New F355 F1 Spider owner with a few questions | FerrariChat
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New F355 F1 Spider owner with a few questions

Discussion in '348/355' started by haris300, Apr 8, 2015.

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  1. haris300

    haris300 Rookie

    Apr 3, 2015
    40
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Haris Rafique
    #1 haris300, Apr 8, 2015
    Hi everyone. I recently purchased a 1999 F355 F1 Spider with a Tubi exhaust. It looks, drives, and sounds wonderful. I don't get very much time to drive this car due to my busy schedule, but I love every minute I get to spend with it.

    Here's a photo I took shortly after I purchased the car.

    [​IMG]

    It shares the garage with my twin turbo 300zx that sees the MSR Houston track from time to time

    [​IMG]

    I'm still learning the odds and ends of this car and had a few questions I was hoping you guys could answer for me.

    It had its major service done 400 miles ago at Ferrari in Las Vegas. I found 2 vacuum ports that have no hoses connected to them. I looked at some vacuum diagrams but couldn't figure out what they connect to.

    Here is the LH open port

    [​IMG]

    Here is the RH open port

    [​IMG]

    If you guys could point me in the right direction as to what they should be connected to I would really appreciate it.

    Also, I noticed some of these prongs sticking out of the exhaust with metal wires connected to them. I was just wondering what these were and what their purpose is.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Besides that, I'm really loving the car. I've refrained from driving it after finding the vacuum leaks, but I hope to get them both sorted out so I can get back on the road.

    It really is a great looking and great sounding vehicle. I'm a detailer in Houston so naturally I like to give my cars special treatment when it comes to interior and paint care. This one will be getting polished and coated in CQuartz ceramic coating very soon. I hope to share the process and results on here once that's done.

    Anyways that's all I got. I hope to learn a lot from this forum and look forward to talking to you guys.
     
  2. GTSNJ

    GTSNJ Formula Junior

    Jan 18, 2015
    478
    #2 GTSNJ, Apr 8, 2015
    Those are exhaust thermocouplers. And that is not a vsccum leak....
     
  3. GTSNJ

    GTSNJ Formula Junior

    Jan 18, 2015
    478
    #3 GTSNJ, Apr 8, 2015
    Enjoy the 355 !!Congrats
     
  4. haris300

    haris300 Rookie

    Apr 3, 2015
    40
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Haris Rafique
    #4 haris300, Apr 8, 2015
    Thanks for the info, I'm glad to hear they're not vacuum leaks! I'm still curious as to what they're for though.
     
  5. vracer

    vracer Formula 3

    Jun 23, 2014
    1,098
    NorCal
    Full Name:
    Richard
    #5 vracer, Apr 8, 2015
    Your choice of the 355 is a good one. No, a great one; you'll enjoy it.
     
  6. 97 Spider

    97 Spider Formula 3

    Dec 15, 2012
    2,241
    Texas
    Full Name:
    Brian
    #6 97 Spider, Apr 8, 2015
    The thermo couplers are the last pictures that you said are prongs with metal wires in the exhaust. They tell the computer if your catalytic converters are over heating. The pictures of the ports on the intake I don't know what they are for. I'm not home to be able to look at my 355 right now but it seems something should be connected to them.
     
  7. hjp

    hjp Formula Junior

    Feb 23, 2013
    591
    Kansas City, Mo.
    Full Name:
    Jerry Peterson
    #7 hjp, Apr 8, 2015
    Nice car Haris. I'm a spider fan too.

    It took me a while to orient exactly where these were in the car. They are at the back of the cat just before the muffler. The following is symmetrical for both the RH and LH sides of the car. The "fat" one is the post cat oxygen sensor (there's one at the front of the cat too....it, through the engine ECU (Engine Control Unit....a sort of mini-computer), controls the fuel/air mixture by varying the injector output). The former's purpose is to monitor the cat's condition and report it to the engine ECU. In the same photo, the smaller "skinny" one is the thermocouple (there's a third one too at the top of the muffler right behind the bypass valve...I believe that's the wire you see exiting near the RH muffler spring support in your other photo). Its purpose is to monitor the temperature of the cat to be sure its not overheating. It also communicates its data with the engine ECU. If either finds a problem and sends it to the ECU, the ECU will generate a slow down light/ECU code (cat too hot from the thermocouple) or check engine light/ECU code the cat is not functioning up to spec (may be worn or wearing out from the O2 sensor). That's the basics. Hope they help.
     
  8. Badabing!

    Badabing! Formula Junior

    Mar 30, 2014
    731
    NYC
    #8 Badabing!, Apr 8, 2015
    Those items in your first 2 pictures are not connected to anything on my car either. I think that's normal.
     
  9. hjp

    hjp Formula Junior

    Feb 23, 2013
    591
    Kansas City, Mo.
    Full Name:
    Jerry Peterson
    #9 hjp, Apr 8, 2015
    These are the fuel injector test ports. There is one for each of the 8 injectors. Nothing is normally connected to them.
     
  10. GTSNJ

    GTSNJ Formula Junior

    Jan 18, 2015
    478
    #10 GTSNJ, Apr 8, 2015
    Your welcome, enjoy your car stress free!!
     
  11. johnk...

    johnk... F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jun 11, 2004
    11,266
    CT
    Full Name:
    John Kreskovsky
    #11 johnk..., Apr 8, 2015
    The brass tubes on the throttle bodies are indeed vacuum ports. However, nothing is connected to them. They are used you measure the vacuum in each inlet when balancing the throttle bodies for each cylinder.
     
  12. PhilB

    PhilB Formula 3
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Feb 17, 2004
    2,337
    Southern New Jersey Shore
    Full Name:
    Phil
    #12 PhilB, Apr 8, 2015
    Welcome aboard!

    I'm partial to silver spiders myself.

    :)
     
  13. haris300

    haris300 Rookie

    Apr 3, 2015
    40
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Haris Rafique
    #13 haris300, Apr 8, 2015
    Thanks for the warm welcome and all of the helpful information everyone! I actually did have to replace the pre cat o2s since one threw a code, but I've been CEL free for the last 70 miles since replacement. I've been a huge fan of Ferraris since I was a kid. I'm hoping to purchase a Testarossa or maybe even a 512TR within the next couple of years. By the way, if any of you are in the Houston area and want to learn a little about detailing, I'll be performing the steps to clean, polish, and ceramic coat this beauty hopefully next week.
     
  14. gothspeed

    gothspeed F1 World Champ

    May 26, 2006
    10,244
    U.S.A.
    Full Name:
    goth
    #14 gothspeed, Apr 8, 2015
    Great pics!!! Congratulations on the 355 ..... :D
     

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