I have a 348 built in April 1994. The belts were changed (15,000 mile service) in Feb. 2000. At the time of service the milage was 11,500. The milage is now 13862 (I know, I need to drive it more, but I have too many cars). The car is kept in a "garage" that has an expoxyed concrete floor, never gets below 45 degrees and never above 85 degrees. The room is dehumidified and has a ventilation system to prevent fume (smell) buildup. There are other cars in the room but all are driven about as often as this one, and none in the rain, ever. Here is my question--it's been six years since I changed the belts. Should I go ahead and change them even though the car is only driven about once a month for around 22 miles (really maintenance driving). If I do change the belts, what else should I do while the thing is apart? I have been thinking that if I pull the engine the water pump would be a good think to replace. Thanks in advance for advice. Bill
Change the belts. Ferrari says every 3 years, notwithstanding mileage, but you'll get a lot of opinions on this board. There's a thread here titled something like "my car stopped on the highway" about a 348 that went 5 years on its belts and then had the dreaded the self-implosion. I'm a 328 guy, but I'd assume if you're pulling the engine to do the major service it would be wise to rebuild the water pump unless it has been done recently. There may other items as well.
With that kind of climate control and those limited miles, I'd go for another 6 years no problem. The chances of a problem are extremely remote. Remember that there are still plenty of 348s running around out there on the FIRST belt. That's 13 to 18 years, depending on on the year model.
That could be true......Or he could end up like our mate here. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96132 http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=102306 http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104937 Id change the belts and the water pump,cam seals,tensioner bearings ect....only because the car never gets driven.
Not all belts are going to fail inside 6 or 7 years...but...the stories that you read here on Fchat of belt failures center around 6+ year old belts. So of the belts that fail, most have gone 6 or 7 years prior to failure. Lots of info here: http://webpages.charter.net/aircover/348/1994Ferrari348Spider.html Mileage does not seem to be the main belt killer; it seems to mostly be age under tension (the shelf life of a belt may also factor in somewhat). Also, keep in mind that when people talk about 348 belt failures they are being generic...the problem is more often than not a tensioner bearing failure, waterpump failure, belt jumping teeth, belt losing teeth, etc...rather than the belt itself actually breaking.
The real question is if you feel like gambling. I would guess that going another 5 years you are at a 50% risk of failure. Since you have many cars, this may not seem significant to you. Since my 348 is my only sports car I would not risk it and am planning the major service for ealry next year (5 years after the PO did the same service). Although it should cost me about $5k I think the peace of mind is well worth it. BT
Thanks all, after looking at the replies I'm going ahead with the service, including: Change the belts New water pump Replace cam seals Replace tensioner bearings Change all fluids (trans, brake, coolent, etc) Check valve clearances Replace cooling system hoses Replace air filter Replace fuel filters Recharge air con system If I'm missing anything, let me know. By the time I get done wth this I could buy a small Korean car for the same money--but then that would still be a small Korean car. I am going to have the work done at Foreign Cars Italia in Greensboro--they have done work for me in the past and seem very good (long time Ferrari dealer). Thanks, Bill
I would check the rubber fuel lines, if they haven't been replaced. They might be OK, but if the engine's out it's probably cheap to replace these.
