355 Major Service DIY

Something I have never read here so I'll say it here.The subframe you are removing is a very large piece of the structure of the rear of the car. Once it is out the rear is pretty fragile. Only 1 small square tube on each side supporting the bodywork. Be careful not to bend it. Many have. Don't lean on the rear admiring the big empty hole.

 

Its not that fragile. Just be aware and dont let anyone sit on it.

 

You need to lift the F355 approximately this high to remove the engine and subframe. I have it sitting on a harbor freight pneumatic wheely cart.

If you could dig a big enough hole under the vehicle you might be able to do it, but good luck without some form of real lifting equipment.
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I would not recommend this at all, you need to lift the car off the sub-frame as per the picture in the last post, the lift gives a much more controlled environment for this exercise.
Its not impossible on stands and jacks, but definitely a very sketchy way to do it, no room for error. Doing it on a lift is safer, easier, no brainer.
I bought a scissor lift to do my 348 and I also now use the lift for all sort of things, even cleaning the car, also use it for servicing my daily driver and my partners cars....
Its not a waste of money if you do a lot of work on cars...

 

We call jackstands on the rear to lift the car and a dolly for the engine and subframe the "reiner method." He was the 1st on Fchat to do it that way. Many many motors have been pulled using this method. Search there are many threads here on that method. Using a 2 post lift is much better but sometimes people have to improvise.

 

It can be done, I wouldn't do it that way, but as long as you know what the ins and outs are, it wont hurt anything...
The wife, tell her its going to be safer, take less time and make less mess........

 

Tell her the cost of a hoist is just a small percentage of the money being saved by doing it at home. It is also a garage space multiplier.


Taking it out is the easy part. putting it back in you'll wish you had a hoist. Its a one man job with a hoist.

 

If you buy a lift and put it in, it will be paying dividends for years.

 

4 post lift, doubles your parking space and a way to do engine out

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For servicing a 4 post is a small step better than no hoist at all.

 

Yes, I agree but ... that is all I got in the garage.

 

It worked pretty well for me.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/48Fyn3MY6SDFRicN8

 

all you need is 2 low profile trolley jacks and a low engine dolly. There's detailed how-to guides using the method and its v straight forward.
I've done it loads of times.
For the dolly, I used 2 pieces of 18mm ply, glued and screwed together and then 4 heavy duty castor wheels bolted through the base. The picture above is a fair example.
A lift is easier, but by no means necessary.

 

Just follow this guide. It's really not rocket science.
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/355-major-part-1-how-to-drop-the-engine.53351/

Plus. you can then see / access all the other bits that are worthwhile doing.

From experience, I found the hardest parts on removal can be the hard lines between engine and firewall (needs 2 spanners and sometimes a lot of grip strength) and threading through the bloody ECU cable via a slot which is 0.0000005mm wider than the ECU plug... a poor bit of design. Oh and 2-3 of the upper front cradle bolts aren't exactly easy access either, esp the ones near the oil tank.

On reassembly, take your time and go slowly. again, the bit I struggle with is feeding the ECU cable back over the tank and through the hole, plus sliding the rubber coolant pipes on whilst lowering the body over the engine. Its not hard, just fiddly.

I found it a really rewarding and satisfying experience.

I'm assuming all belts and bearings are the bare minimum.
Whilst there, it's worth replacing old rubber coolant hoses with silicone and probably water pump if it's never been done. Rads too if they look dodgy.
If you're not planning to pop the cam covers off, get things to TDC and then mark and clamp the cams, otherwise just go off the tdc timing marks on the cams.
The crank bolt can be hard to remove without a decent impact gun so be aware. You can hold it steady through the clutch/flywheel end if needed.
I'd advise you to get some new A/C o-rings for reassembly if they've never been changed and check things like condition of all the rubber / plastic hoses, engine / gearbox mounts etc etc. And new jubilee clamps as well. The usual stuff on a 30yo car.

Patience, and if in doubt, ask here. There's LOADS of kind, knowledgeable and helpful people on these forums who've given me support over the past nearly 20 years I've been running my one.

You can do it! And you'll learn loads about the car which I find part of the enjoyment of ownership.

 

Oh, and lastly.
NEVER, EVER lift the rear of the car by using the 2 jacking points under the Pininfarina badge simultaneously. The whole weight of the drivetrain is put through the body which is v bad. Always lift the back by jacking under the structural corners of the engine cradle / subframe.
Only when the engine is disconnected and you're ready to lift the body off do you THEN lift at the rear jacking points. Very slowly and carefully, so as not to test the breaking strength of whatever you may have forgotten to disconnect.

 

And lastly lastly.
I like to box/bag and label everything I remove so that come cleaning / replacing / reassembly, I know where it all is and it's labelled and in order. It sounds pedantic, but I've found it useful.

Take LOADS of photos and keep receipts for everything. Partly for service history, partly for personal reference and partly in case you forget what goes where (it happens). A stamp in a book is all well and good, but nothing beats a receipt and a time stamped picture of the work actually being done.

 

I think it's fine to use them one at a time (ie jack one side up, support the engine cradle with stands on that side, then do the other). Don't jack it up on both sides at once with the engine attached (not sure why you'd do that, but if you're doing the jack stand approach that's how you raise the body above the engine once the cradle is unbolted).

 

How did you get the engine out on a 4 post with the car in the middle of the lift? Or did you roll it back after removing the engine with the rear hanging off the back?

 

Hanged the rear over the back of the lift, dropped the engine, rolled the car back onto the lift, raised the lift, and "winched" the engine / subframe up the driveway incline and under the lift.
Do you see that electric winch down low on the forward legs of the 4 post?