Quattroporte III catch-all thread

Hi where are you located? My US version has the cruise control. I am not sure if it was an option but it looks like it was added in the US perhaps by the importer who felt it was a basic need on a luxury car. That's what it feels like. Not a cheap aftermarket add on but something done by an importer.

I have seen two and they were the same. I will see if I can get a picture of it to post.
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Yes Qvale added cruise control to some if requested. I even added it to my Biturbo myself.
But that was the electric servo kind as there's not all that much vacuum available in turbo cars.
I cut my turn signal stalk and slipped the new one over it so that I still had the same number of stalks in the car.

 

Hi Finishing an Article on the QP III. Looking for bits to add in. Anyone have bits to contribute. This week only.!!!

 

Hi I will dig out some pictures. Where did you get the toolkits?

 

I bought two jacks from MIE some time back. Still get angry about the loss of tools and jacks from when I got the car painted and stored….. Paint shop blames storage and storage blamed paint shop.
Ciao for now

 

It looks like a piano hinge is used for the side compartments. The antenna motor cover is held on by two screws into the side panel underneath and a flange that is secured by the fuel tank cover (mine is off - have to clean the tank). I don't have the jack or tool kit and can't see where they were mounted. I thought it was odd that after all the care taken to carpet even the normally invisible spare tire well, they put the rear electrical box in plain sight.
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Here's a shot from a while back. I don't think my antenna is original so this might not be useful to you.
Does anybody know where that red hose goes? I think its a vent for the gas tank but not sure and didn't really spend much time looking into it at the time.
Thanks,
Tony
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Hi Tony,

The original antenna is a Hirsch and the red tube is a drain line for the cable housing.

 

The original antenna is the Hirschmann Auta 9600 Amplified antenna. It was very short - only 3 segments - so many people think it is stuck in. They kept it short and amplified it. IT was also all black.

It will try to send some pictures. Here is what I posted earlier from an expert:
The aerial you have is a Hirschmann Hitromatic AUTA 6900, order code
920086011. These were fairly unusual in so much as they had a short
three section 40 cm mast, and therefore had an amplifier for the
signal. They were also switch operated rather than automatic. The
replacement mast for them is part number 820253011. I have checked
with Hirschmann Germany and unfortunately they were discontinued in
the 1980's and no stock remains of either aerial or mast.
It is unlikely you will easily find replacements as they were not, as
far as I know fitted to any large production models as original
equipment but sold mostly as an after-market aerial and presumably in
smallish numbers to Maserati. They were not fitted as OE to Jaguar
Mercedes or Porsche, nor are they similar to the aerial that were.

 

I didn't want to pull the carpet off the sidewall to see, but since both pieces are made of plywood and they used small woodscrews for the cover, I'd guess they use the same method for the sides.

 

HEY JUST SAW THIS AGAIN. HOW IS CAR DOING/

 

HEY Can you send me the contact details for these guys. Thanks

 

Thanks, but from what I recall I remember gas fumes coming from that red tube and it definitely was't connected to the Antenna cable housing. Unless you mean the original antenna's cable housing then maybe I'm mistaken about the gas fumes I seem to remember smelling. It was a while ago.
Tony

 

Mine still has the Hirsch(mann - William is correct) antenna. The housing is cast aluminum and there's a nipple at the bottom for this red hose. The fuel filler overflow hose is amber and runs directly from the filler neck downward. The fuel return line comes through the floor maybe a foot inside the fender and runs up the side of the tank to the fitting. It might have been this one leaking that you smelled. The main connection for the tank is in the center bottom and the hose goes through the floor next to the return line.

I hadn't looked at the antenna until yesterday, so I am pretty sure it's original and undisturbed. The car has only 35k miles. The camera battery went dead, but if a picture would help I can post one later. BTW, I should say: mine's a 1980 US market car. With Maserati, there's no guarantee that what I see is what you see!

 

Brett at grandturismo auto service, Alliston Ont. Can. quick, good communication and efficient 7054351990. I am sending four more to him in the next few months.

 

Thanks again!
Mine is a Euro version so there's no return line. I'm sure I don't have a gas leak but I do detect a very small hint of a gas vapor smell in the trunk. It's very slight and I'm the only person who seems to smell it.
One day I'll take a better look.
That's great that you have the original aerial!
Tony

 

A quick progress report - I received the ZF seal kit from the UK company. It is very comprehensive with brand name seals and includes two plastic parts for the control valve that I have read are often brittle and/or broken. So far, so good, but I don't know when I'll have time to get to the rebuild.

 

HI

I have put this lovely car up for sale. Just cannot support the effort of 3!!!

Great great car with all the real work done.

Read the ad. Probably $25,000 into the car now which is modest for Europe but the US market is slow.

Fully CA compliant !

Maserati : Quattroporte QUATTROPORTE III | eBay

 

I may still keep it! I had an issue with my UK car so I had to pull the sale until I fix the repair. The shop that did the new heads caused an issue that I need to sort before sale. So instead of selling that one I will sell the US one and then later ship the UK one over. I know a bit cra cra but 3 is too many.

Best

 

Balance the airflow for all carbs, better with idle speed on the low side, because as you get the idle mixes right, idle speed will rise. When I balance carbs I do it with the linkages off and then add the linkage and make sure all carbs come off idle at the same time. If it is running on 2 cylinders taking off from a standstill it does not feel good.

I always color tune when I change plugs. I do it at night.
I found I have to open the electrode gap on the colortune some.

(1)Remove plug - I use a 12-15" extension and a air impact universal joint from harbor freight or sears - they do not cock and bind
(2) close idle mix screw completly. It will run on 7 cylinders. Install color tune. This hopefully pushes the crud out of the valve seat. *See note below.
(3) start, and you will see the spark. As you open the idle mix you will
(4) see intermittant violet combustion. Note that point. (I have a flex screwdriver for carbs, and wrote 0-9 on the handle with sharpie pen.) Open more and it will go to gas flame blue. At some point you will
(5) see a few orange sparkles, and then candle flame orange. Note the position of the screwdriver (I also count flats on the handle with my fingers).
(6) Go to 50% point between lean miss violet and the the appearence of orange. Always go from lean to rich, because there is a time lag for the excess gas to clear out going rich to lean. Turns counts should be similar, or they may be something else wrong.
(7)replace plug.
(8)repeat for all.

*On the Qporte the idle screws are hard to reach, and they are too easy to drop if removed. On my countach I remove them, clean the seat with a round wood toothpick, before I screw them all the way in.

 

still at NJB! got there I think in June of 2013. hard to remember. ran and just needed a tune up. famous last words. $5,000 later. rewired(rotten mess). I sent the last electric motors and switches up about a week ago. I am afraid to ask anymore.