550 check engine

Yes.

This crap is the weakest point on modern Ferraris. I also had a major problem with my seat belt light. Good news is that the easist fix is some black tape.

Dale

ps I had a damn mouse chew through the sensor wire once. Be careful this winter. The little boogers like warm places.

 

I couldn't agree w/ you more.

Regards,
Chris

 

Is the ECU putting the car in limp mode? I had problems w/ the O2 sensor on my 550. It was quite annoying. ( Nothing like having to drive 70 miles home and not being able to exceed 3000 rpms. )

Regard,
Chris

 

the good doctor just covered up the warning light .

if you're frying cats, the temperatures involved are substantial - give a look-see. the manual (owners or service) tells you at what temp the signals show up (there's a blinking one and a solid one, if memory serves).

doody.

 

Yes, depending on the year of the car, There was an update for the O2 sensor codes (light). Your dealer should check to see if there are any open campaigns and maybe you will need the updated Motronic units.

 

I read in the 550 Manual that US cars flag the check engine light for just about anything, but European cars ONLY flags it for faulty air flow meters and throttle potentiometer.....

I know that Australian cars flag to O2 sensors too....

I'd look into getting some European ECU's maybe....

 

has the dealer contacted FNA Technical to get some opinions on the problem? there's someone at FNA (or at least there was at some point - they may have left by now) who literally "wrote the book" on the 550.

does your dealer have much experience with 550s?

have they been through ALL the TSBs? i don't recall one for O2 sensors, but who knows.

i've seen situations where the mechanics just replace part after part in an effort to rule things out. it gets stupid after a while.

more than a few people on this board have had their emissions computers fail. it's almost certainly not the four O2 sensors you mentioned - it's probably the computer screwing up.

the good news (?) is that this is all on FNA's bill. in theory that should entice them to pay attention and help your dealer. the bad news is that it might take a while .

doody.

 

Maybe now you understand why the Service Manager told me to just get out some black tape.

Granted, these damn sensors are a problem on all cars. I had the same problem on my Porsche TT. But the ones on Maranello seem to be particularly problematic. Quite frankly, no one would care except that the damn things show up when you go for your annual inspection.

Yes, I agree that the Power Train warranty is a good deal. Given whole expensive this bs can be, putting the burden back on FNA may, just maybe, get someone's attention at the factory.

Good luck, Dale

 

This dealership doesn't seem very resourceful. They need to quit guessing and swapping parts and methodically work the problem.

1) Verify that the harness has continuity from the ECU to the lambda sensors.

2) Test the lambda sensors in-circuit. Make sure the heater wire is being energized and verify the lambda output with a scope. Do 550 ECUs set a code if the sensors take too long to warm-up? I have no idea. If they do, verify the lambda warm-up time.

3a) If the sensors pass test #2, the ECU is throwing spurious codes. Follow-up with Ferrari.

3b) If the sensors fail test #2, replace them. If the replacements fix the problem, figure out why the car is eating lambda sensors. If the problem persists, the ECU is not operating in closed-loop mode -- follow-up with Ferrari.

Do 550s have post-cat lambda sensors? If they do, and the error code has to do with those sensors, there are a few more tests they need to perform. Nonetheless, it shouldn't take long to find the fault.

Regards

 

Yes, a lambda sensor and an O2 sensor are the same thing. The advice I posted above is really just generic EFI troubleshooting.

There really is more to it than I let on. If the lambda sensor looks nonfunctional on the scope and a brand-new replacement doesn't look any better, then it is probable that the baseline mixture is way off. Why is the mixture off? Again, work the problem: check out the air flow meter, the water temp sensor, fuel pressure, look for air leaks, etc. What was left unplugged after that major service? Start with the low-hanging fruit, and advance to the esoteric stuff.

To be fair, your dealer may be doing just that. However, this process should not take anywhere near two months. Two days, maybe.

Can you do this stuff at home? It depends. The >essential< tools are an understanding of engines, engine management in general, and a methodical approach. This is not black magic. The second most important tools are a service manual and a handheld multimeter, whether you're working on a 550 Maranello or a Ford GT.

I'm afraid I don't have any constructive advice for the best approach to dealing with the service guys. They are either on the ball or they aren't. I doubt anything you suggest will make a difference.

When you get the car back: if the check engine light comes on again, and it seems to be running well, watch the gas mileage. Is it much worse than normal? If so, it's running rich, which tells you either 1) the lambda sensors are shot or 2) the baseline mixture is way off. A word of warning: you will cook your catalysts driving around with a rich mixture for a prolonged period of time, so if this happens, hurry down to your specialist in Ft. Lauderdale.

Good Luck!

 

When they mentioned "Timing" I'm sure they were referring to cam timing. You said at the beginning of this that your car had just had a major service and during that they would have replaced the cam belts. An error in the cam timing would give you the error "Lambda sensor out of range" as it is seeing too much oxygen in the exhaust and trying to compensate so hard that it would be running past the parameters that the computer accepts as a normal range. Another cause for this same error that is common in 550's is a substantial vacuum leak at the intake manifold gaskets. It often doesn't cause driveability problems due to the O2 sensors compensating for it, hence the error code. There is an easy way to check for cam timing, testing the exhaust with an exhaust analyzer upstream of the cats via the fittings in the engine compartment made for just that reason. If it's off far enough to cause an error you will see it right away. It seems to me from your comments that they may have already done that and are trying (in vain IMO) to explain it away by hoping that the failure is in another component. All that having been said there are several error codes that are possible to be generated by the O2 sensors and this is assuming that the one I noted is the culprit. Something else (referred to by valvespring) is the O2 heaters. If they are a little to slow (by the computers estimation) it will set an error as well and that can be a little more time consuming to detect but those are completely independant side to side so I think the fact that it says all 4 are in error is a lower probability. If I were diagnosing that car I would be taking a hard look at the cam timing scenario.

 

I heard that witht the 550 the o2 mapping is too tight causeing the computer to see false o2 readings. I beleive there is an update for this. Maybe your car already has it done I don't know. maybe somthing to look into.

 

I would think the thing would run like a Briggs & Stratton with the cam timing off. How tough is it to remove the belt covers and verify?