3-Days In With 2004 360 and Ugh . . Check Engine Light!

Before re-setting[cancelling] the CE light, did the salesman check to see what code was being thrown? I believe this has to be done before the code can be cancelled and the light shut off. They should have told you what the code indicated and if this was a serious issue or not.

 

When engine operation does not reconcile with what the ECU is programed to expect you get a check engine light. For example, an oxygen sensor intermittently fails, or exhaust gas content is outside of specs--- which could be anything from an injector to hairline exhaust manifold crack. The light went on for a reason and the error code is the clue as to where to start troubleshooting. Sometimes a reset is all you can do because the component failure remains intermittent. But eventually the part will fail and the reason for the alert can be found.

Mike

 

It should be fine Dana, especially since it's going in for the service. Glad you'll be getting it back in a timely manner.

 

Dana...a CEL is kinda like sex....you never forget your first one!!

Really dont think it will be a big deal.

If you do a search here, you will notice a ton of reasons for the CEL to come on...

Ive had 1-360....1-TR....and 1-Stradale (still have the CS...its a keeper) all have had the CEL pop on at one time or another.

PS..congrats on your 360 she's a beaut!!

feel free to PM me and i will help you out the best i can....

NOTE!!! i have ZERO mechanical knowledge or Ability!! but am a good listener.

 

Does the car have after market exhaust? If so that could cause the light to come on after the dealer reseting.

 

When this happened to me, my car was 3 days old also. Reason: Battery was low because it had sat for so long. Mine was due for oil change so they swaped out the battery and all was fine.

 

Dana keep us posted. I want to see that car in person.
Andre

 

No reason to get upset, the salesman is being honest. He should not assume that the car is perfectly fine, the code should be read but he's probably right. For future reference you can buy an OBDII code reader for $50-150 off eBay and read your own codes. 90% of the time it's a gas cap code or another simple code that will not come back.

Your car is more than likely fine if you don't notice any differences in driving.

I own a smaller used car lot and it amazes me how ignorant the general public is on check engine lights, people pay hundreds of dollars in diagnostic fees when they could just spend 2 minutes plugging an OBDII scanner in to figure out what it is on their own.

 

dana keep us posted. and please let us know how much the bill was.

i made a thread about maintenace and repair cost. I just want to see how much it would cost to fix such problem.

I thought u were getting a 430? didnt u like the f430 better than the 360? what made u decided to get the 360 instead? i assume ur 2004 should be around the same price as a 2005 430.

 

Mine comes on about every couple of weeks. I drive my car more-or-less as a daily driver, and I have still not been able to get anything on OBD2 besides an o2 sensor code and there's nothing consistent about when/how/why it clicks on. I've replaced, and yet it still comes on. I don't know how to reset the light so I just drive with it on. I don't care, the car runs like a champ. I see it and think to myself "hey, self, check OUT the engine. that thing sound cool!"

 

with all the cars I have( with the mods they have on them), I get a CEL at least twice a week. If there is one thing I will say about the 360, if there is something really wrong, chances are you'll feel it before that light even goes on.

 

+1.......my cel goes on/off whenever it wants. Car runs great and have done over 180mph with the light on. By the time I bring it to the shop it's off......don't stress, like everyone has said it's probably minor...

 

Big D

I wouldnt stress about it. Mine has come on once in the last 3-4 weeks but goes away. I think sometimes even suspect fuel can set it off.

 

If the CEL goes on but oil pressure, water temp and oil temp are ok, and the engine sounds and feels ok don't worry about it too much. No need to immediately pull over. It is frequently just a bad sensor. If you get the SLOW light that is a more serious issue.

I had a '99 360 and the CEL came on so frequently that I ultimately actually asked the dealer to cut the CEL light wire because I was sick of looking at it, I said I would prefer to just watch my old school analog gauges (he wouldn't do it). Some causes were bad 02 sensor, bad cam timing sensor, gas cap loose. Frequently after a few normal driving cycles the CEL would go back off.

 

Though not the CEL, I have received, on more than one occasion the "SLOW DOWN" warning at idle during warm up, which you can search these forums on (typically a faulty reading)...moral of the story, in my opinion: these cars are (obviously) different than your Honda's, Toyota's, even Porsche's...they are crafted fairly raw - and in small numbers - with weight savings and the like in mind.

In other words, I think Ferrari puts all their time and effort into beautiful design and engine performance, moving quirky electronics to the back burner. Compare the 360 engine bay, in all it's beauty, with say a Lexus and one can easily see how the Ferrari has the potential for grounding issues, faulty readings with all those electronics exposed to the elements.

As others have said (and I am no technical expert either) - so long as you use common sense, the water/oil temp are normal and the engine sounds like it should, I wouldn't run out ASAP.

 

Yeah.. my 430's cel sometimes stays on after I get gas, even though the gas cap is turned so it clicks. It takes a couple drives for it to clear (restarts from cold).

We can't pump our own gas here (it's rediculous..), but I always make sure I hear the clicks when the guy puts the cap back on. Yet, even though he turns the cap so it clicks two or three times, sometimes it's not enough and it throws a code. Lately, after the guy puts it back on, I've been turning it myself so it clicks plenty of times before I start the car. I haven't had it come back on.

Also, I've encountered another problem when getting gas. I've stopped popping the gas door while the motor's still running. Unfortunately, the gas door won't open with the key all the way off (as one would normally shut off the car). The problem was that the gas attendant was sometimes so fast to open the gas cap that I hadn't shut the motor off yet, then I'd have the cel when I restarted the car. Now, I shut the car down first and pop the gas door with the key at position 1.

 

The light could be on for as simple of reason as trying to start the car without hitting the botton on the Key first and trying to start it - That sets off the light on my CS and will not go off before resetting the codes