a boating shop (yacht chandler) and buy a hand oil pump (they sell them because you usually can't drain oil out of boat engines - you have to pump it out). Will get a litre out in a jiffy with no mess. Image Unavailable, Please Login
There is a drain plug on the oil tank and one on the sump. You have to drain both when doing an oil change. Have the oil hot when you drain it if possible, same as a wet sump. Have new drain plug washers ready for refitting plugs, take care not to strip tank or sump thread. Obviously very difficult to get a precise amount of oil out if you unscrew a drain plug, hence the hand pump idea.
This will end in a lot of tears. Poor F car. JM, best to give it to me. I can always run it into a fence. Again.
