Another 355 major underway! :)

I was using the NGK Iridiums CR7EIX. There is some question as to if the CR7EIX is too short for the application. I will ask FOS to confirm. I noticed absolutely no difference in operation or performance between the two. I figure I will just go back to the oem ones. But the Iridiums are supposed to be better (according to NGK literature) and are less expensive by a few dollars each, which was my reason for trying them. If they are too short in the nose, then that might be a problem in ignition?

 

I am a business owner myself... and yes, for PROFIT! But my markup averages 30-60%, not 300-1000%!
I dont know how you run your business there, but in the USA... GREED is the ONLY motivation for most businesses anymore.
The misconception that all Ferrari owners are filthy rich is why parts cost 300-1000% more than they should (or are worth), and labor rates are 4-6 times that of any other mechanics!
A belt is a belt... Ferrari or Ford, turning bolts is turning bolts... Ferrari or Ford, factory certification is just that... Ferrari or Ford! SO you tell me why everything involved with a Ferrari costs 5-10 times more than a Ford.. and quite often of significantly INFERIOR quality!?

Perhaps a clear understanding is what i'm lacking to make sense of this madness!

PS ~ "f355spider" I didnt mean for you to get your thread hijacked like this... sorry dude, i'm done.

 

I'll should apologize also...sorry Hugh...Just my little stupid rant

 

I did some preliminary research on your spark plug choice at sparkplug.com. They recommend the CR8EIX for the 355. The CR7 is generally used in ATV/Cycle applications. Good news, the dimensions are identical. (3/4" reach) They should not be "to short". Who recommended the 7's?

 

The 7 or 8 denotes the heat range. An 8 is colder than a 7. I do not see how NGK could possibly rate two different heat range plugs as equivalent.

Read more on this thread about the cross reference. I also posted later in the thread about the possible length issues with a picture I obtained from a friend. Neither a buddy nor myself noticed these differences during installation in our cars, but we did not measure either. I will report back from FoS on the length differences to ensure that it was not just a fluke what was found last time.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35455&highlight=355+iridium

 

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Just took my plugs out, NGK Iridium 7's were in there. I'm thinking of sticking with the 7 heat range...

 

What was the part number?

 

The madness isn't as bad as it sounds I think the real thing we all have trouble with is the exorbitant F parts cost, which unfortunately in large part is due to low production volume. So there is some venting on Fchat, then we all take a deep breath and go back to enjoying the best cars ever produced

Hopefully you'll stick around here on Fchat and set us straight when we dream up crazy upgrade / maintenance ideas!

And I would suggest this isn't much of a thread hijack, any thread that says 'major' in the title inevitably ends up in a cost discussion.

 

Please correct me if I am wrong but I thought the NGK plug specified for the F355 was the PMR7A?

 

You are correct. That is the factory oem specified plug.

 

The replacement plugs are now the NGK PMR8A platimum tip.

This is what is in the 430 and 599.

I had PMR7A in mine and recently changed to the A's.

No problems here other than pure pleasure driving.

Hope this helps.

 

That is one heat range colder than the original plugs. Are you certain this is approved? I will check with FoS on this. BTW, the 430 uses the PMR8B...the 360 uses the PMR8A. But these are different cars and different engines than the 355.

 

That's what mine had, PMR7A

 

The PMR8A is indeed the correct plug now for the 355, I have confirmed that with Mark Glenwood the service manager at FoS. Attached are pictures he took of the difference between a CR7EIX versus the PMR8A. Note the length of the nose. Too short. While my car run fine, and emissions were normal, it is obvious that the plugs appear too cold for the application. Mark surmises this may be due to the shorter nose. So let's be clear, the CR7EIX and CR8EIX are not appropriate for this application, though they may fit and appear to run okay.

My thanks to Mark for taking the time to photograph and share this information.
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I dropped by today to snap a few more pictures. The transaxle seal replacement work was completed on Friday. Several seals were replaced and this necessitated removal of the transaxle from the engine. As long as they were there, Cesar went ahead and replaced the old style two piece rear main seal with the new one piece seal. This also has three sealing surfaces as opposed to the two sealing surfaces on the older style seal.

On the front of the engine, the rebuilt water pump is installed and the accessory drive belts are on, and timing belt covers installed. Cesar is now replacing all the rubber boots on the Amp Junior Timer connectors as they are all cracked and rotted. There are a lot of them, perhaps 14 or more. To replace the boots you have to have the special tool to remove the pins out of each connector in order to disassemble and remove the old boot and install the new one. The old "accordian style" boots are apparently unavailable, so they are using a solid style boot. They look to be more durable.
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I cannot imagine what your final bill there will be.

 

unfortunately for me I can imagine very well

 

Unfortunatly for the dealer no matter what they charge they wil be crucified on Fchat for charging to much.

 

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And why? Because it's TRUE!

But I will say that the cheapest part I bought from a dealer was .89 cents, and it stayed that cheap because I did my own work. What was the part? The little plastic clip that holds the wire to the lever, to open the door.

 

Well I tried to avoid that with my post #13, but this thread has regrettably already slid down that slope.....

 

I agree dealer prices are high, you are paying for a service, key word is "service"......

355spider has chosen to have his major done at the dealer, at the end of the day his car will fetch more money than an owner maintained car.....Everybody on here talks about the cars on Ebay and "service records"....

I don't make this stuff up....Review old posts.....



If you enjoy your own work that's fine but I can't quite grasp the cheap concept yet....There is nothing cheap about a Ferrari, I don't care if Santa Claus brings you a major service kit, there still is no such thing as a cheap Ferrari....That is why I like them.
If they were cheap, everybody would have one.....

 

I agree, and I think we're all on the same page here. Nobody is crucifying a dealer for a 'normal' major service, which itself we all know is a bit pricey...but it is what it is (there is occasional crucifying, but that's saved for the extremes like the Ebay 355 with a $28k major). I would never knock somebody for having a dealer do a major because of the 'pros' mentioned above - resale, convenience, and some guarantee of the work. I'm choosing to do my own work because personally that is half of the ownership reward. The other pros of doing it yourself include having time to clean / detail the whole motor while it's out, and saving the $ on labor and parts. I don't see a big deal with sharing what a 355 major cost at a dealer though - it helps the community and is fair warning to aspiring owners. If you've done the research you know it will be $7k - 10k give or take.

Back to the tech details...f355spider, I'm very jealous of those new clean sensor boots! Those bother me on mine, most are cracked and apparently not easy to fix without the dealer tool. Hmm...I think Ernie needs to figure that one out and post another how to!