Just when she was going to get full marks..Slow Down

It's a year since I bought my F512M, and having once been one of those posters who asked, "How much hassle/cost will one of these be in a year", I was about to publish a glowing report on mine. To say, in those 12 months, she has had just 1 problem, a faulty sender meaning the speedo went awry; cheap fix at a Ferrari garage; otherwise, just an annual oil service. She has started first time every time and never let me down, and I love the car.

Then today I went down to run my daughter to ballet in her (I try to do a 10 mile trip at least once a month in winter if it's dry) only to find rough running and "Slow Down Cyls 1-6". Felt like she was running on one bank, not that I am an expert at all.

I'll take her to the service centre, anyone have any ideas so I can sound knowledgeable when talking to them, apart from "She's running rough and the light is on"? Why would this suddenly happen - been dry and warm stored.

 

Thanks everyone. The thermocoupler sender sounds like it may be it. I will check for fried rodent too.

Will also check out the DYI solution possibility next weekend - Vincenzo, what exactly do I need to do? The few talents I have been given in life do not extend to the mechanical.

 

Thanks Vincenzo. It's an M, I'll check it out when back in the UK next week.

 

Too true. I avoid that though..and its last outing was a good run out of town for a Ferrari shoot we're running in GQ magazine, with some good company..

 

No slow down lights on today and she's running fine. Sounds like an intermittent fault (or a one-off) as suggested by Alex. Thank you to all those who made helpful suggestions, appreciated.

 

Tim, it turns out your post was heavy with equal quantities of both irony and wisdom. This problem recurred, the car went to the Ferrari shop, who diagnosed a cat controller ECU on one bank. It is now on order, and the F512M should be mine again next week.
One day I hope to be able to repay you, if, for example, you have a query on the market or concept for a new lifestyle magazine you are planning to launch. Unfortunately I am not going to be in a position to diagnose or fix Ferraris myself, ever. But, for the record, you were correct, and thank you.
Darius

 

I'm impressed that you diagnosed something correctly from 4000 miles away! I will ask to keep the old one. Dealer has just said they can't find a new one in the UK, so I am going to post to see if anyone can help...

 

Here's an update on my F512M. The F shop (a respected London specialist) replaced the cat controller ECU with a modified 355 unit. Thanks to Rifledriver, Tim and all on this board who suggested that. They came to this diagnosis independently, but thanks to you I was able to sound like I knew what was talking about, which is satisfying, if nothing else.

Slow down light went out at last and then - came back again. More investigation and they are suspecting degradation of one of the cats. Exhaust has to come off. I've just given them the OK for that.

Watch this space for the next exciting episode, and I want my car back for some planned drives in June!!

 

Thanks for that, Romano!

News from London is that the car has finally been cured. I'm picking her up tomorrow. And it wasn't the cat controller ECU after all (Tim, you let me down) (kidding, kidding). It was an intermittent fault and eventually it came back (while techs still had it) with the reworked 355 unit.

They suspected coil packs, nope. Catalyst itself actually breaking up (as someone else here suspected) - nope. It challenged the great minds of Joe Macari (official Ferrari service) in the metal as it challenged the great minds of Fchat's TR/M board.

And finally, it was resolved. Macaris, being the fine people they are, charged me nothing for the ECU or any of the diagnosis that ended up being wrong (I know plenty of service centres that would do this). Just a quite reasonable fee for what it eventually ended up being.

And so here's a challenge. What was it, in the end, that caused my intermittent SLOW DOWN CYLS 1-6 light, combined with an intermittent misfire?

Whoever gets the closest answer gets a copy of the latest Official Ferrari Yearbook, of which I have the dubious honour of being Editorial Director, not because I work for Ferrari, but because I run the division at Conde Nast that publishes it.

Darius