Help | FerrariChat

Help

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by SB 360, May 1, 2012.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. SB 360

    SB 360 Rookie

    Apr 15, 2012
    7
    I have a 2005 360 spider (with 3,500 miles on it) and have a problem I'm hoping a fellow 360 owner or someone with Ferrari mechanical knowledge can help me with. I drove my car on the freeway at 70 miles an hour for about 1.5 hours. I got off the freeway (it was 100 degrees outside) and drove for about 20 minutes and all of the sudden I lost compression! All the instruments looked ok, car was not over heating yet I could barley get the car to move unless I "floored it" to build up the RPM. When I got back on the freeway (slowly) I was able to build up enough speed to get to 60 MPH and get home. I want to know if anyone has any idea of what happened before I take the car in. Can anyone help me? Thank you in advance!

    SB 360
     
  2. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,218
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    Welcome...you have had the Cam Variator Recall performed??

    Check your records......

    Others will chime in.....
     
  3. greyboxer

    greyboxer F1 World Champ

    Dec 8, 2004
    12,313
    South East
    Full Name:
    Jimmie
    Lost a bank maybe - could try battery off reset for starters in case it s a tiny electrical glitch
     
  4. SB 360

    SB 360 Rookie

    Apr 15, 2012
    7
    I have not had the Cam Variator Recall performed. What is that and would that cause my problem? I'm not great with the mechanics of these cars (or any other for that matter) I just like to drive them! Would changing my battery have anything to do with this problem? I changed it myself. What is a Bank? Thanks for the help!

    SB 360
     
  5. Under PSI

    Under PSI F1 Rookie

    May 13, 2005
    4,240
    Phoenix
    Full Name:
    Jim
    There was no cam variator recall on a 2005 360.
     
  6. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,218
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    Thanks Jim, he is okay on that issue, then??

    I could not recall the exact date on the upgraded parts, thanks a LOT!
    But yea, by the time the Stradale was out (2004) the variator problem was history.
    It was in the early cars..

    Whew!

    Fingers crossed for electrical gremlins...
     
  7. SB 360

    SB 360 Rookie

    Apr 15, 2012
    7
    Any other ideas as to why this happened to my car? I'm going to take it in but wanted to know what I was up against first. Would changing the battery cause this?
     
  8. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,218
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    Did you jump start the car, before going to a new battery?
     
  9. SB 360

    SB 360 Rookie

    Apr 15, 2012
    7
    No I did not jump start the car. I dis use a battery that was the same size as the factory battery but NOT a factory Ferrari battery. Would this do it?
     
  10. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,218
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    No, as long as it is the right physical size (and Cold Cranking Amps) that should be fine.

    Good, no jump starting that has been known to be hard on the system.....

    I have much older cars, mine just catch fire...but I'm trying to help.
    Bright side: you are not on fire.
     
  11. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,218
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    We do have a specific 360 Section down the page here, you might scroll down and repost your issues, but this is actually a good spot to discuss it.

    You found the right place, there's tons of smart people here.
    And then, there's me....:D :D :D
     
  12. Crowndog

    Crowndog F1 Veteran

    Jul 16, 2011
    7,042
    Fairfield,Pa
    Full Name:
    Robert
    #12 Crowndog, May 1, 2012
    Last edited: May 1, 2012
    Your description sounds like you were slipping clutch pretty bad. Was there a funny burnt smell permeating through the car?

    What is a Bank? A bank referred to here would be a row of cylinders on one side of the engine. You see Ferrari has ignition systems that are independent for each half of the engine. So when that question was asked they are looking for a problem that would effect one "bank" and that usually will be in the ignition system for that "bank".

    All in all more information is needed to even guess as to what happenend. How about frequency (how often does this happen) duration (how long did it last) etc. More clues. Any problems while changing the battery? Any error codes thrown if you have a system that displays them? If not any idiot lights? (forgive me I don't have a 360). Did you have to get the revs up but the car didn't go as fast as you would expect for the rpms shown on the Tach? Was your emergency brake on? does your car roll freely in neutral or is there brake drag? Stuff like that.
     
  13. FerrariDublin

    FerrariDublin F1 Rookie

    Jun 14, 2009
    3,452
    Dublin, Ireland
    Full Name:
    Greg
    Hi SB, sorry to hear about your problems. Don't panic, they're generally reliable but a little quirky and once you get to know your car and understand some of the issues that can effect it you'll be able to sort out most issues with a bit of help from the community.

    Unfortunately we haven't got a lot to work with just yet. How has the car been since?

    Assuming there's nothing mechanically wrong with your car (bad banging noises from engine) I'd be inclined to suggest that you might try a "reboot". Use the battery cut-off switch in the front hood and leave it off overnight. The following day turn it back on. Turn off all accessories in the car, radio, a/c, lights etc. Turn key to position II, wait 15 seconds (while the throttle valves go through an open/close procedure) and then start the car and allow it to idle for 15 minutes without touching the throttle or turning on any electrical accessories. This may cause any little gremlins to sort themselves out.
     
  14. rotaryrocket7

    rotaryrocket7 Formula Junior

    Dec 7, 2011
    596
    Eden Prairie, MN
    Full Name:
    Matt
    Did the car rev normally if it wasn't in gear (i.e. if you put it in neutral and depressed the gas pedal did it rev up normal)?

    If yes, then the clutch suggestion makes sense, if not I would vote for something fuel delivery related or electronic as already mentioned. Battery reset is a great first step. Have you turned the car on sense?
     
  15. roadracer311

    roadracer311 Formula 3

    May 6, 2009
    2,398
    San Francisco
    Full Name:
    Paul
    +1 on the clutch. I'll bet it's slipping.
     
  16. SB 360

    SB 360 Rookie

    Apr 15, 2012
    7
    Thank you all for your help here. I do not think the clutch is slipping. When the car is idling and i push on the gas the car does not rev up normally. It sort of gets to a high rev a little slower. The engine light will blink and so does the "Slow Down" icon. I tried to re boot the battery but only quickly not over night. I will try the over night thing tonight. Would the fact that I was driving the car in stop and go traffic in really hot weather cause anything to go bad? I do not smell anything when I fire up the car and the emergency break is off. This happened about 4 months ago and I have tried to drive the car three times (2 miles each time) since but its the same story. The car just does not get to a high RPM unless I really work the gas pedal. It "bogs" in every gear. The car only has 3,500 miles on it? I'm going to take it to the dealer but just wanted to know what I was dealing with so I don't get taken advantage of.
     
  17. FerrariDublin

    FerrariDublin F1 Rookie

    Jun 14, 2009
    3,452
    Dublin, Ireland
    Full Name:
    Greg
    The slow down light is the valuable additional information needed to assist you. There is a temperature probe in the exhaust system which is designed to measure the exhaust temperature and if the probe thinks the exhaust is getting too hot it will shut off the fuel to the bank of cylinders which has the problem.

    More often than not this is a false message and there is nothing wrong with the exhaust temperature. The probe itself, the wires from the probe and the little ECU that interprets the signal from the probe are all potential failure points.

    If you are DIY handy you can use the forum to try and diagnose and repair the system yourself. (Search for SDECU in Tech Q&A) If not so handy your mechanic or dealer should be able to help you.

    The joys of Ferrari ownership!

    p.s. If you want to know if you really have an over temp exhaust just drive the car at night, wait until the slow down message appears and pull over and open your engine bay. If one or other of your Cats is glowing red hot then you actually do have a problem . More likely neither will be glowing and you simply have a false alarm.
     
  18. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,940
    USA
    I would scan for codes if the "check engine" light was illuminated....they should be stored, even if now off. If the "slow down" light was illuminated, it is possible he may have a problem with a catalyst ECU or thermoprobe....but I am reaching here...just a quick guess, (so tread carefully with my comments). But if the "slow down" light was illuminated, it may have shut down a bank...so he was running on 4 cylinders...which would explain the power loss. I would not drive the car further until properly diagnosed.
     
  19. SB 360

    SB 360 Rookie

    Apr 15, 2012
    7
    Thanks to Ferrari Dublin and everyone else for the help! I'm going to have it towed to the Ferrari dealership and hope its just a small electrical issue.

    SB 360
     
  20. Mitch Alsup

    Mitch Alsup F1 Veteran

    Nov 4, 2003
    9,267
    My guess is two fold:
    A) if you take the car to the Ferrari qualified mechanic it probably won't cost that much
    B) If you try to debug it further yourself, it will probably cost more when you do take it in.

    And:
    C) 7 year old car with 3,500 miles on it is nothing less than shameful.
     
  21. SB 360

    SB 360 Rookie

    Apr 15, 2012
    7
    Thanks Mitch and I agree! It's going in tomorrow and i hope to be driving it a ton over the summer!
     

Share This Page