355 issue

my dad was leaving my house a little while ago & said that his 355 mt gas pedal basically fell down to the floor from his foot. when this happened it didn't start to rev the engine - he said it was almost as if the pedal was floored & the revs were not going anywhere. has anyone had this problem before? i searched the forum & only found something about a sticky throttle, but I do not believe this to be his problem. thanks for any help you provide

 

Either he has a broken throttle cable or the cable has come off the pedal or the other end in the engine bay.

 

Sounds like a broken or snapped throttle cable. I'd assume the pedal stayed in that floored position? This would cause the engine to run only at idle and completely disable your ability to rev the engine via throttle pedal. Was he able to limp the car home by feathering the clutch? I've yet to hear of a throttle cable snapping in a 355. It's usually a rare occurence in any car...

 

He basically turned the car around & parked it in my garage. He said it would only give partial throttle. Not completely disabled, but damn near. I will go check to see if i can spot any loose connections in the engine bay & by the gas pedal. BTW, do you know where this cable is in the engine bay?

 

so i went out to the car & the gas pedal swings freely as there is no pressure to it at all. I would now assume that the cable is broken or disconnected. Not sure exactly about the connection as again i have no idea where it connects in the engine bay - however on the other end I need a flashlight to see if i can spot the connection @ the pedal.

thanks for the quick responses!

 

Maybe the cable has frayed?? When the strands of the cable fray, the cable stretches and you will still have some throttle still, but not full throttle. Look in the engine bay at the back of the cab, near the firewall and follow the cable from there to the throttle linkages.

 

+1

 

the cable is indeed broken. I was able to undo the screw around the housing for the gas pedal & saw the linkage in the center tunnel. About 3-5 inches from the pedal is where the cable is snapped. So, the new question is, is this something that can be done as a do it yourself project & if so how hard is it, or do we need to take it to a shop to have this done?

 

Do it yourself. Not a big job to do.
These links are for a 348, but it is very similar to remove the cable from a 355.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44560&highlight=throttle+cable


http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87466&highlight=348+throttle

 

Thanks for all of your input/help. I believe my dad and I will be fixing this problem ourselves. I never dreamed I would be doing this stuff to a Ferrari!

 

Good one. Get in there and have a go. Its the only way you will learn.

 

Should I order the throttle cable from Ferrari of Denver or do you guys suggest I go through a different dealer or some other parts place?

 

Daniel at Ricambiamerica.com (if they have it) is the way to go for almost any part.
BT