New (happy) Ferrari Owner | FerrariChat

New (happy) Ferrari Owner

Discussion in '308/328' started by lromanosky, Sep 8, 2004.

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  1. lromanosky

    lromanosky Rookie
    BANNED

    Aug 27, 2004
    38
    calgary, canada
    Full Name:
    lawrence romanosky
    #1 lromanosky, Sep 8, 2004
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Hi guys,
    My first post. I just made the plunge and got my first Ferrari, a black/black 1989 328 GTS, 56,000km, records, Canadian Car, last serviced at Brian Jessell in Vancouver (30k mile/$8,000cdn) 5 years and 6,000km ago. Just got back from Monterey, so the car doesn’t look quite as glamorous at it did, but I can’t complain, it is a nice driver which looks to have been reasonably well treated. Still, look forward to the possibility that I could afford a BB or Daytona on day…BB’s look surprisingly reasonable, but I suppose that’s only if you don’t drive them.
    With any new car, it is nice to have feedback from other owners, as without it every little noise or quirk is imagined to be a potential engine/transaxle replacement. I thought I would make some observations and ask for comment:

    Service:
    I changed the oil with Mobil 1 15/50, though I considered that this might be a bit thick, considering that the car will get no track work, the climate here in Calgary Canada is moderate at best, and the car won’t see much traffic. I painstakingly refilled the engine with oil, careful not to overfill, started the engine, measured the oil, then overfilled it anyway when the oil in the filter drained into the sump arragh…So it only took 8 Litres of oil, but the manual says the capacity is 10. 2 litres still in the engine even though I let it drain for 15 min? Maybe that’s because I used a floor jack, and the car was tilted…
    It’s been 5 years and 6000km since the major service and it looks like it would be a good idea to do the belts. Also, idle is high when the car it hot at 1800/2000rpm indicated, though I suspect the tach reads a little high. So I guess I’m looking for a vacuum leak or an idle control valve? It's funny that most of the injection and ancillary parts on the engine are familiar to me from working on some of the Mercedes I have owned. For sure I'll look first at the part numbers before I give my Ferrari dealer a call, if only because Mercedes parts are at hand.
    Also my pre sale inspection revealed a slightly weeping fuel pump, feeble Air Con in need of a recharge (if lucky), and no heat shield over the Cat. Sandro, our local Ferrari Mechanic, said the clutch was slipping, but I’ve put 1500km on the car and can’t get it to slip at all, though I’m not being aggressive with the car. Only drivability issue with the clutch is that it likes to be pushed all the way in for a smooth change on some gears, particularly 4/5. Otherwise it seems fine. I’ll book it in at Sandro’s after the season is over.
    Gearbox is a pain when cold of course, I’m double clutching up to 2nd as a matter of course and double clutching down through all the gears which is fun, and it seems to go in a little smoother.
    I would like to dispense with the Cat and buy a test pipe and probably a new oxygen sensor for good measure. Where do I buy the test pipe? Thinking about a Tubi, but that will have to wait.

    Driving:
    I’ve put 1500km on the car, and just finished a 800km trip down to Waterton/Glacier national park and back through the Kananaskis country. Nice drive. Car never missed a beat, but I did manage to get a sizeable ticket, and a bird dive bombed the car taking out one of the windshield wipers and mounting clip, which were deposited on the highway. Never found the bird, but there were lots of feathers! I imagined that I was about to get my first dose of Ferrari parts sticker shock, so was happy to find that the Mercedes dealer where I work had the parts in stock, and they were cheap!
    Car tracked beautifully, but was slightly nervous in higher speed corners. Could be anything I guess, but 5 year old tires (Yokohama AVS) may not be helping. Car ran at 85+ psi at anything over about 4,000rpm, and the water and oil temp were about ¼ at speed. In the city, in traffic, I get just over ½ for water, and the oil maybe 2/3. Seems normal?
    Shifting is very positive when warm, and the opposite when cold. I can not heal/toe in this car at all. The throttle is set too far down. This is a major problem for me as I consider this to be vital-there is no way to enter corner quickly and not abuse the gear box without doing so IMHO. I ran across a link for a new set of drilled aluminium pedals from Hill engineering http://www.customferrariparts.com/homemainferrari.htm Anybody used them with success? Another source for pedals?
    I will be storing the car for the winter of course, what is the wisdom for treating the car? Fill the tank, treat the leather etc. Do you guys start the car every couple of weeks, or just leave it. Does anybody put a bit of oil in the cylinders, or is that way to big a pain with these cars?
    Anyway, so far so good. The car, while not that fast, makes all the right noises, and the experience is terrific. In fact, after a 6,500km road trip to Monterey, in a new C Mercedes, the first thing I wanted to do when I got home was take my Ferrari for a drive!
    Cheers, Lawrence.
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  2. s_eric09

    s_eric09 Formula Junior

    Feb 7, 2004
    570
    SoCal
    Full Name:
    George
    congrats! it looks beautiful!

    George.
     
  3. Gary Res

    Gary Res Formula Junior

    Apr 23, 2004
    573
    Long Island,New York
    Full Name:
    Gary
    Same as mine. I have 16,000 miles. Did major at 12,000 miles in April. I only have some minor problems. Next week it goes back to Ferrari for the A/c for the third time in 5 months. Otherwise, runs like a top. Make sure that you register it on the 328 registry.There are not that many 1989 Black on Black. I estimate about 25.
    In the winter (it'll be off road) I plan to do the cross drilled from Hill Engineering. Seems easy to do. Canada is cold compared to NYS. Talk to Ferrari, but I would use a thinner oil. Never overfill. Thank g-d you knew how to correct. Good Luck!
     
  4. Mule

    Mule F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 25, 2003
    3,749
    Alaska
    Full Name:
    Mule
    Well, now there are four 1989 328 GTS black/black on here. Me, you, Gary, Karen.

    Wonderful decision. I think I actually looked at the other three before I bought mine. I went for higher miles and lower cost, so I am sure the other three have less chips and wear.

    Enjoy it all you can. I have not had any problems with mine other than the filler neck leaking gas and the lower radiator hose leaking. Easy fixes, reletively inexpensive.

    I changed my wheels and tires, dyed the rear shelf behind the seats black and added a fire extinguisher, but everything else is stock.

    Due for a major service in the Spring (third one).

    And those smaller shields look good on the black.
     
  5. Ski Guy 348

    Ski Guy 348 Formula Junior

    Mar 29, 2004
    261
    Greenville, SC
    Full Name:
    Jay M.
    CONGRATS!! Nice looking Ferrari...I had one just like it before my Spider...I'm sure you will enjoy!!
     
  6. Doug.

    Doug. F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 16, 2004
    2,948
    Las Vegas, NV
    thanks for posting and welcome to the club. your car is beautiful and thanks for the driving/service impressions. i love reading those!
     
  7. lromanosky

    lromanosky Rookie
    BANNED

    Aug 27, 2004
    38
    calgary, canada
    Full Name:
    lawrence romanosky
    Well thanks for the response, if there are 4 black/black 89 GTS's on this list, there are probably lots of Ferrari owners here!
    I'm thinking I put the wrong oil in the car. I chose Mobil 1 15/50 as it was the closest to the 10/40 reccommened in the manual, without reducing the viscosity. Anyway, their has been quite a bit written on this forum on the subject by some members who appear to know a great deal more about the subject than I do. I've always used Mobil One and I'm quite partial to it, though my reasoning probably wouldn't stand up to close scruitiny. I'll look around for some Mobil 1 in a 5/40 or 10/40.
    On my road trip, the oil pressure looked to be about 85psi at4000 and a bit more, something like 90-95 at 5,000. Water temp and oil temperature were 1/3 of the dial (I wrote 2/3 earlier). When i got the car it had Shell Helix 5/40 in the car and the oil wouldn't go above 85psi. Funny, I thought more was better (up to a point) but there appears to be a lot more to it than that. I'll keep reading.
    Oh, something funny about the car's appearance: I kind of like the look of it a bit dirty with lots of dead bugs spattered all over it. I think I saw too many concours cars in Monterey!
    Cheers, Lawrence.
     
  8. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 27, 2004
    15,924
    Georgia
    Full Name:
    Jim Pernikoff
    I always felt that 308s/328s probably look better in black than in the "standard" red. In your climate a black/black car is perfectly reasonable. But here in the steamy south I'm glad I bought a red/cream 328!

    The car's beautiful and I wish you many happy miles.
     
  9. MRFOTOS

    MRFOTOS Karting

    May 26, 2003
    232
    Maui, Hi
    I dont want to open a can of worms in this issue but IMHO, just starting the engine and not driving it ( fully warming up the exhaust system)
    will cause moisture to form inside the system leading to a rusty condition in the tailpipe/ muffler... or do call it a silencer up there ?
    Just my 1.5 cents (2 cents Canadian)

    Mark
     
  10. lromanosky

    lromanosky Rookie
    BANNED

    Aug 27, 2004
    38
    calgary, canada
    Full Name:
    lawrence romanosky
    Yes of course after you start it, let everything get up to operating temperature. Best to drive it too, but not in a foot of snow! Question was is it better to regularly start and warm up the engine for the good of the belts and seals and to get rid of the contaminents in the oils etc, or are those benefits outweighed by all the cold starts. I would like to think that the car should be started and run at least once per month, but what does everybody else think.
    Cheers, Lawrence.
     

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