360 Yearly Service?

Oil, filter, brake fluid change. At least that's what I have done. While it's there the mechanic plugged it into the computer and checked for fault codes.

I could pull the bill, there may have been some other odds and ends performed. I think was maybe $300-400.

DM

 

Motor oil, brake fluid and transmission oil. Coolant every 2 years.

Every single transmission problem on 360 we have dealt with has not had yearly changes. 360 transmissions run hot and kills the oil. We have a couple of cars that get driven quite a bit and it may become necessary to change oil more than once a year on those. We are starting to experiment with different lubricants to find one that will last longer because I really dont want to have to change gear oil more often than motor oil. But do yourself a favor and change it every year. The scrap metal man has already hauled away lots of very expensive 360 transmission parts from here.

 

+1 I do the fluids once per year. It's cheap insureance for about $700.

 

Funny you should mention that; i'm recommending trans oil changes every year out here due to heat. The oil looks like it's come out of a truck with two million miles on it when it's drained. I wonder how often people actually bother removing the rear bumper to clean the little filter? i'm now using redline 75w90 full synth on the higher mileage cars instead of the shell transaxle, so far with good results.

 

Exactly what we see too. The Redline is better than the Shell by a big margin but I have been having trouble with it too in the high mileage per year cars. I have Royal Purple in one now and will try it in a couple more to see what happens.

 

Please update us on the results. I am interested to hear how it works compared to Redline.

As for annual gear oil, I can't agree more. I changed gear oil and my car shifted MUCH better. The stuff that came out smelled burnt and was amazingly ugly. Removing the bumper isn't that difficult. I would suggest cleaning the screen because you will get a warning if things are going terribly wrong and you may save yourself from getting stranded.

 

I can see engine/trans oils, but if you weren't tracking your car why brake fluid? Assuming you aren't heating up the brakes excessively or working the clutch to death, don't understand why brake fluid would break down so fast.

And interestingly, my dealer suggests annual coolant service. I have other makes of cars that also suggest this (as opposed to every 2 years mentioned above).

 

I'm certainly no expert but I understand that brake fluid is hygroscopic. It is that absorption of water that you don't want in the fluid and, therefore, in other parts of the brake system. On other cars I've owned, the brake fluid change interval was two years. I do it every year on the 360 because that is the factory recommendation.

 

Brake fluid absorbs water at the rate of about 3% per year in average service. 3% water will drop the boiling point of racing brake fluid (depending on brand) about 100 degrees C. Thats about 170F or said another way, way more than it take to make your brake fluid able to boil in moderately hard use.

It will also eventually rust out some very expensive brake components.

The garbage brake fluid Ferrari uses solidifies with age and clogs up the system something awful too.

I don't care about the brake fluid in my Explorer. Its brakes dont get used hard and if the calipers rust out Ill buy a new set for a couple of hundred. Ever priced a set of Ferrari calipers and a master cyl?

Anyone not changing your Ferrari brakefluid every year is taking your life in their hands.

Coolant with good quality modern stuff seems to be OK for 2 years but every year is OK too. Modern Ferrari radiators are really expensive and I have seen too many take a dump because of poor service.

 

Early feedback is very good. I went to Redline because in the old iron syncro cars it always worked better. The syncro design in the 360 is VERY different and the RP seems to work very well. Time will tell if it lasts any longer.

 

Brian.

for those who don't drive their cars a lot (not me), if you're putting 1500-2000 miles per year on the car, is the annual gear oil change necessary? Again, I know we're not talking huge bucks here, I'm just looking for some perspective.

Brake fluid, sure, that's a time issue, it's going to absorb moisture no matter what, but if a car isn't driven a lot, and the gear oil degradation is heat related, isn't there a matter of time/usage to consider before a change?

I'm not looking to get my ass flamed here, just looking for information.

thanks,

dave

 

Maybe a dumb question, but does a Manual transmission require the same transmission oil change intervals?

 

If you mean a difference in the F1 transmission to the maual, there isn't any. The F1 hydraulic system is a seperate one that bolts on the side in place of the shift mechanism the manual trans has, therefore the same rules to oil changes apply.

That being said, the oil in the F1 system needs to be replaced at certain intervals too.

 

If you are in an situation where due to humidity, method of storage, types of use, etc. isn't allowing build up of condensate in the oil thats OK. You and your guys will have to make that judgement. In the S.F. Bay Area we have such a wide array of micro climates I can't count on that.

In pretty much all topics like this we have to paint with a pretty broad brush. There are many individual circumstances that make a difference on what specifically should be done when. One of the many reasons to have a good long term relationship with a particular service person or facility. Their knowledge of your use, needs and habits is very important. You are lucky. In that area there are some very good choices.

 

But still looks like good rule of thumb to swap it out annually. After all a few hundred extra bucks a year vs. some catastrophic failure in the gearbox is a pretty good idea.

 

What about using silicon brake fluid? I was told to use this years ago in my vette because it dosn't absorb water, but I've never heard anything about in a ferrari?

 

I too am curous to hear how you like the royal Purple. I've only had my 360 a short period of time, but many of the race teams I drive for have had bad experience with redline gear oils. 2 years ago, a Mazda team I drove for lost 3 tranny's with redline in 6 races. They switched to royal purple, and have only had to tear down 1 gear box in the following 18 mos.

 

+1, I find the RP better than RL street and racing.

 

Brian, Matt- We are using Valvoline synthetic 75W-90 in my 575M. Anyone ever tried it and do 575M transaxles have the same problems as 360s? I live in the desert and was planning on two year changes of transaxle oil and anti-freeze and annual changes of oil/filter and brake fluid, plus power-steering fluid every three years.

Like antifreeze, there is no change interval in the books for the F1 pump oil. How often should it be changed and what is a good choice? Searching back threads, I see ATF dexron (?) as the fluid of choice, some recommending Mobil synthetic dexron. Valvoline makes a fully synthetic Mercon V ATF, and I am leaning towards Valvoline products right now since they seem to have everything I need on the car.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

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In your spot I would change gear oil every year. Have a look at your book I bet your 575 calls for Tutela CS Speed hydraulic oil for the F1 system . It is good for a while.

 

They are manual transmissions.......all of them.

 

Silicon brake fluid is one of the worst products ever made. It is really only suitable for custon Harleys that do not want to spill on their precious ugly tasteless paint and it is really only good in those because they don't run long enough to need the brakes.

Silicon brake fluid is compressable. Glycol fluid is not
Silicon gets more compressable the hotter it gets. Not Glycol.
Silicon fluid use is not allowed by the TUV (Germanys equivalent of DOT) and does not even carry a rating in Europe because they were not bought off by its inventor and patent holder, Dow Corning.
Silicon fluid does not absorb water. It seperates like salad dressing concentrating all the corrosion in one area.
When water gets in silicon fluid (It will no matter what you do) it is heavier and sinks to the bottom next to the wheels. Where is all the heat in the system? Next to the wheels. Now you have a brake fluid the will boil at 212 degrees.

Smart eh!

If there was a single responsible person in the entire DOT silicon fluid would be banned from use in the US.

 

Brian- You are right about the Fiat Tutela CS Speed. Level was just checked and is fine, so no sweat on change intervals, thankfully.

Will have the transaxle oil changed annually as well, thanks. Have no desire to rebuild or replace that monster.

Taz
Terry Phillips