I had these same symptoms and just when I thought I had it fixed, it would happen again. Flash32 and I spent a lot of time trying different things. The frustration of being stranded/having no confidence in the car finally pushed me to replace the potentiometers in the actuator and that has solved the issue. It seems these have hit their lifespan on these cars as more and more are having similar symptoms. Install isn't too bad if you DIY. Part is around $600 from Eurospares..
I would love to talk with someone that may lead me to a solution I can be reached by phone 616-240-5375 I am in west Michigan
Flash32 was very helpful and knowledgeable in resolving my shifting problem. Seems to have fixed the issues with a minimum of expense and a bit of labor. Also great source for parts information at reasonable cost. Flyboy
To add some more info for future reference .. Flyboy had a few issues which we took one step at a time to diag and fix. The first most obvious was the timings with key on ( engine off) and engine on. The accumulator and clutch solenoid was replaced at that time to solve that issue. The timing were then in line with what they should be. That got the car to about 90 percent since after a longer drive with more shifts the car would still on occasion got to neutral. We then looked at pressures while driving and saw that the E-diff was another component that was on the way out. We replaced that and the car seems to be perfect now. Sometime in the future I had suggested a good actuator bleed, and to get a good look at clutch condition (visual), as well....but at this moment Flyboy will enjoy the fully working f430. Anyone who has a good diag tool , patience , knows how to wrench on their car, and is willing to do a mutli step approach with me, will be rewarded with a fully functioning F1 system with minimal parts and of course saving thousand of dollars in labor. The bad rep the F1 system gets because of how some shop charge or just don't spend the time to properly diag the system is crazy. You wouldn't believe how many shops just say replace the whole power unit and or actuator without doing much diag work ..(stating 10 to 15k to fix). How to properly use a diag tool and what to look for is so so important on these systems. The SD tool ( the launch does but at a lesser degree) gives so much info that with a test drive monitoring live data you can diag almost the whole f1 system with removing a single screw, nut etc I am happy that he is now enjoying the car as it should be driven Glad to help - truly my pleasure Dominick
New to the forum and I have a similar but different F1 issue than I’ve read throughout the forums so far. The F1 pump on my 2005 F430 with 26k miles seems to operate fine—turns on when expected, doesn’t run excessively, doesn’t turn on too frequently, never had trouble falling out of or missing gears, etc. Until yesterday… I fixed a fuel pump leak, and after the repair was completed (but before I reinstalled the engine bay panels) I tried to drive the car but it wouldn’t shift out of neutral. Not sure when the F1 fluid was last changed (bought car a year ago), so I extracted old fluid from reservoir, filled with new fluid, and used a scan tool to bleed the system but no fluid will come out of the bleed screw. Tried reprogramming actuators, no change. The F1 light doesn’t illuminate on the dash unless I hold reverse button or paddle shifter for 15 seconds—then the light illuminates until car is turned off. Ordered a new accumulator hoping that’s the culprit but don’t like throwing money at parts like a stealership does. Ideas? Find it odd that (1) I had no issues/symptoms before and (2) bleed procedure doesn’t extract any fluid….
Is engine bay hatch closed ? Describe what you hear upon door opening and but turning key to "on" position Also take timings of on and off Does the car shift when key on engine off Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk
I too thought maybe it was a hatch or door open, but confirmed everything closed and no lights on dash indicating open door or hatch. Do the black engine bay covers (that cover the fuel pumps, F1 pump, etc.) need to be fastened on to operate the system? I haven’t reinstalled them yet but don’t see any sensors that would trigger if not fastened on. When I open driver door the pump runs between 5-10 seconds, depending how long car has been sitting. I waited 5 minutes and didn’t hear it turn on again. Can’t shift with key on engine off, but when brake depressed and paddle shift or reverse button engaged I can hear what I think is the pump running for 3 seconds then no gear change. After 3-4 attempts the noise goes away. Only other noises I hear with key on is the normal beeeeep and then faintly what sounds like hazard flashers clicking under the dash but eventually goes away. Also, this morning I noticed a puddle of ATF fluid on the ground. No visual leaks in system, traced it to the reservoir overflow line. Appears I overfilled it last night. Opened reservoir and still has adequate fluid level. Thanks for your guidance everyone!
You do not need to install the panels to run the car/operate F1 system. I had them off for a while whilst troubleshooting with @flash32. When you tried to bleed the F1, did you hear the pump run ? Unless the pump is creating pressure in the system, it will not bleed. You should be able to shift N-1-R-N, etc when stationary , engine off and key on. It won't shift to second gear, but it will shift to those I posed. If you cannot shift, most likely no pressure. Pump should come on every 3rd or 4th shift when engine off, and you will definitely hear the gear cluncking as they change and the pump running...
Actually, when door opens the F1 pump is consistently turning on for just 5 seconds, then when I turn key on it runs for 1-2 seconds. The clicking noise I hear under the dash (kind of like hazard lights but very faint) lasts for 20 seconds after turning key on then goes away. It could be a normal sound that I’ve just never paid attention to before. Another thing I just thought about… I accidentally started the engine while my CTEK battery tender was still connected to the battery (but not to the wall outlet). Although it wasn’t receiving any power, I wonder if starting it while connected could have fried something.
Great, thank you for the info. I heard the pump run when the bleed procedure was executed. I’ve also heard the actuators running when I used my scan tool FYI, but no gear changing with engine on or off. Fingers crossed the accumulator just failed suddenly and that’s why I’m losing pressure.
You guys won’t believe this but I found the issue, and it couldn’t be a more simple one. Big thanks to @flash32 for his help. He seriously knows what he’s talking about and spent 4 hours with me on the phone diagnosing the problem from across the country. After running all kinds of scans and tests, turns out the quick connect hose at the top clutch bleeder block just came slightly loose. My guess it when I was removing the driver side engine bay panel that it just bumped the quick connect connector and it was such a small move that wasn’t visually noticeable. When reinstalling the panel I could see how this could occur. Thought I’d share because I can’t be the last person to have this happen. Thanks @flash32!
Truly my pleasure ..it is great that the diag we did together pointed to the issue and no parts were used .. The added bonus was I made another friend Dominick
Hi everyone, hope all is well. I am having issues with my F430 Spider 2006 with 35k miles on it, similar to what was shared by many, after driving for about 30-45 mins, the car throws itself into neutral. After allowing it to cool down, say 15 mins, the gear starts engaging again. The chronology of events as below. 1. It all started with the gears jumping from 1 to 3 and then 4 to 2 etc. It was all over the place and the gearbox light on the dash appeared. I was told by a workshop that it’s due to a faulty potentiometer so I had it with a used unit (apparently in good condition). 2. After the replacement, the gearbox light on the dash disappeared but then came a new set of symptoms where the car throws itself into neutral after driving for about 30-45 mins. 3. Since my clutch was fairly used, I was advised by my local dealer to have it replaced, which I did. No improvement 4. My local dealer then told me it could be due to a failed E-diff solenoid. On this, instead of replacing the solenoid valve I decided to purchase the E-diff bypass kit from Scud Ing Swiss so shut off this system entirely (but I have not blanked off the hydraulic inlets and outlets) https://www.scuding.com/Shop/en/ecu-solutions/126-smart-ferrari-f430-ediff-bypass-ecu.html The issue persists 5. My dealer is now saying it could be due to an internal leak on my F1 actuator, which I doubt. So question is, could this be due to a faulty potentiometer coming from a used unit I replaced earlier? Does a faulty potentiometer always trigger the gearbox light on the dash? I am located in Malaysia. Dominick, what are your views on this? Thank you all. rgds, Victor
You should have started with pressure in the F1 system.... F1 pump, accumulator, etc. @flash32 will comment, but I would start there. Most likely NOTHING related to the E-diff solenoid (can't see how, unless it's losing so much pressure there and impacts the F1 system; highly doubt it ). Get a reader to check pressure in the F1 system and see your pump run timings, when you open door, when you turn key on... start with that . Post timings here in seconds. Eliminate those before going to actuator, which is expensive to replace and buy...
Definitely sounds like your sensors(potentiometers) Connect a diag tool to your car and recreate the issue While the issue is happening, monitor the position of selection and engagement..if it hits zero or 1023 then your sensor is most likely the cause and possible the original issue Just to make sure you don't have any pressure issues Do a few timing tests Key on engine off ..tell me how long pump stays off and stays on Key on engine ..do the same Drive 25 mph straight - do the sane Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk
Thank you so much Mario and Dominick! Much appreciated. May I also ask which is the most affordable diagnostic tool in the market today that could do the job?
Looking at the clutch/ gearbox diagram for the F1 box, is item 40 the only sensor on this assembly. From what i can see this can be changed with box in the car, is it a straight swap or does it need calibration. My gearbox is coming out soon to change the release bearing and looking to see what else to do while we are at it to make it reliable.
Are you looking to just diag the issue or actually work on car If you are just doing diag - a white AP200 from Autel is good If you are doing or plan to work on your car you may need to go to a Launch Pro Mini since, as of this moment, is the least expensive tool that has Edff support Given that you bypassed the e-diff ( not a favorite thing in my book) you can go with thinkdiag or thinkdiag2
There are 2 potentiometers shift..and gear. They are sold as a pair because they share the same harness connector (2 into one if you will) If you are going to change these..be very cautious how they are installed. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest your replacements were possibly damaged due to incorrect install. The sensor arms can be broken off very easily if not installed correctly.
