It's broken AGAIN!!!!!!

My apologizes Daniel but my post was not meant at you but at Ferrari in general. Their prices for parts and service are just outrageous. I think we can all agree that having to drop the motor and changing a belt every 5 years on 348 is bull*&it. It's 2006 don't you think by now someone at Ferrari could have came up with a replacement belt made of Kevlar that lasts longer than 5 years???????? Of course not, they are preying on the fears of owners making a killing on replacement parts and their $130 an hr service facilities.

IMHO the only way to own a Ferrari is to have the means to buy one of the newer models. They seem to have finally got it right with the 360 onward. If you own a 348 you had better be able to do most of the maintenance your self and be happy to pay $300 for small plastic parts that cost $2.00 to make or have a large amount of cash set aside to continually fix the damn thing!!

 

So true and fully agree , apart from..
The F1s selector pump blowing
The spider roof breaking
Problems with some F1s to select gears, and especialy neutral
The F1 clutch wearing in 1/4 the time of a manual
The front boot/storage compartment leaking
Early 360 throw out bearing could be bad
And some early (1999-2000) 360s spitting out a few crank shaft shells (bearings).....Ferrari got it right with the 360

 

Sorry ernie for your troubles.

Had a Ford Bronco once that drove me nuts, until I called "Cars4Kids" to come and get it the hell out of my sight, my driveway, and out of the county.

 

your not alone mate just sold my 355 because it was a nightmare car, constantly costing me money, the cost of repairs now outweighs the novelty, i have turned to the dark side and bought a porche, what a releif driving a car without warning lights flashing and a bit of reliability, think its time for your love affair with ferrari to come to an end!!!!!!!!!!

 

good points

they're still not getting it right IHMO

 

Ok, you all have talked me out of a 348/355 and into a 512 TR now...

 

We don't know if the 360 will be better when it's 15 years old. If anything, the electronics, power tops, etc., are going to be harder to troubleshoot at the local garage and have pricier parts to fail. And - everything fails eventually.

Yeah, the 512 TR doesn't have any of those expensive parts...

 

They all have issues. Only had my 348 for 2 weeks now and already curse at it behind its back. Mostly sorting and improving things, and then some stupid things that shouldn’t go wrong, however when I do get to drive it, all those thoughts and everything else for that matter, are distant memories, and when you have the suspension dialed in, and with the upgraded brakes, nothing seems better then the REAL steering feel, carving some roads, backed by the sound of that engine through the Tubi and test pipes, nothing so far has sounded better or felt more connected! On top of that, for me, it also has the best visuals other then some choice classics. It definitely doesn’t get lumped in to the sea of “other” cars. Then I stop, get out, and realize the driver side window won’t go up and the seat belt wont work! lol Like many GREAT things, there is a little love and hate, but if that is not true passion, then what is? I remember my first car the same way, yet some 100% error free cars I don’t even remember or miss that much.

I like my Porsches like the next guy, maybe more, I’m half German. I appreciate thoughtful engineering and Germans are picky and stubborn, traits that have been carried on to me, and not a bad thing to have when building something. However, they in no way provide the same total unique experience, at all. I have had lots of different cars, and they fall under transportation/utilitarian, fun, great fun and then there is the level of true occasion and excitement that brings some emotion. For reliability I drive a Japanese luxury car, and so should you if comfort and things not going wrong are above all else, lol. Even the Germans could learn a trick or two from these guys. Complaining about a 15 plus year old car, Italian at that, is like taking that same luxury sport sedan off road and saying how it doesn’t hold up well and rides rough, for that I have a Ford 4x4. They all have their unique uses and places. When have Italian cars been known for great durability? I thought that was Toyota? Isn’t Ferrari about passion, a car that really doesn’t have to exist but does just to provide that difficult to achieve feeling?

For me, I tried to remain realistic going into it. I also wanted a car to work on to give me a change of pace from the regular work you have to do to get paid. So that is ok for me at this time. One thing we can all agree on is the rip off part pricing for pieces that at any other manufacturer would be 1/5-1/10 the cost. We are lucky to have some guys in the fight for us on this, like Dan with Ricambi! And most of all, lets not forget “the brotherhood”, more helpful and less snooty then your average P-car group

I can certainly appreciate how Ernie feels however. If the hassles become more then the reward, then like other things in life, it might be time to move on. Time will tell. Likewise, if you have done that many things to the car, I’ve seen cars like this become bullet proof for the next owner, as it was just that one last thing that broke the camels back, and the next person inherits a great ride, and probably at a discount. If you don’t really enjoy messing around with things that much, and find it hard enough just to make drive time, then it would ware on me really quick as well, and a Porsche, C6 Corvette, Elise and some other choices would fit better for similar price range.

Good luck Ernie!

 

Just don't smoke the tires often like you can do with a 355 or you'll blow the diff which will set you back $20k then you'll be fine.

 

Yeah, get the 512TR, you'll save a bundle on service.
BT

 

Ernie,

Before spending too much $$$ on this issue, you might want to consider going to an aftermarket ECU that can be programmed. Not only do you get more control over the engine (perhaps even a few extra ponies) but you only need one of them, and they are current technology, not 1993. The other big bonus is that future problem diagnosis is much easier and should a sensor fail, you are no longer forced to stick with Ferrari specific parts.

Getting back to the problem at hand however, is there any physical indication of water damage or heat to the dead ECU? Having established you have a dead ECU, you are so right in wanting to know why. We often blame the wiring in these cars (and Mondial ts) but I am not so convinced that the ECUs are any better. It may not be fully sealed and may have corroded internally to the point of death, or may have been cooked.

Keep going at it cause you'll eventually get a perfectly reliable and awesome car out of it. If there is anything I can do to help, lemme know.

Dave

 

Quick afterthought...

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but aren't these 2 completely isolated systems - essentially 2 4 cylinder engines? In this case, it should most likely run on 4 cyl, and if not, should at least fire on the good bank.

Me thinks that something else is awry. Something common to both systems.

Crank sensor perhaps? The gas you smell could be from the cold start injector which I believe is activated simply because the starter motor is activated and the engine cold. In Toyota systems of the same era, the cold start system is not even connected to the ECU!

Dave

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-348-or-Mondial-T-Motronic-2-7-ECU-Chips_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6763QQihZ005QQitemZ150022904569QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW


$10 start for set of chips....will this help or is the whole ECU messed up? $1o maybe worth a shot...

As far as all the comments of money tossed at Ferraris....how much do our wives cost? Even if we trade the wives in- the newer model wives still cost plenty? Small price to pay for love. **** breaks, yes more in these however NOTHING will replace the feeling of taking your very own supermodel for a drive.
Step back & dont mess with it for a couple days, as said earlier different people will see different angles...If I get rage about something I will break it if I am working on it while p*ssed. Dont do anything drastic, drink a beer forget about it for a couple of days...

 

Dave this is a funny post. I called Bosch Germany once and basically acused them of selling "seconds" to Ferrari because Bosch equipment is flawless on all other makes of car but Ferrari. They did not like what I said. Anyway, if you ever work on a BMW or a Benz you will agree that something is just not right with Ferrari bosch conenctors etc. I can open a 5 year old bmw bosch connector to find it free of dirt. Ferrari's can't make it here new from italy without corrosion and dirt! Anyway, the issue as I know it with Ferrari bosch ecus is they all work. I have even seen people use volvo ecus with a ferrari eprom chip and it works in 348's. Ernie has two dissimilar ecus and they worked in the past. His car was quite a hack job by the PO. But when it is all running it will be perfect because everything will be new. I have extra ecus for Ernie to try. Saturday I'll make the drive to Ventura and get that car running the billybob way. I am not so convinced he has blown ECU's. I think his diagnosis is faulty and he missed key steps to early diagnosis. I'll bring up some extra ECU's and he can have his choice of programing. All the factory ecu programs pass smog in kalifornia by the way. The aftermarket guys do some tweeks that don't pass. They change eprom chips but use the old bosch box. He will owe me a BIG dinner. What do you guys think it should be steak? Duck? rack of lamb?

 

Ernie, forgive me if you have already checked this, but you mentioned that you heard a clattering at low speeds. Could it possibly be your flywheel grease(or lack of) triggering a fault with the crank sensor?

 

ernie,
Your posts troubles me terrible and almost makes me want to log off here for good. I really start to question if I truly want a Ferrari, I can afford the car, and the services, but the time commitment is hugh. What you did would have taken me at least three saturdays to figure out. I question if it is worth it. Corvette or Porsche turn the key and go. Good post as the frustration you had is felt by the reader.

 

Stop please, I am feeling the darkside also. I have modest riches, but am a poor man when it comes to spare time.

 

If you read billybobs post the PO F'd up Earnies 348, not all Ferraris are like this, 348s are known for electrical and transmission issues though also.

 

Potential owners and owners don't panic. You guys know I am a real cynic and pain in the a$$. But the 348 can be a flawless car. I have lived with 3 ferraris and worked on many others, still own 2. As reliable cars they ALL suck. No Ferrari is immune from the ghost of enzo or lucasness. Still after all these years Ferrari have bad electrical systems because they do not care. Each model has its own set of quirks and quite frankley sometimes even the mechanics do not see them all because they work on all ferraris and other makes and I can be a smart a$$ and call out mechanics because I work on just one. A well sorted 348 is just as reliable as any Ferrari and once you remove elctrical systems the reliability of the car skyrockets to toyota level. Well you guys are not going to race it like me so that is out but even when my car was a streetcar it was a good car. Now it is a great car because all the crap is out of it. The engine is the same as ever and I have put many hard miles on it with absolutely zero issues. In fact the engine and mechanicals work better than ever. These cars love to be driven and hard. I do engine out services every year and lots of preventative work due to the racing but all I can tell you is this baby will just not quit. I wager that my raced 348 mechanicals which are stock workes better than any road 348 becuase this car is driven. So keep the faith every owner will have some kind of growing pains with their car. Drive it! You will have to open your wallet for any Ferrari the same as if you dated paris hilton. If you stick with vette's and the kind of girl you would marry life is very predictable.

 

Here's the deal, a little starter fluid and ernie's 348 starts right up and runs/idles fine...but throws engine codes.

ernie has also replaced his full size battery with a tiny race battery...and gets no spark when he tests during normal cranking.