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Bad cat on 355?

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by jakermc, Dec 11, 2004.

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  1. jakermc

    jakermc Formula 3
    Owner

    Jan 17, 2004
    1,804
    Palm Beach, FL
    Full Name:
    Rob
    #1 jakermc, Dec 11, 2004
    My '98 355 with 17K miles has begun throwing Check Engine Light messages at me. About 1 month ago it went off and registered code P1448. This is a specific Ferrari code meaning "Catalyst Bypass Flap Circuit Malfunction (Signal/Min/Max)". I cleared the code and everything seemed mine until a few days ago when the light came back on. The codes this time were the generic codes P0422 and P0432. These refer to "Main Catalyst Below Threshold". The first code is for Bank 1 and the second code is for Bank 2.

    What are these codes telling me? Is it time to bring it in to the dealer for a proper diagnosis and potentially replace the cats? Can the car be driven with these error codes or is there risk of doing damage to the engine/exhaust system?
     
  2. 2000YELLOW360

    2000YELLOW360 F1 World Champ

    Jun 5, 2001
    19,800
    Full Name:
    Art
    #2 2000YELLOW360, Dec 11, 2004
    I wouldn't drive that car too far. If those cats plug up, you'll be buying new exhaust manifolds also. I speak from experience. The new factory cats are 3 - 4k EACH. If they are no good, your best bet is either warranty (hope your in good with your factory authorized dealer) or the replacement cats, which provide a little extra HP and those about about 1k each.

    Art
     
  3. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    37,288
    Cowboy Capitol of the World
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    #3 Rifledriver, Dec 11, 2004
    Rob, Art just gave you some good advice. Also do not ever erase codes unless you are prepared to fix the car yourself. The SD1 and SD2 diagnostic equipments capabilities are crippled when you do that. You are just making it harder to enable somebody from fixing your car right the first time.
     
  4. jakermc

    jakermc Formula 3
    Owner

    Jan 17, 2004
    1,804
    Palm Beach, FL
    Full Name:
    Rob
    #4 jakermc, Dec 11, 2004
    Is it 7 years for emissions equipment? Based on the registration records I have been able to find, I think the car was first titled 1/29/98. That gives me about 6 weeks of warranty left. :)
     
  5. fiorano10

    fiorano10 Karting

    Sep 29, 2004
    111
    los angeles
    #5 fiorano10, Dec 11, 2004
    the cats are under warrenty for 8 years or 80000 miles
     
  6. 348SStb

    348SStb F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Apr 9, 2004
    2,991
    Palm Beach County, FL or Nassau County, NY
    Full Name:
    Dave
    #6 348SStb, Dec 11, 2004
    Rob,

    Failing cats can cause you a host of problems whereof the worst is a $25,000 engine rebuild. Both 348s and F355s have failure-prone cats from the factory.

    Take the car to the shop and have the problem diagnosed.

    In the meantime, contemplate getting yourself a set of aftermarket cats. Hyper-Flow is probably the most popular--excellent craftsmanship and about $700 per cat. Do a search on this board and you'll find that many, many F355 owners have installed Hyper-Flow cats.
     
  7. SCarFan

    SCarFan Rookie

    Sep 22, 2004
    28
    Las Vegas, NV
    Full Name:
    Carlton Geer
    #7 SCarFan, Dec 11, 2004
    Rob,

    No doubt the best policy is to take the car to a DEALER; however, p1448 comes up frequently for me (once every two months) and my mechanic who uses a SD2 told me the O2 sensor was going bad so don't lose any sleep over this until you have it checked. It may not be the cats - don't assume the worst until you verify it.

    I use an OBD II also and I also log the error codes. I got tired of the CE light and taking it in to a mechanic every couple of months.

    Stay in tune with your car - you know how it is running better than anybody. If there is a problem you'll know...
     

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