355 Loud Rattle from Clutch Area

Hi, folks. I took my '98 F355 for a drive after 4 months of sitting in the garage. The engine felt a little wobbly and the exhaust seemed to have more bass than normal when I first started the car.
A few kms down the road, the engine seemed to hesitate and there was some vibration. I stopped the car and I could hear a loud rattle coming from the clutch area. I shut down the engine and after letting the car sit for a while, I restarted the engine. The rattle seemed quieter. However, a few hours later, after another engine start, it came back just as loud.

At first I thought the problems were related, but now I think I have a combination of problems, perhaps bad fuel, but also some kind of bearing problem(?). What's the part of the gearbox which doesn't like sitting a lot? The clutch only has 660km (400 miles) on it. It was replaced about 5 years ago. I recall there was a Hill Engineering release bearing in there, so I didn't have it replaced.

I intend to put some new fuel in the car to see if there is any improvement in the engine (wobble and hesitation). I tested my spark plug lead tester for the first time and the test light flashed on each lead, but then I realised the light would illuminate even with the lead 3~4 inches away, so I don't know if it was picking up the spark from another lead. I let the engine cool down and then started the car again with the plug leads separated, but my tester failed on at least 6 cylinders, so the tester must have broken. On a subsequent drive, the engine lightly backfired on a gearchange. No CEL/SD lights. Some pending codes for cat efficiency and Idle Air Controller stuck closed. Codes cleared.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Actually, I'm not sure about the Idle Air Controller diagnosis. I seem to recall that the code was P1501 (will have to see if it comes back). The OBD2 scanner was in "Audi" mode and the code was undefined, so I put it in BMW mode (and it showed Idle Air Controller). I see the Ferrari 360 has a fuel pump relay problem as P1501. It could be something completely different on the 5.2 F355.

 

Seems like an odd fault. Looking at the wiring diagram, the ECU would only be able to check the coil of the relay for resistance (and would the coil cause hesitation?)

I seem to remember someone telling me to ignore "pending" faults. Anyway, I'll reset the fuel relay (or swap it if it there is a duplicate part number). I seem to remember they are hard to come by and have special properties (unless I'm confusing it with a 348 pump relay). e.g. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/145511692/

Yes, the tech is excellent (almost all the cars he works on are Ferraris). He did my gearbox rebuild after the bearings failed. I can't recall if there was a rattle on shutdown. I'll check on the next drive.

I probably should have mentioned that the gearstick sometimes jumps out of 2nd gear if I don't use a firm hand. Otherwise the car has been perfect for several years.

I think they were replaced on the last major in 2018. I can't imagine they have done much work since then. I've probably driven the car less than 1000km in the 6 and a half years since I've owned it. I don't recall seeing Ferrari printed on the leads, so they are probably not original. Are they usually red? Mine are black.

Sounds like a good idea. Do I need to remove any exhaust components to get the pumpkin off? I'll check for fluids in that area (although nothing on the garage floor). I'm assuming the car won't self destruct if I drive it 20 ~30 km to my tech if it's a grease problem?

I haven't switched off the battery (also, it's a 5.2 so it shouldn't lose the data). Unfortunately, my garage is in an apartment "canyon" and there is a lot of echoing. if I run the car more than a minute, my neighbours complain.

For info, the car has never been driven in the rain and is always garaged. The battery is less than 2 years old.

Anyway, I'll go put some fresh fuel in. I use fuel preserver and injector cleaner on every service, but the service is a year overdue (due COVID).

Thanks!

 

Thanks. Too easy.

Thanks, Elliott. I'll let you know how I go with the basics, then call in the experts

 

Small update:

I don't really know what I'm looking at here, but it was dry as a bone inside the pumpkin

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Couldn't be bothered putting the car on my Quickjacks, so had to take the photo via a mirror.

The fuel pump relay ("N") seemed to fit tightly and there was no sign of burning. I swapped it with the Injector Control Relay ("M"), the same type (Bosch 0332019140). Probably not the best idea. The symptoms will probably be similar if one fails (but hopefully a different fault code).
There doesn't seem to be anything special about the relays.

If the weather holds, I'll top up the tank tomorrpw and go for a drive (and take a video of the noisy transaxle)

 

I saw lots of fiddly allen-headed screws on the cover... I think I'll take the car for a test run first. I'm guaranteed to drop one of those screws

I've already put some injector cleaner in the tank. If I remember, I'll check the clutch fluid level before I go for a drive.

 

OK, in the spirit of FChat... I just pulled one spark plug. It looks like it just came out of the box. Is that a bad sign?

I think it's the first time I've used my expensive spark plug puller and plug socket.

 

Spark plug inspection on hold... Just realised I haven't got a torque wrench which goes down to 9.8Nm.

 

I took the cover off the right bank again and the spark plug tips looked fine. I did notice on some plugs that there was some oil on the top of the threaded section. I can't figure out how oil could get there.

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There didn't seem to be any oil past the spark plug seal. The central part of the thread was dry.

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The rubber boots looked dry.

Sorry for the thread creep.

 

Short video of rattle here:

https://youtu.be/66H8UcL9OSQ

After swapping relays, my hesitation has disappeared (not sure it is coincidence or not). No further pending/active faults after two drives. I'll try to find some replacement relays just in case.

 

I'm trying to figure out what could be rattling.

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The clutch plate is new.

I recall the release bearing is a Hills Engineering part, but I've ordered a new one anyway. I've ordered some additional bearings 6 & 11, but it could be long wait.

I just hope it's nothing further forward. I've already replaced half my gearbox.

 

Thanks, Barry... crossing my fingers that's all it is.