Mondial Service & Subsequent Problems VALEO

It is a unique system and very few made as you know. I'd do a few calls and see who in the country feels good about diagnosing this problem. Sounds like the shop you have chosen is shooting in the dark. I saw a valeo a Ferrari of Houston several years back and they said they had worked on many of them, mostly just replacing the clutch and they had never had an issue with the mechanism. So they may or may not be good at diagnosis.

This is a reason I will only go to one of a few places in the country with my car. There are some that claim these are just cars and anyone can work on them. And I would say yes for a mechanic who is willing to take the time, very intelligent and inquisitive and careful.

Sorry about your troubles. Maybe one of the techs will chime in here. Sounds like based on your description that this could maybe be easy to diagnose. I wonder if the shift rod isn't lined up perfectly and with the slightest torque the rod is moved ever so slightly causing the sensors to trigger. That is a total shot in the dark by the way.

 

Hank?………..

 

I'd just like to say good luck. Sooner or later it will be fixed and you will be able to enjoy it again.
I know Steve Magnussen (sp?) has been very helpful and generous with his time with issues that I have had. Maybe he could help you?

- Ron Frohock

 

Hi - you called ?? If it were me on the east coast, I would give Tim Stanford a call. He's in Fort Lauderdale. His reputation is sterling - and I believe he would guide Alex in a promising direction ........... whereas, Don Rickles would tell him to sell the Mondi, and buy a Honda !! "I kid, I kid".

Tim Stanford Foreign Cars
287 SW 33rd St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315
(954) 764-7824

Cheers Jay !!!!!

Hank

 

Does it even need a clutch, doesn't sound like it as there was just a test drive between you dropping the car off and the clutch system no longer working correctly.

I would be careful letting other garages interfere as this clouds responsibility. If I were you, I would have dropped the car back off and left it there until they could prove it was corrected (hard I know when it is your pride and joy). As mentioned previously, it sounds like they are throwing parts at it in an effort to correct, no one can afford this!

Has the clutch been removed and inspected, if its good, it points towards the engine removal being the cause and you shouldn't be paying for that

 

See Hank, this is why I reached out to you. Great great call. Tim is amazing, but he is way more of an oil and rubber guy. Valeo's are a little more tricky. But he would be the best resource.
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ONLY the SD1 will set the Mondi Valeo clutch

 

The clutch control on the Valeo transmissions rely on a complex double, linear and axial potentiometer. My 2 cents: change it out and you will be good to go. They get electrically noisy over time and they physically wear out.
Usually the mechanic (the same shop I use) resists spending the clients money unnecessarily. While I can't speak to the other problems you have encountered, Not purchasing a $3200 part if you can get away with "exercising" the Pot, you give it a try. You can always buy a new one later if necessary.
Mondials (and other Ferraris of the same period) are famous for electrical problems. Search on Fchat are there must be thousands of threads on the subject.
My car has had its share of connector issues. A through cleaning of the connectors with Deoxit-5 and a judicious use of long nose pliers to increase the clamping force of the female side of connectors seems to fix things up, at least for me, for now.
Hair line fractures of components that are made of plastic and cast epoxy that live in a harsh environment such as the engine compartment of a mid-engine car definitely have a finite life span.
I'm not defending the shop, I don't need to, their record will stand on its own. Declining the purchase of the pot for $3200 is understandable, but expecting a solution without its purchase is taking a chance.

I hope the pot replacement makes your Mondial T run as it should. I hope to see you at the next DARE event in Upper Saddle River.

My2 cents...
DavidJ

 

A dead spot in the ECU. That makes no sense to me. I think they were referring to a dead spot in the pot. That is what happens to pots. They actually wear away a section of the material on the pot that determines the circuit resistance. There is a wiper arm that presses on a pathway that physically wears out. When this happens the tranny computer "sees" a different pulse or voltage (digital or analog), thinks you have grabbed the stick to shift and opens the clutch.
That being said, all of the other suggested problems may also have been issues that needed to be addressed. I know when you move around parts and wires that have been in the same position for years and have also been subjected to thermal cycles, s*it happens.
I have an issue with CEL light that has bugged me since I own the car. I ignore it and I have had no issues other than the light going on and off. I probably need to find the one connector I missed and clean it up. Maybe it's a ground I missed too. 25 year old cars from that era are like that.
If you go somewhere else to solve this you likely will spend even more $$, as the shop will need to start from scratch with the trouble shooting. I empathize with your predicament. These cars can be frustrating, infuriating, and expensive.
I wish you good luck with the repair.

DavidJ

 

But it all makes sense to me. I have been involved with electronics since I was a kid and I have a generally good understanding mechanics as well.

Disclaimer:
**However...I am no expert on this or any other things Ferrari. It is just my somewhat strange ability to extrapolate things from certain information.**
Usually I am correct, but not always. So, as my grandmother used to say: Take my info/suggestions with a grain of salt.

That pot has got to be a sealed unit because it is exposed to the outside environment. I would bet it is an ultrasonically sealed unit. I don't think it can be opened up to see what is going on inside and you probably couldn't fix it if it was opened up anyway.
But, if you spring for a new one, keep the old one as part of the original history of the car. Collectors love that stuff.
Feel free to pick my brain via PM, there must be something in there that works (unlike the Ferraris).

DavidJ

 

Check your mail box.
DavidJ

 

Dumb question from a Valeo admirer. When the engine was taken out to do the initial major were connections at the potentiometer disturbed or removed in the course of the major?
David's suggestion that: "A through cleaning of the connectors with Deoxit-5 and a judicious use of long nose pliers to increase the clamping force of the female side of connectors seems to fix things up, at least for me, for now." kind of resonates.

Your story is gripping for me and I hope you have a full resolution soon.

 

Hey Alex,

Let's say, you are the manager of a baseball team. The pitcher (service facility) that you've recruited, put your money on and have designated as the starter for this game, is making you want to vomit !!!! He's throwing all kinds of bad stuff - - mostly s--t balls, and he's walked enough batters to make the local police think that a civil demonstration is about to take place !!!

That pitcher may be effective against some common opponents, but thrown against the Valeo (mostly electronics - since hardware components just don't "break") - - Oh Boy !!! Therefore, I respectfully advise you to yank him, and bring in another pitcher that may be better able to address the challenges.

I feel that a more focused vetting and scouting effort on your part, is in order. You've recently been introduced to "owning one of these crazy cars - #101" !!! An "F" means you will continue to make questionable "management" decisions that won't bring you any satisfaction. An "A" - see, means you get it, right

Good luck,

Hank

 

oftentimes with the engine R/R you get the clutch light and erratic shifting..again the SD1 handles getting it back in parameters and you are good to go..not the space shuttle here

 

Hi Alex
Have you had any luck with the Valeo is it fix, as I'm having same problem as your Mondial T , I had a F / mechanic to have a look at Valeo he sold his workshop and the new owner not enough experience to work on Ferrari , so back to square 1, well I'll have to find another wshop.
Good luck with yours
Cheers
Michael

 

This could not be related to an improperly adjusted shift mechanism could it?

 

again,is car with someone that has SD1,not SD2 or 3?..

 

I think the only tool that can talk to it is the sd1.

It's such and odd ball car I doubt Ferrari would carry over diagnostics to the newer tools.

I still think it's a shift adjustment issue but I could be way out to lunch on that. I have only ever worked on one of these things, and it was just brakes and oil.