348 do it yourself.. :)

Does anyone here in F-chat maintain there own 348..

I know the engine of the 308 doesn't need to be removed to maintain it.. This means even I can own one.

Does the 348 engine have to be completely removed like the TR's to tune it up..

Just a question for those who know...

Thanks

 

You better get the engine on a stand if you want to do the job right...especially for any performance mods/rebuild....Some brave folks have done complete belt service without removing the engine but it's a major pain, time consuming and need to drop the fuel tank....

The factory recommends to have the engine out for any major service...

VK

 

If you search the Tech Q&A section you will find plenty of 348 drivers that do their own maintenance. On the 348 the engine is designed to be removed on its own subframe to do the belts, front seals and water pump, so while it is definitely more work, it is not the huge hairy deal it would first appear to be. Most other repairs can be done without removing the engine (like my recent clutch R&R post, for example)

Before I bought my 348 I studied the parts & maint manuals (348 355 and TR manuals) and realized that when it comes down to it - the 348 cars are fairly well deigned and the repairs are mostly straight forward once you get to know how things are laid out. This list is also a great resource so do stay tuned.

 

You two are gentelman. Thank you for the info..

Anymore feed back from anyone else ?

 

Yes, the repair is straight forward. Fluid change can be done in the home garage. There's also plenty of room in the engine bay.

I do the minor stuff at home. I save the majors (clutch or timing belts, etc) to experienced F mechanics.

 

I do my own work, yes even the engine out service. The cars aren't hard to work on at all. The more you get into them, the more you realize that there is alot of hype put out about "Ferrari" engine service. You don't need to be some "factory trained" tech to work on your car. If you have ever changed an alternator, starter, or even your own oil, you can work on these cars.

 

I have basic car maintance knowledge. Do you really feel that working on these engines will be easy to learn..You know what they say, "Only a trained tech can work on these cars" I don't expect it to be as simple as a regular car. I just hear that not every car nut can work on them.

I want one really bad, and I'm not affraid to do most of the work myself.. I just don't want to have any regrets..

I hear a V8 Ferrari can take about $5k or more to maintain a year..

If I can get the parts and maintain her myself, Its a sure thing.

 

Ron,

It is not true that the annual(yearly) maintenance for the 348 is $5000. At the minimum, the annual maintenance should just be a change oil. But others change the coolant & flush the brake fluid as well. That's roughly $120 on parts.

The $5000 you are referring is for a cambelt job which is 15k or 30k miles or 5 years. Which ever comes first. Actually it's more like $6-7K now.

If you let the dealer maintain your car, budget about $1000 per year in maintenance.

Good luck

 

Okay, since you guys do your own maintenence....

How do you get the necessary shims for the valve adjustments???

 

Oh that's easy Diablo. What I did was swap the shims around that I could. I had to change 27 out of 32 valves. After I recycled the ones that were already in the engine I only needed 11. Then I went to differnt shops that delt with Ferrari's and got the sizes I needed. But here is the tricky part. The shims aren't all the same size. There is a measurement stamped on the back of the shim. The measuerment only goes out to the hundredth of an inch. But you need it to go out to the thousandth of an inch. It my have a measurement of 4.20mm stamped on the back of it, but when you actually measure it with a micrometer they may actually be 4.1989, or 4.207. Well the problem is those couple thousandths and tenthousandths can be the difference of being in or out of the specs. Trust me I had to redo three valves because of exactly this. Ron trust me you DO NOT have to be factory trained to work on these cars. I have NEVER EVER IN MY LIFE worked on a Ferrari until I got mine. If I can do it you can do it. The fellas here are awsome and we help eachother out as best we can. So get that 348, and when the time comes, put a wrench in your hand and fix YOUR Ferrari.

 

I have had my 348 for 14 years and have loved it almost the entire time. I have done my own services and I had the dealer do it once (never again!).

With just floor jacks and basic tools we had the engine/sub frame out in around 2 hours and back in in around 3. (When the dealer did it they hit me for 19 hours in and out plus the actual service. Unbelievable!) I then roll the entire unit into the garage and worked on the actual service for about 3 weeks. Even though it is a pain to take the motor out it does make it easy to work on.

As long as you are meticulous, take your time and realize that a screw up could cost big$...you'll do fine. Once you learn your way around the car they are just that....CARS! They are reletively straight forward.

Get one and have fun!

Ciao

Dino

 

I've seen several different CD's on ebay for sale (a wide range of prices as well). Anyone suggest what is best?

Technical Manual:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2457345677&category=6762

Workshop Repair Manual:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2457441510&category=6762

Parts and Owners Manual:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2456728603&category=6762

 

For working on a 348 you want a FULL set of workshop manuals and full parts book. What you see some folks selling as "technical manuals" or by some other name are selected sections of the manuals or just the owner's booklet. Beware of the $29 "full" manual.

Another sneaky one is when they sell the parts manual diagrams in a book without the lists of part numbers and descriptions that go with them. The diagrams alone are helpful but you need the part number lists so that you can order spare parts. As for the price, the real thing is going to cost you a lot more than $29.99 but will pay for itself the first time you use it to diagnose or repair your own car.

 

You definetely need the Parts manual + the Workshop repair manuals if you're going to do any work on the 348....The first link is the standard User's Manual and doesn't really explain anything in detail...

Get the hard copy version if you can find them....the CD-ROM version is hard to follow when you're working in your garage with greasy hands

VK

 

Where does one find these items?

 

I have the complete manual set and the parts book.

To me the manuals are bearly passable....It's the parts book that allows me to figure out how thing are put together and come apart.

Ciao

Dino

 

You guys are completely awesome.. Thanks fir all this motivating information..

I would love a 308 but if I could hold off (yeah right) a 348 wouldn't be bad at all..

Keep the info coming..

 

I agree the hard copy is more usable in the garage. I bought the CD and then just printed a copy of each book (6 volumes total), that way I can get the pages as greasy as I want and I can just print another page. Also helps when going to buy a part - just print up that page from the parts book and go.

Like they guys already said, the important thing is to get a full manual, whatever the source.

 

doing the major service of the 348 isn't that difficult
especially with the tech help advice you will get from the f-chat community.

it is highly time consuming though, which is why a repair shop charges so much.
there's alot of parts to remove and replace.
as long as you track how you disassembled it, you should be fine d.i.y.

having a lift would help alot, if not you'll spend a few hours going back and forth gradually lifting the car up to 3 feet off the ground

doing the clutch is significantly easier than the 308/328 models (imo).

 

ShanB, I have a question.....

How many volumes are the Factory Workshop manuals??? I have two (2) volumes on print but I've heard there a third volume which is included on the CD-ROM version....Is this info correct??

If you have a three-volume Workshop manual I'd like to know more details about that....Thanks

VK

 

If one doesn't have a lift, how do you jack it up 3 feet. Is 3ft enough clearance to role the engine out from under the car.

 

Hi Ron im just going to have to agree with all the good advice youve been given,you can service this yourself no problem just dont rush it
and take down notes and take pictures if your not to sure,
ferrari maintenance is by no means rocket science,
remember your doing a service so fully check the car over and
take down notes of any faults found,
work clean,work safely,and enjoy it,
Ron youve got all these gents to help you thats priceless,
cheers
Dale.

 

i jacked the car from the left and right side frame rails under the doors.
3 inches at a time - raise one side - support with jack stand - raise the other side - support with jack stands ..... (back and forth).

in order to get to about 3 feet above ground, i placed the jack stands on top of home made wooden pillars.
with the rear bumper removed, i dropped the engine and slid it out the back - there is enough clearance -
i used a motorcycle 1500 lb capacity rolling jack to lower the engine and pull it out.

BTW, i always kept in mind, SAFETY FIRST, above anything else.

 

here's a pic of the engine out... you can see the jack stand on top of the wood
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How do you guys get the freon out of the AC system??
And back in??