Ok got one of these in (355) and of course it has no manual with it so... how the heck do you check the oil level? with the car cold I am getting no oil on the dip stick. added a quart, was fine, went to start it next day and checked it first, no oil on stick, so started car and checked and now its way too high. It seems to fall back into crankcase from overflow tank when sitting, so do I check it warm or cold? Sorry for the stupid question but am more used to older more simpler cars. the last thing I want to do is screw up this lovely machine by running it too low or too full.
And the corallary to the above is that you overfilled the oil probably and you will suck overflow into your intake making for nice smoke trail out the back. So...you will probably have to either warm the car, stop it, try and turkey baster some oil out of the oil tank before it settles or drain it from below. Too much oil fouls stuff then you start throwing codes.
Please do some research ... check it while it is running-engine hot @ idle. Has a dry sump system. You may have over filled it. You can mess things up by doing this. I would advise having some one who know these cars to go over the basics before you go much further. There is a handy little thing called a "owners manual"....
As mentioned, your car is a dry sump, and you must check the oil only when full warmed up, with oil temp at least at 170 degrees F. To check, open engine lid, and have a couple rags handy. Shut down engine, and unscrew cap and measure. I like to wipe and screw it back in for a second check to confirm. Waiting more than 30 seconds, the oil will return back and your measurement will be incorrect, reading lower than it truly is. Only read immediatly after shut down. Get a manual, it is super important, there are many idiosyncrasies like this on a Ferrari, that you may not be familiar with.
Ping TAZ... you will find him in the 550 section. He knows the online place to download a 355 manual for free and right now. I forget the address but TAZ knows.
Thats what I thought but wanted to double check. So will drain it before starting it again and will ping Taz and all but just for one more stupid question...whats the capacity of this system ideally filled?
typical rookie mistake. congrats on new car! can you check the oil level while engine is still on? or will that give a false reading?
Shawn- Already e-mailed you the info, but here is where you can download owner's manuals and workshop manuals for most Ferraris for people who do not have the url. Taz Terry Phillips http://www.ferraridatabase.com/The_Downloads/Downloads.htm
You will find that basic questions like these have been asked and answered dozens of times so if you need a quick answer its always worth trying a 'search'
Important point here: don't replace the turkey baster in the kitchen afterwards... it might seriously annoy your other half. All the best, Andrew.
9.5 liters (exactly 10 quarts) of dino juice. Please be careful checking oil - it's really easy to drip some oil onto the hot manifolds and get one heck of a smokey mess going. Ask me how I know.
Shawn. Just to make sure that you don't find yourself with an overfill again........ 9.5 litres is indeed the capacity of the system. However, after removing the oil drain plug (only) you will only remove about 8 to 8.1/2 litres - the rest stays in the oil radiator and reservoir and some of the piping. So, unless you plan to disconnect pipes to completely drain the system, I would advise you to add only 8 litres. You can then bring it to the correct level (probably need another 1/2 litre) when you check the level when everything is hot.
and yes, I already have a turkey baster that she will never get back, from use on my other cars, but given the placement of this unit think it best to drain the system versus sucking it out and dripping oil all over the relatively clean (less than 7k) motor. Yeah I know several people are now going to tell me I need to replace the timing belt even though it has only 7k on it but I just dont buy that crap. I have had many Italian cars with Glismer belts for many years and they really dont fail in less than 30k unless exposed to extreme conditions. I will be your guinea pig on that one if you wish.
No such thing as a stupid question, just stupid answers! Enjoy your car and ask all the questions you want. These guys are always eager to help.
Hmm it took roughly 20 years to put 7k on this engine? So to reach 30k, assuming you drive it in a similar manner, will take another 65 years or so... so by your logic it will get a new timing belt in 2075? I say, that's a great way to keep the cost of ownership way down... stretching the dollar, so-to-speak...
Ferrari keeps the owners' manuals online at ferrari.com: http://www.ferrari.com/English/Pages/Home.aspx Just register. Free to all owners. Go to My Ferrari then "car manuals"
Glismer? Do you mean Gilmer? And the odds are in your favor...just remember though, that occasionally it does not work out. I personally have spoken to a 355 owner, a Mondial owner and 308 owner that have had the teeth shear on their belts and cause a lot of engine damage. The 355 owner was only 7 years out, and of course not that many miles. But for every case, there are probably 3 or 4 times as many owners that go that far with no problem. Just up to you whether you feel lucky. Me? I am never lucky... A couple questions: Did those cars make 375 hp and run to 8500 rpm? Are the tires similarly aged? Do you buy that those should be replaced after 7 or 8 years, regardless of miles? Seriously, if you simply putter around under 4k rpm and never push the car, you are fine...wait until the rubber parts rot off the car. But if you are driving like Enzo intended, I would take maintenance more seriously. I don't go for the 3 year recommendation either, but have rationalized that 5 years is reasonable for my driving habits. What is practical is up to each owner. But I am trying to avoid a visit to "Enginefxr" as long as possible... lol
well no, my maserati, alfas, and fiats dont have 375 HP (the maser has like 225 I think), and I dont red line the motor so maybe I will be OK. The car will get more action now..its been a museum piece most of its life. This thing does generate a bit more heat behind my head than i expected, so that certainly will degrade a belt sooner than later. Still trying to figure out why a 200k car has belts and an interference motor. Were they trying to cut costs there in maranello? Maybe the car is so bullet proof otherwise they felt the need to do something that requires you to come back to the service department (sure yeah) I was going to buy a 456 but just cant get over a v12 with belts...its sacrilege. will keep driving my 400 thank you very much. It is a great car though...am enjoying it now that I know how to check my oil an all. thanks again for all your help and support.
