355 CASE STUDY | FerrariChat

355 CASE STUDY

Discussion in '348/355' started by mikster, Mar 6, 2013.

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  1. mikster

    mikster Formula Junior

    Nov 11, 2003
    357
    LA
    Full Name:
    SLOMO
    99-355-F1

    Ive purchased this car with 25 K miles and a complete belt service. I have been driving this car for the last 6 months as a daily driver, averaging about 2 K per month, so here are my observations…

    Ive changed the oil every 10 K miles on all my other cars (2 hondas with 300 K + miles) so I will do the same for the 355. Its starts discoloring around 7 K and I use Mobile full synthetic.

    Cheap Goodyear tires 295/35/18 at $300 for 2 rear tires, they appear to last about 6 months.

    I tried running regular octane gas and it pinged a lot, so I only run 99 now.

    1 can of Seafoam every 5 K miles appears to work.

    Passenger radiator had a pinhole leak, so I used JB Weld to repair it and it appears to have worked for now.

    I installed the Fabspeed/Hyperflows/Cappy-3 setup and it sounds incredible, just like a Formula car.

    Presently at 55,000 miles and will perform the next belt service at 75 K. Im hoping the car will go past 100,000 miles.
     
  2. Barnone 308

    Barnone 308 Formula Junior

    Mar 22, 2004
    432
    canada
  3. stevew3765

    stevew3765 Formula Junior

    Oct 27, 2012
    716
    Tulsa, Oklahoma USA
    Full Name:
    Steve Wool
    "RUN FORREST RUN" lol sounds like you are knee deep in it. DO you have a pic of her?
     
  4. Extreme

    Extreme F1 Rookie

    May 26, 2010
    2,515
    Northern Utah
    Full Name:
    Erick
    Cracker that's fantastic! If that's really your name. ;)

    Honestly it's great to read a happy story on the forum. I just have one question what the hell is "sea foam?"
     
  5. Drock28

    Drock28 Formula 3

    Jan 13, 2013
    1,429
    Montreal
    Full Name:
    Tony
    yes I was about to ask that too..

    I read about using Seafoam in another thread.. but I cant remember what its used for..
     
  6. drbob101

    drbob101 F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Nov 26, 2012
    3,814
    Tinton Falls, NJ
    Full Name:
    Bob Ferraris
    That is fantastic. Great to hear someone actually driving one of these cars and using it for real rather than the museum pieces and garage queens that most of us have. I am guilty so all you "queenies" dont get all insulted. now.

    You stay around these parts and read every thread on here you can become afraid to start the darn thing!

    Keep posting now and then of the "real world" usage.
     
  7. mikster

    mikster Formula Junior

    Nov 11, 2003
    357
    LA
    Full Name:
    SLOMO
    Its a fantastic fuel cleaner, you can buy it at auto zone. Worked so well in my older vette that it actually removed so much junk from the fuel tank and burned up the fuel pump after 5-6 hours of driving.
     
  8. Drock28

    Drock28 Formula 3

    Jan 13, 2013
    1,429
    Montreal
    Full Name:
    Tony
    what do you mean it burned up the fuel pump.. thats not exactly fantastic..?
     
  9. tr512

    tr512 Formula 3

    Apr 12, 2007
    1,600
    canada burnaby bc
    Full Name:
    Michael
    Bought my 99355f1 in feb 2012 with 27000 km= 16875 miles ..it now 1 year later has 56000km =35000 miles the only problems i have had is had to replace two o/2 sensors and the rear bearing in the bell housing that i matched up $ 65.00 clutch disc was still at 8.5 mm . I did throw in a new disc for 290.00 8.8 mm for the new one,not that i needed one clutch still worked great.I change my oil every 8000km.
    A happy ferrari is a driven ferrari.
     
  10. 97 Spider

    97 Spider Formula 3
    Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 15, 2012
    2,241
    Texas
    Full Name:
    Brian
    Looking to plug up your Cats? Sea Foam is the ticket. If your engine has alot of carbon build up it can be a bad idea. it will all try to come out once.
     
  11. vvassallo

    vvassallo F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 4, 2006
    8,281
    Palos Verdes
    Full Name:
    Vince V
    Oh man, is that Bruce as the OP having one n the 355 gel heads?
     
  12. schefdeh5

    schefdeh5 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 2, 2008
    1,528
    U.S.A.
    Thanks Cracker

    You know...i wonder how many F355 owners there are that are ACTUALLY HAPPY with their cars...we just never know about it - except a few, like Cracker's.

    The second something goes wrong with the 355, the rest runs to the forum and subsequently, post their oh-so-negative experience.

    Love hearin' about a Ferrari that you can almost service like a honda..nice.
     
  13. SoCal1

    SoCal1 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 14, 2011
    8,562
    SoCal LA/OC/New Mexico
    Full Name:
    Tim Dee
    I wonder how many people are happy in general

    DILLIGAF

    LOL :)
     
  14. mikster

    mikster Formula Junior

    Nov 11, 2003
    357
    LA
    Full Name:
    SLOMO
    just wore out the stock brakes and replaced with Porterfield
    Way less dust and alot less sqeaking

    The F-1 light just came on, so I checked the F-1 fluid, it appears empty, so I will refill and hopefully that remedies this issue
     
  15. m5guy

    m5guy Formula 3

    Aug 17, 2008
    1,627
    Ventura, CA.
    Full Name:
    Greg
    Not meaning to take this thread off track, but regarding Sea Foam, I can say first hand that it improved the idle quality on my 97 5.2. I originally tried to use it as a makeshift smoke test for my headers. Ernie helped hold the revs at 3000 rpm while I slowly sprayed 1/2 a can into the Y-pipe behind the MAF. Not much smoke generated, so after a short break, I drove the car on some of our back country roads for 30 minutes to get the motor nice and hot. Ever since then the idle quality has been noticeably smoother. No clogged cat problems.
     
  16. mikster

    mikster Formula Junior

    Nov 11, 2003
    357
    LA
    Full Name:
    SLOMO
    The F1 light came on and it would not allow me to shift pass 2nd. Had it towed to shop and it was replaced under warranty. Hopefully will be back on the road next week
     
  17. mikster

    mikster Formula Junior

    Nov 11, 2003
    357
    LA
    Full Name:
    SLOMO
    F-1 module was defective so I had it replaced, works fine now
    I changed the Oil/Trans fluid myself, took about 1.5 hours, blasted panel to remove , oh well
    The Porterfield brake pads leave a lot less dust then the stock ones, yet they still squeak the same. Braking is a lot quicker though.
    The Mobile 15-50 Oil doesn't start to change color till around 6-7 K Miles. Pretty sure I can go 10 K on 1 oil change if I had to.
    Im slated for an engine out around 75 K miles, so I will also replace the water pump/alternator/plugs wires etc...
    Im hoping to break the 100 K mark by next summer
     
  18. ketel

    ketel Formula 3

    Aug 6, 2007
    1,352
    Sausalito, CA
    Although no one asked, here is my take:

    Not only is a "driven Ferrari a happy Ferrari" which another poster aptly put, I would wager that if you could plot a graph of owner grumbling about their 355s on the X axis and mileage on the Y axis I bet you'd find that the most bellyaching occured with owners of lower mileage 355s. Funny how the owners on this board and elsewhere who have 355s over 40k and 50k miles are usually the ones rhapsodizing about how great their cars are running. While the owners of 355s on the lower mileage spectrum go on and on about electrical problems and CELs and the like. I don't think this is an accident.

    I've found over my life that the finer instruments only get BETTER with proper usage. My profession is finance but I am a hobbyist guitarist and pianist and I can tell you that pianos and guitars (like Ferraris) are finely handcrafted instruments that get better (and command higher prices) as they age, are broken in, and mellow in their tone. New Steinways are nice but they are "bright." Get one that someone has played for 5 hours a day for 30 years and it will sound incredible because it's been tuned regularly and voiced regularly and all the thousands of parts have settled. Contrast that with a 30 year old Steinway that's sat in the lobby of a Hilton for all that time, rarely played. It may appear "cleaner" cosmetically but that piano will sound like #$%*.

    Same for guitars. New Martin acoustics are great, but mine is from the mid-1970s, has cracks all across the face of it from years on the road, but when I hit an open chord everyone's jaw drops. It sounds unbelievable.

    Drive your Ferraris. In my favorite scene from Gumball Rally, Raul Julia hits the open road in a Daytona Spider, gets her over 130mph and says, "Now she's a-happy!" Absolutely.

    ketel
     
  19. roadracer311

    roadracer311 Formula 3

    May 6, 2009
    2,398
    San Francisco
    Full Name:
    Paul
    My 5,600 mile 1995 F355 is a very happy car. Though, it is a driven car. It sat still for 15 years, and now gets 2k miles per year put on it. Hasn't needed to see a mechanic, other than me, in the three years I've owned it.
     
  20. ketel

    ketel Formula 3

    Aug 6, 2007
    1,352
    Sausalito, CA
    Which I think proves my point. You've put the lion's share of miles on it in the last couple years. Awesome. Keep driving her. Only gets better. My spider has 44k and is just stretching her legs...

    ketel
     
  21. Big Lebowski

    Big Lebowski Formula Junior

    Jan 24, 2013
    337
    Peach state
    Full Name:
    Brownie
    Amen brother. I put 250 miles on my car on Saturday driving through the North Georgia mtns with the Atl F club and both my car and I are grinning from ear to ear!
     
  22. dlynes

    dlynes Formula 3

    Oct 16, 2004
    2,450
    Augusta, Ga
    Full Name:
    Dave
    love to try and catch up with you on your next trip!
     
  23. Cal

    Cal Karting

    Nov 13, 2003
    74
    Berkshire - England
    Full Name:
    Cal

    I couldn't agree more. Nothing worse than owning a great car and letting it rot in the garage. Why do people do this?

    1) to keep the value? - pft, you're a long time dead, if you're worried about money there's far better things to 'invest' in than cars.

    2) To keep the car as original as possible? - Clean it, look after it, have it serviced, Love it.

    3) I'm a rubbish driver and worried I'll crash it - Fair enough. Look after it until the next owner can drive it on your behalf ;)

    /Flame suit zipped up tight.
     
  24. WATSON

    WATSON Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 9, 2010
    21,607
    WI
    All valid points.

    If someone bought a 355 for "investment potential" they are crazy.

    Drive 'em!
     
  25. mikster

    mikster Formula Junior

    Nov 11, 2003
    357
    LA
    Full Name:
    SLOMO
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A. Just hit 65K and serviced the Oil and transaxle fluid, went pretty easy.

    B. One of the Cat bolts broke, so now I will replace all of them, the springs appear fine though. This was causing an exhaust leak, glad its not the Manifolds.

    C. Adjusted the P-Brake for excess slack, Also need to replace the Hood struts

    D. The drive door handle mechanism suddenly broke, Ricambi price was $150 for a steel one


    PRESENT ISSUE...

    Heading to my friends shop in Central CA to change my Oil and Transaxle fluid for my 99 355-F1 and suddenly the pedal mechanism just broke. The pedal now moves back and forth with no resistance or tension, just free play and the car just idles around 500 Rpm... So here goes...

    1. The Pedal in and of itself is fine, is there a POT unit or servo directly where the pedal is mounted in its housing on the floor?

    2. Tried finding the cable or wire that runs from the pedal back to the Engine Bay/Throttle Bodies. Do I need to get the car back on his lift to perform this work?

    3. Is there a spring or something that is easily fixable or should I call Daniel at Ricambi and just order the whole entire pedal assembly?
     

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