Hi , First time to post in the 348/355forum . A friend of mine based in the Philippines had a catastrophic failure in w/c the the engine timing belt snapped (passenger side )damaging the valves and the piston domes . The car has had a major service done last year performed by a Ferrari specialist from overseas . Parts are all original Ferrari parts supplied by the Mechanic . The car was barely driven 1 year after the major service and was in storage . The car was occasionally started at the garage. The mechanic who did the service inspected the car after the incident. He confirmed the valves and the piston domes were damage . The owner was given 3 options : 1. Overhaul the engine but it will take a lot of time and expense because accdg to the mechanic the good machine shops are there in the USA . ( the mechanic does not trust machine shops in the Philippines)and the engine parts should be sent there . 2. Buy a preowned engine from a Ferrari dismantler/ salvage or from a damage / accident car. But he said this is the cheapest way but your not sure of the condition of the engine . 3. Or buy a brand new engine from the Ferrari factory . The mechanic said if his engine is to be rebuilt right , he might be able to save a little money and it would be better to buy a brand new engine . The owners concern is that his car would no longer be matching numbers. He has no plan to sell the car since it’s rare here in the Philippines . I would like to ask the forum members their opinion/ suggestion regarding this dilemma. Thanks in advance , Luigi
Personally I’d buy a low mileage engine from a dismantler, look it over and do a major service on it and put it in and drive it. You could probably do this 3 times in a row for as much as some shops will charge you to rebuild a 355 engine. As for option 3 does Ferrari even have engines available? I would have thought they went NLA long ago and is not even an option but I could be wrong. As for the numbers matching part when using option 2 or 3 there really is no such thing. On a 348 or 355 the engine number has nothing to do with the cars VIN of assembly number. The only place you might easily find if it is the original engine is if the engine number was written in the original books that came with the car. Many cars have been separated from their books so it would be pretty hard to verify if the engine is original. The factory kept horrible and unreliable information on the cars during the 90s so you’d be lucky if they had a record of the engine # by car. At the end of the day it’s a 355 and not the most rare Ferrari out there. I doubt that many would even try to track down if it was original and if it’s a good running, well serviced 355 engine in a 355 who cares?
Why even contemplate buying another engine when he already has one, just rebuild that, far cheaper and you know what you have at the end of the day when its done. Easy to ship components all over the world to be refurbished these days. Used engines come with problems too, and good luck trying to get any warranty backed up for one so far away. Start by going on the eurospares website and pricing up the rebuild parts then seek out used major parts such as a head etc if needed on german and US ebay, its all out there.
Surly there are capable people in Asia that can correct this. Worst case, ship to someone in Europe. I'd lobby to fix the current, original motor. Getting another is just opening a can of worms.
Thank you very much guys for your valuable insights and suggestions . I asked the owner of the 355 to read this thread to help him decide . I will be giving you guys an update / news / progress regarding regarding this particular 355. Luigi
The skinny little valves on a 355 bend easily. It's likely that the pistons aren't seriously damaged. The repair might be as simple as removing one head and replacing the affected valves. Not inexpensive but far from an engine overhaul. Don't let anyone talk you into spending money for nothing.
definitely sucks to hear this.. but interesting the mechanic who did the major was quick to offer alternative options and not take responsibility that maybe he did something wrong.? as is often the case when we hear of a belt snapping.. when it does happen usually occurs shortly after a belt service. as described.. the car was barely driven after the service, with just a few start ups here and there.. until whatever was not done correctly the belt finally snapped. if it was not mechanic error then would have to be a part failure.. such as broken pulley fence cutting into the belt.. but again too ironic happens after the service etc..
This is a bit subjective, but I agree. I would think a numbers matching engine is extremely important on the low-volume vintage Ferraris, but not particularly important on higher volume sports cars like the 348 and 355. When my time to buy comes, I will want to know that the condition of the engine is excellent, not whether the number on the side of it looks pleasing. I wouldn't worry about mismatching numbers, as long as the seller of the used engine can show you the history and the condition is verified via pre-purchase inspection. All the best, Andrew.
I don't think we know exactly what the mechanic is offering, or not. He may be offering free labor and ... ? I would hold off on the judgement until the other side of the story is heard. As far as what is next, if there is a definite cause of the belt snapped and that can be fixed, then I would rebuild the engine.
Oh man, sorry to hear about your friends 355. That’s a real kick in the nutz. Strange, I personally saw the same thing happen on another 355. Timing belt and tensioners were replaced at an FNA Stealership. Car comes off the Ttansporter and Owner looks at his freshly detailed engine bay. He notices some black powder on the front of the passenger side valve cover. 50 miles later the passenger side timing belt is off of the cam. The engine gets pulled and heads removed. Valves were bent but pistons OK. New valves, guides, and machine work on the heads, and put back together. Was fine ever since. Cause of the failure was human error as the tensioner went slack. Stealership had to eat that repair. So..... when I saw the cost for a single valve, I was beyond sticker shock !!! Times the cost per valve by 40, and he may re-think his rebuild strategy !
I agree completely. My 550 suffered a timing belt failure on the passenger-side bank when it was owned by the fellow I purchased it from. The valve stems on the Maranello are also thin. There were just some superficial nicks on all six piston heads which were left in situ. Twenty-four valves and guides were replaced. There were twenty-three other valves that looked like this... Image Unavailable, Please Login
It probably was, Dave. That's the way he gave it to me ten years ago. Funny though, the valve is bent at a similar angle as... Image Unavailable, Please Login
It is like:: If you dont change the belts, the belt could fail and the engine needs rebuilding. If you do change the belts, the belt can still fail and the engine needs rebuilding.
It would be interesting to know how many 355 belt changes this specific mechanic has performed. That would tell a lot.
I would opt to rebuild the current motor if: the damage to piston walls can be machined out valves and guides can be replaced. Really, I agree, the belts do not just break, there has to be a reason for the failure. Question the reputation of the service center, and warranty. Have not had the privilege yet of my first major. When I do, I would do it myself or take it to my reputable dealer who has done it many, many times and offers some type of warranty (unless there is no such animal). Good luck Boaf
Keep in mind, people are human. Sometimes the best people make mistakes. We don't know what happened and maybe never will.
This car is from the Philippines. You can easily ship the engine to a number of places on the West Coast and get the engine rebuilt. I know at least two capable persons who can take this job on for a decent price.
Pull the head and make an assessment of the damage. A noted above, with these multi valve engines most likely you will need head work and a little massage of the pistons. No need for a full rebuild.
To Dave's comment on Asia Outside of japan, S.E.Asia - is just a place where the clueless will be ripped off by the incompetent. Far too many back street garages with "my friend is an ex-ferrari mechanic......" stories. OP Reach out to the Ferrari owners club in PH, and see if you can get some referrals to someone who has a successful track record of engine rebuilds. Otherwise, I can recommend someone in HK - and by that I really do mean there is only one in HK.
