84QV -Engine Died While Moving - Will Not Start

I took the QV on its first outing this year. It started fine. I drove to town (7 miles) and put some fresh fuel in it and then started to drive home. When I was about one half mile from home, going around a 90 degree turn, the engine died and now will not start. It is now waiting to go to its mechanic in Louisville. Engine cranks fine but no firing. Any ideas what the mechanic will find?

Ron

 

I'm sure glad I live in a warm climate and don't have to deal with storing a car! Regular driving definetly benefits the Ferrari. Sorry, no recommendations but I wish you luck in fixing the problem.

Jeff

 

the limit on your credit card. ;-)

 

Non-Ferrari specific advice:

The first thing I'd suspect bad fuel, water/condensation in the gas based on how you describe the symptoms below. Specifically, you stated you put "fresh fuel" in it. Maybe the "new fuel" cause the water to get worked into the actual lines and up to the injectors. Could also be electrical, since its been dormant and you took a "90 degree turn".

2 Key things to make sure the mechanic knows:
1) Just put fuel in
2) Taking a corning, car cut out

Good luck and hope you get it solved easily and cheaply.
James in Denver

 

Have the Mechanic check the connectors to the ECU's. If they pulled out, then no spark.

Jeff

 

Louisville? Are you sending it to Bruce at Unique Automotive?

 

Corrosion/condensation on the connectors to the ECUs.

Did you top off the petrol tanks prior to winter storage?

If not, could be condensation in the petrol.

Or, it could be many other things!

 

Fuel, air, spark.

Does the QV have the fuel pump safety switch?

 

If you can siphon a little bit of the gas then smell it or examine it, you'll know if the gas is bad it won't smell like gasoline.

 

One time with another vehicle a mechanic place a gel like substance that changed color when exposed to water on a tube and placed it in the fuel.

It didn't change color but I had a clogged fuel filter.

Just my two cents.

Tom

 

With the gas tank less than full, condensation could collect on the exposed sides of the tank, when filled with fuel, the condensation (water) will collect at the bottom of the tank, as the gas is lighter than water, allowing the water to get sucked into the fuel pump/system. I would check for water first, and then look at the other stuff.

 

Much more likely to be electrical.

Check for spark! Easier and your hands stay cleaner.

Fuel pump runs? Fuel pump cutoff switch?

Still time to make a mess if this stuff works.

 

I'd check for spark 1st (easiest), if you have good spark , put a fuel pressure gauge on and see if the fuel pump is working properly.
DGS is right, all you need are Fuel, air and spark.

 

Fuel pump or bad fuel pump relay, or ignition, bad wire connection to either. could also be one of many vacume hoses.
If water was in fuel it would run and die off and on would have gave a warning stumbling cutting out ect more than likely, also cloged fuel filtors will start then die.

I just spent 72 strait hrs trouble shooting my 308 good luck.

 

no kidding

 

he put in fresh fuel though. Problem may be somewhere down the line. I wonder if soem sediment got flush downstream or something, or thr filter at the pump is clogged up?

 

Interesting, my first major outing and my car did ok but was a bit wear and slightly off note for the first 7 miles. She then farted a few times so i shut her down and just glided to a safe parking lot. My guess is some water was in the line as a bit of tinkering and she is all happy and normal.


So yes, i have a feeling like others said and it is easy to just jack up the car, drain the tanks, then unhook a fuel line at the Bosch K-Jet and unhook the ?blue? bit on the Bosch K-Jet to get fresh gas to the fuel distributor. In hindsight, this is what i plan to do next year after winter storage even though i do use a proper amount of STA-BIL.

 

How about checking to see if you blew your fuel pump fuse? That's a quick check and fix. That happened to me once last summer. It was instantly dead as a door nail but because I read so much on ferrari chat, the fuel pump fuse was the first thing I checked and within less than 5 minutes, I was back on the road thanks to a spare fuse.

Paul