Hi I have some clutch questions. 1 How can i check the condition / wear from the clutch when i go and look for a car i want to buy? I know the park brake test. 2 How can i tell if the 348 has double or single clutch ? VIN number ?? Grts Patrick
1. If the clutch engages smooth and does not slip on hard acceleration, it's fine. How long will it last, depends on the mileage of the car since the last change (if any). 2. Double to single change was from 10-10-91, except for USA, CDN and RHD models which got the single clutch either late 92 or early 93. See the attached bulletin. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thx !!! Can't you see the disc trough the little plate on the underside of the clutch housing ?( with a strong light )
That's an over simplification. How long any clutch will last is far more dependant on how the car has been driven, than on mileage alone. Someone with an unsympathetic gear change technique, could burn through a clutch within 10,000 miles (or even less if their technique is really bad!), whilst someone with a perfect technique could make a clutch last 10 times as long. Clutch wear also depends on how the car has been used. Do a lot of stop/start driving in city traffic, or use the car on a lot of track days, and the clutch will wear a lot faster than that of a car that has been used to cruise the highway, barely ever changing out of 5th gear. Correct clutch set up also has a massive influence on the wear rate of a clutch. If the clutch plate/plates, pressure plates, release bearing etc., etc., are not set up correctly, then premature clutch wear is all but guaranteed, regardless of how good the driver's gear change technique might be. You could buy a car that had the clutch changed 5,000 miles ago and feels fine at the time of purchase, only to discover that it needs replacing 10,000 miles later. The reality is: If the clutch engages smooth and does not slip on hard acceleration, it's fine for now, but how long it might remain fine is anyone's guess!
Also realize that some cars which originally came with dual plate clutches have since been retrofitted to a single plate unit, so build date is no guaranty of which version is fitted.
Yes, you can see the discs uf you take that inspection cover of and take a look. But i would not care less which type there is as long it operates how it should.
Thanks Miroljub for the Production Change Letter. I was told by the seller that my tb has a single plate, while the car should have the dual setup (as per built date and documentation). I still need to verify, and it's possible that the trans could have been replaced in the past as well (from a later car). To add, yes, these cars are old, and many have gaps in their historical documentation.
I'm curious about this discrepancy. I don't dispute it, but I wonder why the market differentiation. Was it because the 348 was a poor seller in the US/CDN market and a surplus of unsold cars were already in North America?
I'm looking at the letter that m.stojanovic posted to determine how it matches my transmissions. It seems that I'm looking at the wrong three digit numbers. Can someone point me in the right direction? The first two trans photos are from my 1992 tb (1991 build date). . Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
These next two are from my spare trans, from a 1994 Spider: . Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
No. Some cars with 2x clutch have been converted to single. There is no advantage to go to single except it is easier and cheaper for Ferrari. The 2x plate was overkill. And the car's performance isn't any better either. Until you drop of many pounds it does not matter. I know because I have done it. I have run 2x, singles and lightened clutchs and kevlar plates too in these cars.
Now if you see this configuration through the open/inspection/vent ports, then you have a single disc clutch. . Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sounds like it. Mine, with 91350 and a July 91 built date ("before" the cutover), has the single disc setup. Not sure if it's OE, upgraded or the trans was replaced with a newer unit.
I have the receipts from my '91 being updated to the single plate clutch. Apparently twin plate parts are pretty tough to find so that might be the primary motivation for the update, especially when the repair is outsourced to a shop. Tough to bill the customer for all the hours it takes to hunt down parts-- much easier just to explain that an update is required. Patrick, would you mind sharing some details about your car-- specifically the body style (TS or TB) the color combo, and mileage covered? I'm keeping a database of 348 SNs that includes that info and more but it's tough to find Euro spec entries since apparently the US is about the only country where posting VINs in for sale ads is standard proceedure.
Huh? That's exactly what I wrote. And in the past I've stated that the dual plate clutch is actually an advantage but it's apparently more difficult to set up and presumably more expensive. I understand the pedal effort is lower on a single plate clutch and that's my vague recollection as well, although I haven't driven a dual plate version in some time. That's probably a big selling point to the customer but I like the heavier pedal effort since it feels more Ferrari-like. Besides, it means that whiny Doug Demuro would never want to drive the car.
I loved the dual plate on my 90 ts. Yes, it's pedal effort is considerably higher then my current car. But, heel-2-toe finesse is easier to attain with the single.
I hope you saw yesterday's Blipshift shirt. Still available for a few more hours if you want one. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm confused?.... after viewing Wades post, I looked at my 91TS and am unsure whether a single or dual setup. Anyone? Image Unavailable, Please Login
My F355 has 65K total miles and 5K of them took place on road race tracks, most of those laps within 2 seconds of the lap record for 3000+ pound cars with 400 HP on street tires. I did have to have the DMFW repacked 5 times, and a new throwout bearing, and a new bearing in the pumpkin,.....but It still has the original clutch disk and probably will until 80-90K miles. It really is how you drive them, not the milage.
