HELP PLEASE! 1987 328 GTS

Hi,
I have been unable to fix a stalling problem with my 1987 328 GTS. It started when the engine wouldn't fire - the engine turned over but did not start. It sounded like a fuel delivery problem so I took it to my mechanic who said that the fuel pump was okay but that the fusebox needed repair (the relays were fine too). He rebuilt the box and the car started fine.

He kept it for a week to test and had no problems (my idea as I usually take long drives).
When I took the car out it stalled again after about an hour and had to be towed back.

Then got it going again (without finding anything) AND AGAIN kept it and drove it for days. THEN AGAIN I picked up the car and it stalled less than 5 kms later. It is now at the garage for the third time.

Except for maybe the car doesn't like me )-;, the only thing I can think of is that when they test it they probably short shift and keep the speed and revs down. When I drive it, I don't necessarily go fast but I do run the revs up to where they should be and where a Ferrari seems happy.

Any insights or suggestions may earn you a place in my last will and testament. (-;

Thank you.

 

Does the car have trouble starting after being warmed up? If so it could be the Fuel Accumulator. Not sure what it does...but believe it maintains a positive constant fuel presssure to the injectors. Mine went bad....but my problem was occaisonal hard cold starts and very frequent hard hot starts......

 

Had the same problem and did the same as you a couple of years ago. Rebuilt the CIS new electric stuff. Mechanic drove it. Fine. I drove it. Wouldn't run. At least three times. Lost the whole driving season. Then I told them we changed everything but the fuel pump so change that too. Presto. Problem solved.

 

Thanks. I will look into this.

 

Thank you very much for the information. What is the "CIS"? And what was "everything" that you changed before the fuel pump. I've changed/checked/rebuilt, etc. the relays, fuse block, checked the wiring etc. etc. Can you think of anything that I might have overlooked?

I will go ahead and put in a new fuel pump regardless, but I just want to make sure that there isn't something else I can have done at the same time.

Thank you VERY VERY much for your help.

 

CIS is the fuel injection system... we worked on the injectors and just in case it wasn't fuel did wires, sparkplugs, extenders, fuel filters, changed out coils

 

How does the mechanic know the relays are fine? I have an '87 328 with a relay that would drop out every once and a while. It nearly drove me crazy until it (thankfully) dropped out for good. Then the problem and fix became obvious.

Were the relays merely checked or were they replaced? In the aforementioned, the relay in question always checked out ok until it finally would not work at all.

If you can get the vehicle to quit while it is at home you could attach and ground a spare spark plug (lawnmower plug will do). Get someone to crank the engine and look for spark. If it sparks, the problem is fuel. Some prefer an inductance type tester for this procedure but since I neither have a pacemaker nor an inductance tester, I merely use an extra spark plug.

 

Thanks for the tip. I will get new relays. When turning the key to ignition position I couild hear and feel the relay click, so I assumed they were working. Is this not the case?

Thanks again.

 

It may or may not be the case. Relays are little electromagnets. They get warm. If there is a problem in the winding they can turn off until they cool off. Some relays have other electrical components in them that can not work properly when they get a little warm. That is what mine did to me. Intermittent electrical problems can drive you nuts.

There are some fellows on this list who are very good at figuring this sort of thing out. I noticed your first post on this was yesterday. Give it a little time for more knowledgeable Ferrari chatters to notice your post. They really enjoy deducing these problems.

It may not be a relay problem. I'm just citing how one caused an intermittent problem with my car.

Good luck with it.

 

This is just to piggyback, but not my personal experience. I purchased my car from someone who had worked at a Ferrari dealer for some time. On my car before my purchase he replaced every relay and fuse just as a matter of maintenance or preventative care. I've had no electrical issues on my car. They are becoming old cars where everything can become suspect. Good luck.

 

Good advice. That's what I eventually did. No problems since.

 

I wish I could point you in the right direction but the prior owner said he purchased a kit from somewhere that had everything needed, all relays and fuses, for the car for under $200. I thought he said low $100.00s. It was a blur the day I picked up the car, but I remember him telling me he did that and the kit and a price.

 

You can help with a better diagnosis if you can learn (when you have the problem) to unplug the safety switch on the airflow metering device (push the wire strap down and pull to disconnect) and turn the key "on" (engine not running). Under those conditions, the fuel pump should run (and you should be able to hear it "humming"). If you do this, and the fuel pump doesn't run = problem with the fuel pump or the fuel pump electrics. If you do this and the fuel pump does run, try starting it (in this condition) -- if it still won't start, that would be a clue that you don't have any ignition (although you could also use a timing light during starter motor cranking, when it won't start, to confirm/deny the ignition).
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In the event that it is not a fuel delivery problem, you may also wish to investigate the ignition for a problem. You mentioned that your driving style involves high revs, and that the problem only presents itself when you are doing the driving........this also suggests faulty ignition rotors as a possible cause.

Often when the 3x8 rotors start to wear out, the adhesive that bonds / pots the 2-piece metal conductor tab to the plastic housing fails allowing an "open circuit" to develop within the rotor tab assembly. This fault is more likely to appear when the engine is revved high --- as the pieces tend to separate more under the increased centrifugal forces.

It's very easy to pull a distributor cap and inspect the rotor for obvious damage to rule this possibility in / out.

 

If he thought it was the fuse box...he could be right; in a way...the connectors to it are notorious for causing glitches (I'm experiencing a few now). One way to check is to remove the cover panel to the relay box, remove the bolts holding the box, and let it hang by the wires. This relieves one type of stress placed on the connectors and sometimes restores functions. If this happens, recondition the connectors. I will be doing his myself and posting when I've learned the method. I've already rebuilt my relay board. Good luck!