Step 2 was removal of the top heat shield, which consisted of four 10mm nuts. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
As Ernie shrewdly advised us in his thread, we do not want the muffler being held up by the cats, so the next step was to use the floor jack to support the muffler before I removed the fasteners on the bracket that hold the muffler up. By the way, do you like my matching floor jack and jack stands? Nobody can accuse me of not being colour coordinated (actually, believe it or not I did not plan the jack and stands to be yellow, it is pure coincidence honest) Image Unavailable, Please Login
Next step, I removed the bolts inside that bracket that fasten the muffler in its place. These are both 13mm fasteners, so you will need either two 13mm sockets or a 13mm wrench and a 13mm socket. Of course there is one on each side of the muffler, but I only took a pic of the one side (left side) because I know the 348 Brotherhood ingenious Image Unavailable, Please Login
No worries Ernie, I got your back on this one Inspection plate consists of four 8mm nuts. Image Unavailable, Please Login
This part I had a tought time with. It was more cumbersome than it was difficult, and here is where removal of the bumpe would have been a tremendous benefit. Nevertheless, my will and determination got me through it. Removal of the fasteners for the muffler to the cats, 13mm on each side and you will need a wrench on both, otherwise you will be spinning perpetually. One on the bottom, one on the top for each side of the muffler Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here is a shot from underneath looking up without the muffler to show how much room you have with the bumper still on. Image Unavailable, Please Login
A couple more pics to show how much room Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
These pics are taken from Ernie's thread, so Ernie gets the credit for this It is a 10mm wrench that you need for this operation. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Now simply just go around the bell housing and remove each bolt, there is a total of eight bolts, and a 13mm socket is what you will need for this procedure. You do not remove this one located in the top right corner when facing the bell housing from the rear of the car (Ernie is pointing to it with a bolt). Again, credit goes to Ernie for pointing this out and this is his picture. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Now I was set to remove the bell housing. Pic 1 is Ernie using a ratchet to wiggle it loose Pic 2 is another location, circled in red, where you can wiggle it loose from Pic 3 is Ernie removing the bell housing Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
So here is the bell housing, I have no clue what to do next (what have I done - paging ALL stooges, paging ALL stooges, need DIRE assistance ) I had a quick peak inside as it sits there, there is fluid in there right at the spot where that red arrow is pointing, but I do not know what it is....however with that said I would think that is perfectly normal as there should be some fluid in there. Image Unavailable, Please Login
A look at the condition - there is grease all over that, it is not even close to being as clean as Ernies. Also, the triple seals do not appear to be leaking but I will take Ernie's advice and change them now while that thing is apart (it's gonna have to be done soon anyways). Pic # 4 is Ernie's, I posted it to compare how clean his is to mine. I am not sure if that grease mess in mine is a bad thing, or a sign that something is splattering grease and it shouldn't be...I will need an expert to tell me what's going on. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Brave stuff, Mike. Just wondering... is there any particular reason it seems shiny from 2 O'clock to 6 O'clock and brown elsewhere? Or is that normal/inconsequential or just the camera flash? All the best, Andrew.
I couldn't get a good angle on the TO bearing, but from what I can see there is nothing wrong with it physically, it is still all in one piece - by that, I mean that it looks nothing the one I saw in a different thread where someone posted a "blown out TO bearing". I may need to remove it to inspect it better but I will not dare touch anything else until the Stooges advise me on what to do next. So I sit here and wait.... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
So far it looks as though the seals in your throw out have had it. How does the back side of it look? Is the back end blown out, or is it in once piece?
You can say that again - I have never worked on any car - that's right, ANY car, let alone a Ferrari...unless oil changes count . But with the encouragement of everyone who posted here, and that 45-minute conversation I had with Ernie, I suddenly grew a set of "Ferrari Tech Balls" Do you mean pic # 4? That is Ernie's, so I am not sure. If you mean pic 1 or pic 3, that is mine, and it would be from the flash as the grease is about evenly spread out except along the bottom where it is heavier or greasier than the rest.
Ernie, from what I can see it is still in one piece, not blown out or cracked, not even a scratch on it. But I still would like to take it off to have a look at the back of it, is that possible? Also, is that grease all over the place (more heavy along the bottom) a cause for concern, or is that normal? Does that mean I need to re-pack with grease?
Yeah you can. You will need to remove the two bolts holding the TO stop the the back of the gearbox housing, and then slide the TO off the slave cylinder.
It looks more like clutch dust mixed with break fluid. You will really need to have a look inside the bell housing/pumpkin to check for grease coming from the flywheel. But like I said, to me I looks as though it's clutch dust & break fluid.
I just had another closer look, and it looks perfect to me. Here are 2 pics, but I actually stuck my head right in there and did a 360 degree inspection, and it is not blown out anywhere. The only thing I saw was the grease along the bottom, which easily wiped off with a rag. Also, the bearing on the inside of the TO spun freely only when I used my finger, and as soon as I stopped spinning it she stopped dead - should it continue to spin freely and then come to stop slowly on its own? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I was looking at this one... edited in green to highlight the areas I was wondering about. All the best, Andrew. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Two more things before I call it a night: 1) There was absolutely ZERO fluid that leaked out when I removed the bell housing, I was under the impression that some brake fluid would seep out. That wasn't the case. 2) I just had a look at the triple seals - are those supposed to be on tight, or at least snug? If so, I am in trouble, because they are loose. There is nothing leaking from them, but if I push on either the top or bottom of them, the entire seal shifts.
I think you just fixed the problem I was having . Now I can simply put it back together Joking aside, that is definitely the flash from the camera, the colour on that unit is uniform.
