Hi guys - when i'm standing still in traffic my temperature gague gets super hot! it goes all the way to the last bold line before the red. The only way i can get it to cool down is if i get going about 50mph+ in 5th gear for about 2 miles then it settles back down to the center temp line . Has anyone had an issue like this before? I'm hoping its something simple, but here were my ideas below. 1) possibly air trapped in the cooling system that needs to be let out? 2) need a new thermostat maybe? 3) maybe the temp gauges in the cockpit are faulty? 4) need a new water pump maybe? 5) head gasket maybe? I neeed to pull the engine to get to the water pump right? Thanks for the help as always. BB
You left one possible (and very probable IMO) reason off your list: 6) your electric radiator fans are not working (and since coachwork motion "solves" the problem, I'd confirm/deny this as a first step).
Steve - You're right i did leave that off. They do in fact kick on, albeit a little late. And they don't do anything to cool the engine at all. Fans are on, and the temp continues to rise. BB
That's unfortunate (that they are working). Never hurts to ensure the cooling system is properly full/bled (so no reason not to do/check that), and, although you do get more air flowing thru the engine compartment and radiators at speed, I wouldn't have guessed that the better cooling when moving would overcome conditions like a blown head gasket, broken water pump, stuck thermostat, etc. (all things that would add more heat as you ask the engine to make more power).
The system appears full. I will try to bleed to see if that helps but i'm a bit skeptical that it could be that simple. Have you ever used any of these coolant additives that supposedly make your engine run cooler? BB
I will go out to the garage and chedck this now. I know for sure the left side is working but i wasn't smart enought to check the right side too. Will get back to you shortly. This friggin problem is not letting me get sleep. I just bought this car and i'm afraid i'm going to have to pull the engine already. BB
Worse case, you are fairly close to some of the bset Ferrari techs around---Give them a ring www.competizionecars.com
allright so i think we narrowed it down. it's my right side radiator fan that's not kickin in at all. Left side is all good. The fuse that feeds the fan appears to be working fine. So in my simple head it appears to me that the only two items left are the relay that controls the right radiator fan, or the actual fan itself. i was going to take the relay from the working fan and put it in the slot of the non-working fan to see if i could isolate the issue even further but i was worried about blowing the relay and having no fans. Think this is a concern? Thanks again for the help. BB
Does the fan blade spin on the non-working fan if you manually spin it? If it does you should be able to switch relays without burning it up Additives to the coolant can help a little, but your problem seems to be a little more than just some additives.
The right side fan does not come on at the same time as the left - it has a different control circuit and is a fall-back Check out the 355 section I'm sure there are several threads about this (search maybe '355 right fan' ) The chances are it is not a major problem - my first drive had the same issue - low water plus check contacts etc
When you say the fan is working ("all good"), do you mean that you can actually see the fan blades turning, and you can actually feel the air moving, or is it possible that you are just hearing the fan MOTOR turning? I believe there have been several instances here where the fan motor on a 355 is turning, but the blades are sitting still, and no air is moving through the radiator, hence no cooling effect. If you haven't checked yet, you should also look and see if a plastic bag or something has blown up into the duct in front of the radiator, blocking the air flow. Good luck!
On the left side of the car i can hear the fan, and i can feel the airflow. On the right side of the car, I don't feel any airflow at all. The two temperature gauges in the cockpit are > 3/4 of the way to the hot side, and still no airflow on teh right side. This is why i think my right fan is dead for some reason. What should i check? Thanks for the help. BB
the right side fan is controlled via the engine ecu and will come on at about 200degs. you wait a while typically for that to kick in if at all as the left fan should maintain temp under 195. most folk see improvement when the fans are upgraded/replaced several threads on this.
Don't panic, it's all been done before. I have heard of temp sensors / switches going bad, motors going bad, relays too. But none of the issues are really costly. I have to admit, I agree with Robbie. Drop it off at Competizione. I only say that because they are good and they are close (if you were in Timbuktu it would be different). You are lucky, might as well take advantage of all the assets at hand. Good luck, and hope to see you around on the road (running cooler) in the future!
Thanks guys. I'm going to get this into compitizione right after the holiday. thanks for the help everyone.
I would confirm power to the right side fan...pretty simple to do, just remove tire, and fender liner....warm up car to operating temp and connect up a multimeter and watch for 12 to 14 volts to show up. If it does, then you simply need a new fan motor, a common failure item. BTW, get the new fan motor here, way cheaper than the dealer or independant Ferrari parts house: http://www.the-fan-man.com/shop/size-pull-part-2049-p-219.html?osCsid=c5b9027f5137ba744d1d40e666124cd1 The only thing you have to do is splice the connector from your old motor onto the new motor.
F355spider Good thinking here. Great way to really isolate the issue. Did you go this this problem yourself'? thanks. BB
Ok so i think i've narrowed the issue down even further. I took off the right wheel and fender liner to get into the right fan motor. I directly sent power from the relay switch to the fan and made it come on manually. So therefore the system is working fine from the relay all the way to the fan. My issue is before the relay switch. At this point I'm thinking i could have a bunk temperature switch. Does anyone know if the temperature switch on the left side radiator has anything to do with the right hand fan coming on? The owners manual implies that the temp switch controls both fans but it's not totally clear. Any suggestions guys? Thanks again. Bobby
No, the right side fan is tripped by the coolant temp sensor for the 5.2 Motronic box, behind the passenger seat (left side fan is controlled by a themoswitch connected directly into the left side radiator). The coolant temp sensor itself is located just to the right of the oil filter housing. It has a bluish/gray connector on it. The Work Shop Manual gives the specs for that Bosch temp sensor, so you could remove it and test it...or you could simply replace it (about $25 with a new washer), BUT, the Motronic is "supposed" to be able to detect a bad sensor and set off a "check engine" light if it is not working correctly. BTW, there was a thread here somewhere where master tech Dave Helms mentionied a problem with the fuse box on 355's causing power loss to the radiator fans. You might want to remove your fuse box and inspect it from the back and see if all the connections are good, and nothing has melted or deformed badly enough to break continuity of the connection, before messing with the water temp sensor.
In my experience I have never seen a check engine light for a switch that fails to run the radiator fan. I am not sure what the failure threshold for the CEL is but it is not the same as for a fan run failure. But you are correct, with the age these cars are getting to the failure could be anywhere. I would throw a switch in it but in our situation time is money and a $25 part doesn't even show on the RADAR screen.
I am hardly a Motronic expert (so bear with me), I was only saying the Motronic can supposedly detect a (bad right side fan) coolant temp sensor, not the left side fan thermo switch. In other works it cannot detect a bad switch, but can detect a bad sensor. There was a thread a while back where someone got a "check engine" light for a bad coolant temp sensor on their 355, and replaced it...though they had no real symptons they were aware of, either of cold idle problem or overheating.
So there could be hope that the RH fan is not coming on because of a bad coolant temp sensor that's located to the right of the oil filter housing? Did I understand this correctly? Does this sensor have anything to do with the operation of my left side fan? Thanks. BB
Brian- You have done this a bunch more than I have, but the 355 WSM seems to say the right hand fan cools both the oil cooler and right hand radiator and is turned on by the Motronic using a sensor in the oil circuit showing 95 deg C, not a sensor in the water circuit. Let me know if I misread it. Has happened before. Tried to post the pages, but the system will not let me. B79, B71 and B69 are the relevant pages. Taz Terry Phillips
Taz, You have the relevant pages. Look closely at page B69, and at figure 52 as described. Note sensor identified as "16"....that is the Bosch coolant temp sensor for the Motronic I am describing, called a "water NTC sensor" in the diagram. You can see it pictured here being replaced:http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=159777&highlight=355+coolant+temp+sensor I replaced mine, but did not need to remove the expansion tank to do so...but I did lose a bit of coolant doing so, as it is a tight space to work in.
