Please help! I'm so SAD!!

My 1987 328 GTS has suddenly lost power.
It is idling lower than it used to (>500 RPM) whereas it used to be between 500 and 1000 RPM. It actually stalled out at the stop sign on a highway off ramp.

It certainly has NO pickup at all. I used to be able to start easily from 2nd gear, no way now. Even starting in first feels more like some 4 cylinder econo box. Engine doesn't sound right either.

This all started just after I had it washed at a charity car wash. It was just a quick little hose down, soap up and rinse. Engine compartment was closed, of course, and it was hot when washed, so any water would have evaporated right away. Really, it was not much more than being out in the rain for a few minutes.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I'm wondering if it might be related to fuel delivery - pressure? flow? What about spark? Feels like it's only running on 4 cylinders, and it doesn't start up as well as before.

Any help or toll free numbers to depression hotlines would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance to all who respond.

 

Sounds like water in a distributor cap. Might dry out on it's own, but you could always pull them and clean them out. Other possibilities include a bad coil/coil wire, but given the circumstances I'd bet on the cap.

Don't drive it like this, you're asking for a fire since half the fuel is going unused into the exhaust system.

 

2 quick and easy possibilities. 1 is that you have water in the spark plug holes. If they are not sealed tightly water can get down in there. 2. You have a burnt spark plug extender. This happen to mine recently with the exact same symptoms your are noting. Pull each of the spark plug wires and inspect the cone shaped extenders for any small round burn marks. I got lucky and found the burnt extender on my second try. I bought 4 used ones from a local ferrari used parts store and was back in business within a couple hours.They may show signs of burning on the outside of the cone shaped extender as well as inside. If one of these is bad you will have a poor running engine. My bet is on a burnt extender. Good luck.

 

+1. I have seen this before when washing a motor. Pull out all your spark plug covers and blow out the holes with air.

 

++2 real common after a car wash. We always tell clients to cover the engine with a big towel when washing to prevent excess water getting in the plug holes. Front bank (below rear window) is most common area. Pull the caps and blow out the water.

 

I'm hopeful it's just the water in the plug holes, but I'll be the bad guy and say you lost a coil/coil controller.

You need to try to start it momentarily with one of the coil packs disconnected to see which side is the culprit. It will start on one side, and if it doesn't start, there is your bad side. DO NOT run it for any length of time on one side as the cat will wildly overheat if you do have bank failure.

Good luck - we are all here for you!

 

Thanks for all the great tips.

If it turns out to be something basic like the water or coils then this will be a GREAT Father's day present.

I'll have a look first thing tomorrow after my breakfast in bed. (Burnt toast, Count Chokula, etc.)

Thanks again.

 

Wouldn't the SLOW DOWN warning light come on?

 

from my experience, in about 3 or so minutes if it is working

 

So, can this also happen when the car is driven, say, during heavy rains?

Thanks.

 

If it rains that hard, better get to an ark. If the engine was hot, water shouldn't accumulate in the spark plug wells. Someone would have to stand there with a hose trained on the engine compartment for that much water to get in. The steam would have attracted a lot of attention. There is condensation and/or corrosion somewhere....probably inside one of the distributors. Get some steel wool and knock off all of the green stuff on the major connections, especially the coil wire.

 

I checked the rear (easily accessible) bank of spark plugs and they were all bone dry with absolutely no evidence of corrosion. To be honest, I can't see HOW ANY water could get it there, certainly not from the top where the wire goes in.

I went on to check the coils. When I disconnected one, the car would start and idle much like it did when I first noticed the problem. When I unplugged that one and plugged in the other one (for the forward bank nearest the passenger compartment), it would turn over but not start.

Question:

Should I replace both coils at this time?
Do they come with other ancilliary parts which should be changed too?

Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You have a bad coil pack/controller - they used to be about $300 six or so years ago.

Ferrari only sells these as a set. I would recommend just changing one. This would be easy and fast, if a bit dear. I am told there was a lot of bad coil packs that were made in 1988 that are susceptable to this; you may have one, you may have two. I've never verified this.

If you want to screw around a bit, the coil pack consists of the coil itself and the little triangular coil controller doofer on top. I am also told that this is what may go bad, and actually cross-fit to several other applications. You can remove the bad coil controller and take it to a smart import or Bosch store to see if it cross matches. I am also pretty sure that the Bosch cross reference part number is indeed buried in the old FerrariChat archives.

Good luck!

 

DO NOT drive/travel without a can of WD-40 in your car. If you have your car washed open the engine lid and spray WD-40 liberally on the two coils, all the ignition wires and the distributor caps before you try to start the engine. It will displace any water. Spraying before starting will possibly avoid a short to ground of the high voltage which may save a coil or ignition module from damage. If you get caught in a downpour and your car has a history of problems in the wet then pull over, shut if down and spray when weather permits.

It sounds like something is not sealing well. I've washed my 328 engine with liberal amounts of water and driven in the rain without issues.

Based on your description I think this cannot be one or two bad extenders. It sounds like you lost a whole bank so more likely a coil or distributor cap.

 

I'm still betting on condensation/water in the cap, and maybe even a cracked cap that let the water in. I had this exact same issue the first time I washed my 328 after I bought it.

You know which bank isn't firing, pull that cap and make sure it's dry inside.

 

Problem fixed. Thanks to all for the great tips and suggestions.
Turns out that the module on one of the coils was fried. Apparently they do die eventually, like light bulbs.
Replacement cost was $200 each, I did both. Car runs very very nize!!!!!!!!

Thanks again!