F1 Fluid Leak (360) | FerrariChat

F1 Fluid Leak (360)

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by voicey, Jul 24, 2010.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. voicey

    voicey Formula 3

    Jul 29, 2009
    1,190
    London, UK
    Full Name:
    Aldous Voice
    #1 voicey, Jul 24, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Hi,

    I'm hoping one of the pros on here might have seen this before and be able to point me in the right direction....

    I'm getting F1 fluid leaking out of the top of the reservior. The attached picture shows the leak after a 50 mile journey (mostly motorway so fewer gear shifts). Prior to this journey the reservior was bone dry as I had cleaned all previous fluid off. Points to note:

    - The pump is cycling on and off as I would expect it to
    - The pump relay has been replaced very recently
    - As it happens I had the car on an SD2 machine immediatly before todays journey - there were no errors
    - The F1 fluid level was correct this morning.

    Does anyone have any idea what would be causing the fluid to leak out the top of the reservior? It has been very hot here recently (UK) - would this affect it?

    Thanks in advance!
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  2. rbf41000

    rbf41000 Formula Junior

    Nov 21, 2005
    676
    Charlotte NC
    Full Name:
    Russell
    Check that the seal on the cap is in good condition and not allowing fluid to escape as it gets sloshed around in the reservior first.
     
  3. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    Fluid was correct?

    What is correct?

    That thing was overfilled.
     
  4. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jul 19, 2008
    37,984
    Clarksville, Tennessee
    Full Name:
    Terry H Phillips
    #4 tazandjan, Jul 24, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  5. Uomo360F1

    Uomo360F1 Formula Junior

    Aug 24, 2007
    488
    I agree with Brian. Could be overfilled. And the rubber seal inside the cap could be bad.
    Had a similar experience a while back, when F1 fluid was sweating badly from the plastic reservoir, dripping directly over the exhaust tail pipes, and causing a trail of blue smoke, which was very embarrasing. I was told these tend to crack quite often, so I replaced the entire reservoir (it comes with a new cap/dipstick) for less than $300. Good luck.
     
  6. voicey

    voicey Formula 3

    Jul 29, 2009
    1,190
    London, UK
    Full Name:
    Aldous Voice
    Thanks guys. The cap seal is intact - good. However, I've been using the dipstick on the cap to maintain the level (I wasn't aware of the service bulletin). As I don't have the fancy Ferrari tool I sucked out a load of fluid until I could see the line inside the tank. I then put fresh fluid in until it hit the line and then added a small amount on top to what I thought was 5mm extra. I'll keep an eye on it.
     
  7. Ingpr

    Ingpr F1 Rookie

    Jun 30, 2009
    2,619
    PR
    Full Name:
    David
    True!
    Dont looking for something else! Who fill that canister?
     
  8. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    Seal or no seal they are designed to breath. It will not hold pressure and when the fluid gets hot it expands and it will find a way out.
     
  9. Fast_ian

    Fast_ian Two Time F1 World Champ

    Sep 25, 2006
    23,397
    Campbell, CA
    Full Name:
    Ian Anderson
    Dumb question; "Why don't they use non-expanding fluid?"

    Problem solved!
    .
    .
    Dons flamesuit ;)

    Cheers,
    Ian
     
  10. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    There are some low expansion fluids out there that might be compatible and I am looking into that. In this case it is just that P/S-ATF was just too easy to use, it works well for the app and it can be bought anywhere. The problem is they decided to use an existing off the shelf reservior that is far too small. If you look in the res after the car has been sitting all night, then open the door to pressurize the system you will see that 50% of the res capacity just disappeared. Now consider being out on track and getting the fluid smoking hot and fully expanded. It FILLS the reservior. We have seen track driven cars with PS and F1 that needed to be filled so low they were in real danger of sucking air before the fluid got hot. An F1 system, like any other hydraulic system does not work well if it gets air in it. And we have found that not all the correct fluids seem to have the same expansion rate for some reason.
     
  11. GTtech

    GTtech Guest

    Apr 28, 2010
    9
    Istanbul
    Full Name:
    Serkan
    Hi

    My Guess

    Your F1 System need's the "Bleeding Procedure"
    A) Clutch
    B) Actuator
    C) Pressure Canister

    In F430: D) E Diff

    Best Regards
    Serkan
     
  12. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall



    Nope. That is not a symptom of an improperly bled system.
     
    windsock likes this.
  13. Perkman87

    Perkman87 Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jul 23, 2010
    359
    Ft. Lauderdale FL.
    Full Name:
    Jonathan Perque
    In my honest opinion, I would check the gasket first as it would be the cheapest fix, and like another poster stated these things tend to crack, a 300 dollar investment may not sound that bad, especially if will solve the seeping issue.
     
  14. mrpcar

    mrpcar Formula 3

    May 27, 2007
    1,114
    Chino hills, CA
    Full Name:
    Robin
    It's funny when you think about it, Ferrari spent more time designing a nice Ferrari logo cap then finding the proper sized reservoir....
     
    2NA likes this.
  15. speedmoore

    speedmoore Formula 3
    BANNED Professional Ferrari Technician

    Apr 15, 2003
    1,541
    Austin, Texas
    Full Name:
    D Moore
    Its over filled. Seen it before when training new techs that can't listen. Its fun to clean up too so they never do it again.
     
  16. Perkman87

    Perkman87 Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jul 23, 2010
    359
    Ft. Lauderdale FL.
    Full Name:
    Jonathan Perque
    haha
     
  17. gobuffs2002

    gobuffs2002 Karting

    Aug 7, 2010
    242
    Colorado
    Full Name:
    John
    Just found this thread, Terry, do know the length of the pipe on the tool, from the rim of the reservoir to the correct fill point? Thanks Terry.
     
  18. awatkins

    awatkins Formula Junior

    Apr 10, 2005
    396
    SFO Peninsula
    Full Name:
    Alan Watkins
    Is there a larger reservoir in the aftermarket that would truly solve this problem?
     
  19. bisel

    bisel Formula 3
    BANNED

    Sep 12, 2012
    1,138
    Scottsdale, Arizona
    Full Name:
    Steve Bisel
    I found EZ check is with a steel machinist rule. The ferrari service bulletin says the level should be like 5mm above the plate on the bottom of the reservoir Just open your door and wait till the pump cycles off, dip the rule in the reservoir until it strikes the plate and remove to measure.

    If too full, I just sucked some out using a piece of vinyl tubing

    Steve



     
  20. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jul 19, 2008
    37,984
    Clarksville, Tennessee
    Full Name:
    Terry H Phillips
    John- The length will not make much difference as long as it can touch the rim ledge in the reservoir. Take a ruler, or even a stick, and measure the height from that rim ledge to the top and then allow a little for the bend and you should be okay. If you do not have a tube bender, you can borrow one or buy one of the cheap spring inserts that allows the same non-collapsed tube bend.
     
  21. Matt1984

    Matt1984 Rookie

    Jul 17, 2020
    25
    jupiter, florida
    Full Name:
    matthew goodrich
  22. flash32

    flash32 F1 Veteran

    Aug 22, 2008
    5,561
    Central NJ
    Full Name:
    Dominick
    #22 flash32, Jul 24, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2020
    Yes that is

    Matt

    I see you posted same question in 3 or 4 different places

    I see you are new here .. congratulations on your f430

    In the future when you a question on your car use search function in ferrarichat first (can also use Google with key word and "ferrarichat") and then if you cannot find answer then open a new post .. asking your question on someone else's post probably not going to get you far

    Another good for thought .. since it seems like you may not have the user manual etc .. consider getting a CD(really a download) from eBay for less than 20 dollars for a incomplete but helpful workshop manual

    It also would be good to create a introduction post with pics and maybe a.bsck story

    Welcome .. I hope I help give you some insight to our family dynamics here


    Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
     
  23. TheRealFlyingBear

    Apr 27, 2020
    152
    SF Bay Area
    Full Name:
    Ken
    F1 fluid level is like the amount of water for a pot of rice. Stick your finger in and fill the liquid up to your first digit. For F1 fluid, it's where your fingernail ends before the first digit. Easy =)
     
    Matt1984 likes this.
  24. Matt1984

    Matt1984 Rookie

    Jul 17, 2020
    25
    jupiter, florida
    Full Name:
    matthew goodrich
    thank you i am gonna do that i was worried because i put it in and when i got home it was leaking in the back that fluid i thought i may have put the wrong stuff, could it be since i just filled it up that i put too much in and thats why it was leaking on the ground
     
  25. Matt1984

    Matt1984 Rookie

    Jul 17, 2020
    25
    jupiter, florida
    Full Name:
    matthew goodrich
    i did that i started my car for about 10 mintutes opened door checked it and it was very low in there, so i put a little at a time till it was about a fingernail, took car for a drive when i got back, it was leaking underneath and it had the red item that popped up on dashboard wouldnt even let me into first gear. do you think it was i just put too much?
     

Share This Page