355 Owners - What’s Your Valve Guides and Manifolds Story?

Anyone who owns or just admires 355’s is well aware of this subject. So, for 355 owners, what’s your answer to these questions?

- Year and type of your car?

- Valve guides, stock or replaced? If stock, have you had any issues?

- Manifolds stock or replaced? If stock, have you had any issues?

 

Jeff, your car will have steel guides and you won't ever have an issue. At some point, the manifolds are 90% + certain to fail but it might be many miles from now. When I take my car for inspection in the next couple weeks I'm going to smoke test mine for giggles. 15.5K miles now or thereabouts.

 

95 Berlinetta, approximately 15,800 miles now
Valve guides replaced in 2013 at around 14K miles
RH header replaced with OEM also in 2013, believe LH is still original. No issues as yet, but will be fitting Tubi headers likely this winter.

 

- 1999 F1 Berlinetta

- Stock valve guides - no issues (though mine are steal)

- Stock manifolds

I’m purist so I stick with everything stock. That’s how my car will remain.

 

If you drive the car enough (you probably won't) you will likely need to replace them or have them rebuilt in a manner that is not visually detectable.

You might want to buy a spare set now while the getting is good.

The 95 I'm restoring will be stock with the exception of all exhaust components.

 

Good idea. Dave.

 

1998 F1 Berlinetta
18,000 miles

Stock valve guides, no issues and great compression/ leakdown

Tubi headers, oem were fine at 17k when replaced.

 

Have all stock components and they are still good.
Replaced tubi headers and cappi twin valve and hyperflow cats about 10 years ago and all still good.

 

Tubi headers in 2007 at 10,500, currently in the middle of 5 year engine out serice headers are fine, valve guides replaced before ownership and all still good.

 

1997 Berlinetta Euro spec

past service history shows guides were done, before my purchase.
car was 100% stock when I bought it.
receipts showing OEM cats were bought new a few years prior, perfect condition, I removed and put straight pipes.
headers were stock, no receipts of being changed previously, otherwise good working condition, because I was "paranoid" removed and put Fabspeed.

my car has run solid over 4 years of ownership, ~18,000kms driven by me, and an engine out under my belt.

 

1995 Berlinetta with 43000 miles at the moment
All valve guides replaces in 2004 at 22000 miles (PN 176437 intake, 176438 Exhaust) - no issues since
Exhaust manifolds replaced also in 2004 at 22000 miles (Ferrari manifolds 180293 / 180294) - no issues, but will be retiring these manifolds during the upcoming belt change (replacing with Tubis)
Valve guides and headers were replaced in 2004 under previous ownership (but have receipt)

 

1997 spider with OVER 41,000 miles, just finished the engine out belt service.
I had a discussion with my mechanic about valve guides.
He is a master Ferrari mechanic, and worked at a dealership for years.
He said ......at 41,000 miles if my valve guides were going to go, they would have by now.
I am the third owner with prior owner records, first owner records are partial at best.
I have no evidence mine were ever replaced/repaired.
My car was built in July of 1996.
I have had CEL issues.
Prior owner installed Fabspeed headers, Nouvalari cats and exhaust.
I just replaced the cats with new ones at the last service.
Hoping for no more lights..........lol.

 

99' Spider with 32k miles now.
I replaced the left header and Ferrari replaced the right header, both with OEM, at 27k and 20k miles respectively
Stock guides.

I have a Ricambi rebuilt set of headers on the shelf if the time comes again, and I expect at some point it will.

I would recommend using an USB endoscopy camera to inspect the insides of the tubes for distortion.
i.e. https://www.amazon.com/Endoscope-Pancellent-Waterproof-Borescope-Inspection/dp/B01MR8EONS/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1530369630&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=bore+camera&psc=1

 

'97 F355 Spider
40,000 miles
Just did a major service and had the manifolds smoke tested, they are still good. I do run test pipes and I believe not having cats helps get the heat out and saves the manifolds. (OEM headers, Test pipes, OEM muffler) My car has had test pipes for most of its life. Valve guides are just fine.

 

1995 Challenge car

- Valves guides were replaced in 2004 as part of engine rebuild/refresh. No sanctioned racing since then; engine and valve guides are holding up well.

- Exhaust manifolds were replaced in 2015 while engine was out for inspection and service. Exhaust metal was changed to different SS material, but heat shields are stock to maintain original look as much as possible. This practice harkens back to my 90s Indycar days wherein engine out and exhaust manifold replacement were part of proper race car service. Good thing that 355s were designed for engine-out maintenance as servicing the engine and suspension is easier.

 

Oct 94 production, original guides and headers. 15,500 miles.

No idea on leakdown but makes 340 to the tire and doesn't use oil so I'm not worried about it.

Headers will be replaced as I don't trust them, will update on condition when removed.

 

Hey Jim - remind me again - what was the condition of the 95 headers I gave you?

 

Late 1996 Spyder (5.2). Heads rebuilt at 28,000 km (if memory serves me right). 18 valves replaced. Fabspeed full de-catted exhaust installed at the same time. When I picked up the car after all the work, I was well over $20,000 CDN lighter. Argh. Oh, all guides replaced also.

 

I would say it was definitely a good time to replace

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Also keep in mind the above manifolds would have passed a smoke test so these things are basically destroyed long before they are leaking.

 

95 Challenge
14 000 miles
I believe original valve guides
Original manifold was junked years ago and replaced with custom fabricated manifold, cat delete, light backbox. No problem in that area to report

Re: valves I wonder if there isn't a relation with US petrol. It is not something that seems very prevalent in Europe (or as far as I can perceive it)

 

That is my sense too from many years observing EU & US sites - that's not to say Euro's never need it but far less prevalent

 

Manifolds replaced with Fabspeed.

 

99 Spider, 29k miles
Stock headers
Hyperflow cats and Tubi exhaust installed ~11k miles
Original valve guides, no issues

This is one of the reasons I wanted the last model year. Not only for the steel guides but word from reputable pros indicate the factory quietly beefed up the headers toward the end of the run.

 

I too was focused on finding a 99 so as not to have to deal with the "guides" issue.