Miles left on F1 clutch w/50%

Ok, my 99 355 F1 is in for 30K service. The car has 10K miles on it but due for a belt change due to age. They have inspected the clutch and it has 50% wear.

Question- leave the clutch alone and reinstall or replace now? I do not have unlimited funds so I would like to spend wisely. I can either replace the clutch now or wait till the next service. So how many miles will I get on a clutch with 50%. I have searched the forums and understand driving has a lot to do with it. I just drive to and from work on surface streets. I don't live on a steep hill I have to back out of. What range can I expect? 3-6K 5-10K before I need to replace? My daily commute is 6 miles total.

 

clutch is purely bases on your driving habits and abilities as well as the qualify of parts/service on current clutch.

how many miles have you driven on it yourself?

is it the original clutch at 30k miles? how many different owners owned it?

It's a tough call. You could wait but then if you only got a few more thousand miles you'll have to spend the money all over again to pull the engine out....

with the engine already out now, you're going to save doing it now.

what if's the scary question.

 

You dont, of course, have to take engine out to change clutch. That comes out in about 40 minutes with bumper exhaust removal.

now of course its there ready to replace in 10 minutes with engine out so saves a bit.

If there is no oil leakage and assuming plates are flat etc you should get same again, if the 50% is true. Ive heard that before and its not right, you can only really judge it by getting it out and measuring it accurately.

You can, of course, get the plate relined, but if its in a shop they wont want to hang around waiting for that to be done. And you need to make sure they use decent material. lots isnt up to the job.

I haven't looked where you are, but assuming US so we cant help in time with a replacement. Although that would be a cheaper choice if / when it does go!

so you pays your money and takes your choice really, difficult call, espec if they replace with complete unit incl pressure plate.

 

I'd vote leave it alone...you may get enough out of it to reach the next belt service, and if not it's not so bad as a DIY.

 

My thoughts exactly!

 

I've replaced my clutch at 18K to 20K miles but it truly depends on how the car is driven. Last week at the Historic races at Laguna Seca I was caught in traffic going uphill and I swear I wore 5K miles off the clutch that morning alone. The F1 gearbox does not like stop and go when going up a grade. I suspect your good for another 8K to 10K which usually means at least a year or two.

 

Me three.

 

When I purchased my '99 355 F1, I had a PPI done and they told me that the clutch was 70% worn. I drove it for a season ...perhaps 3,000 miles and during the winter thought I'd have the mechanic do the clutch..."since it was in the shop for some other things". When they examined the clutch , they said it probably had "several more years use left" before it really needed replacement !

I'd leave it alone....I'll bet you get 2-3 years out of it yet ! And the engine does not have to come out ! My mechanic....who is actually a BMW mechanic and has never done a Ferrari clutch before....said it was quite straight forward !

Save your money till it needs it !

 

The engine is out of the car at the moment. The clutch is out and on a table they took a measurement and said 50% wear. So I am confident of the number. I think given the advice above from others I will have the seal replaced, invest in a Hill Eng throw out bearing and wait till the next service to see where the clutch is.

The only issue the mechanic mentioned is that they can not reset the clutch "wear computer" not quoting that right but there is some type of computer diagnostic that lets you know when the clutch is worn but they said they cannot reset to 50%. Not sure what issue this caused down the road.....

 

Replace it if you have it all apart.

 

DIY, is it possible without the SD2 tester? Here in New Mexico none of our mechanics have one so therefore, I always figured I would have to send my car to in my case, to Ferrari of Denver for a clutch replacement. I would trust my guys here to replace it if it's possible to do it without the tester.

 

ah, ok if it's already out and on the table, I'd be tempted to just replace it.

Don't worry about the wear % reading, it's just for information and not used to control anything.

 

Yes it is possible, I did mine 4 yrs ago and still holding great! There's a 'manual' calibration procedure that worked fine for me.

I found the procedure from the WSM, here it is:
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Great information, can't be F-chat to get the scoop.