f360 intake manifold removal, any DIY available?

Good day fellow f chatters

Recently purchased my first Ferrari, a 2000 360 modena. 29k miles, very nice car, decent records...

About 5 years since timing belts replaced. I am an ex bmw tech and will self maintain when possible. Doing all fluids, belts, etc. Was disappointed to find gearbox fluid I tad low and thinner than I thought it should be (75/90). Upon closer inspection found slight oily coolant in reservoir.

I've searched extensively on list and although its reported to be quite rare it appears I'm the lucky owner to have suffered from a transmission cooler/heat exchanger failure. The cooler is below the intake manifold in the middle of v.

I'm sure I can work thru the procedure but if any one can post a DIY and/or the pages from the service manual it would be very much appreciated.

As I enjoy my car/ownership I hope to be an active and helpful member.

Thx

Ps: will post pics of car soon

 

Google [dead/scam link deleted] and download the WSM.

Good luck with the repair and keep us posted. I'd be interested in how you decontaminate both coolant system and gearbox.........M

 

regarding the cleanup process, it appears i've caught this just in time. i have drained all the coolant (main hoses at block, both radiators and overflow res) and all of the coolant was clear/normal. the only 'oily' coolant was at the overflow/fill reservoir (which kinda makes sense as oil floats and that's the highest point in the system?)

my good friend is a diesel mechanic and he highly recommended a cooling system cleaner that they use. Fleetmaster/Cummins Restore. it is specifically designed to decontaminate cooling systems that have been fouled with oil. It is recommended by Cummins and others commercial truck manufactures to use when oil coolers and such fail (Cummins requires it as part of their warranty procedures). There are 2 products, Restore and Restore Plus. the plus is stronger and is designed to removed rust/scale. I am going to flush multiple times with Restore.

the gearbox oil looked almost normal, i drained it into a clear container and it has been sitting for a few days and there is no oil/coolant separation. looking into the drain holes and filter screen holes the gearbox innards appear normal. nevertheless i will be flushing the gearbox as well, haven't decided if a 'product' is needed or not. i plan on filling/short drive/drain once or twice with ATF and/or a multi weight engine oil (just warm it up and drive around block).

i suppose i am going to replace the trans cooler with a stock OEM unit. http://www.dynamtechgroup.com/ferrariParts.php appears to have once offered a replacement liquid to air cooler but i'm not sure if they still offer it.

Thanks again, will keep you posted

 

My mistake.

 

I'd do an additional gearbox oil change after a couple hundred miles. The diff plates get all gooey with the antifreeze contamination and you get diff chatter in reverse. The cooler failure is very, very common and usually happens when coolant change intervals are not adhered too. The coolant breaks down and turns acidic which rots the cooler core. If you cut it open your likely to see electrolytic corrosion inside. I usually change the two rubber boots and clips on the cooler while in there, they have a tendency to leak after being disturbed.

 

Good thing you caught that early, catastrophic if not caught in time.
Apparently there is a kit out to replace the pesky heat exchanger with an air cooled tranny cooler, remote mounted, that runs only a few hundred more than the replacement original part.

Aah, heat exchangers, one almost cost me a transmission on the boat this summer.
Had I not checked everything after an outing, and I did not always do so, I find salt water in the bilge, and engines with a salt water bath. Tiny hole in a $225 heat exchanger, just had popped, and I just happen to check down there.

 

That air-cooler thing is utter crap. DO NOT fit this. Over cooling the oil is nearly as bad as overheating it. The original cooler is fine as LONG AS you adhere to two-year maintenance items.

 

As per the workshop mamual, I removed the engine inspection cover between the passenger and engine compartmen, removed water pump and was able to extract the cooler.

Took to my local radiator repair shop and we pressure tested and found no leaks??? We tested it to about 40 psi. Does anyone the operating pressure if the trans fluid pump? I came across a picture on yhe web of a cooler and the decal on the side max pressure 10 bar. That seems terribly high, and its only stating the max of the component, not what the system actually runs.

Obviously I have a problem (gear lube in coolant, trans fluid low). This heat exchanger is the only possible failed item.

If anyone can comment on trans pump pressure I may test the exchanger at a high pressure. Call me stubborn but I like to verify and failure before I replace parts.

 

The only way those two fluids can mix is via the cooler. Perhaps the leak has been found early into its failure, and leakage only occurs during heat/expansion? Renew, flush, re-check.

 

Question for @rustybits ... For a 360 Coupe (not spider), it is possible to access the trans heat exchanger through removing the intake manifold? Does that make it easier to remove and replace the trans heat exchanger? Or would you recommend going through the front engine access panel and removing the water pump to R/R the exchanger? Thanks!

 

There are several posts on this covering both ways. I don't believe one is easier than the other, just taking off different equipment. The WSM says to do it by removing the water pump but there is a note saying water pump doesn't have to be removed as you can work from the rear of the plenum to reach the exchanger. But the way the manual is setup, this is for engine out work. The exchanger can most definitely be removed with the engine still in the car though.

 

Is it possible the failure occurred under previous ownership and all that remains in the system is residue?

I would believe your pressure test. I am not sure if you could pressurize the transmission or not through the fill port. Not the easiest thing to do, but you could try removing one of the to/from lines and try pressuring there.

Given the evidence, I would probably want to inspect the exchanger anyways.

I had to replace a water pump and so removed mine from the front through the engine inspection port.

In one of those posts there is speculation the failure occurs from the oil side, not the coolant side, and I tend to agree!