low mileage car problems

lol

one day oil will contain nanobots that might just do this

 

If the noise is diff chatter as Brian suggests, this is not a mistake. Its a result of the differing requirements of lubrication of a synchro gearbox and a limited-slip diff. So the level of friction modifier has to be exact as its a compromise.

Do you have any pictures of the discarded diff?

 

Can you service the diff with the engine and tranny in the car? What would you do/check?

 

Ah, yes now I see it in the third photo. I never realized that cover could just come off and the diff removed. Hopefully I'll never need to either.

 

I have the same problem. I just purchased an 83 QV and my differential is needing major service. Beating inside are toast. Car only has 23k miles. I’m the 4th owner. 2nd owner had it sit for 26 years. No one is changing fluids every year. Cmon. And if it sits like mine did, no one is changing anything. I’m having all kinds of weird issues. Stay away from cars not driven!!! We all want low mile cars but with that come strange issues. Just had to rebuild calipers. All issues from car never being driven. The sound the differential makes is cringing.

 

Sorry. Meant to say bearings

 

Im confused , I have been changing my gear oil every 5-10 k miles, are you saying that this same oil does not lubricate the differential ? Because I cant remember ever changing that ! Oh my , now Im worried, I thought the transmission and trans axle were oiled by the gearbox oil . I just had a pan out oil change , shift shaft seals replaced, and gear oil replaced. Please advise .

Thank you,

 

The same oil does lubricate the transmission gears and differential -- so you have no worries there. I think the confusion got into this discussion because on some of the later models (like your BBi512) they added a small gear set oil pump in the transaxle to pressure feed the oil to the gear shafts while the differential is still only splash lubricated; whereas, on earlier models (like carb 308 and, I think, 365GT4BB) both the gear shafts and the differential are only splash lubricated. IMO, this makes very little difference for the issue of disuse causing rusting, and the real trouble is that long disuse (with no coachwork motion at all) puts about 1/2 of the gears and differential up in the air above the oil level in the gearbox sump. Add in some atmospheric and temperature storage conditions that promote condensation = rust. If you just moved the coachwork a few meters back and forth in neutral (without even running the engine), that would do a world of good for the differential during long term storage as doing that would rotate the entire diff thru the oil and give it a fresh oil coat (but wouldn't it do much for the gears). If you get the transaxle oil changed ever year, or even every 2 years, it's almost impossible to not rotate the gears and diff (giving it all a beneficial oil wash) as, even if trailered to the Shop, the Mechanic would probably start it up to move it around some in gear (which is also a really good thing to do ) -- so while getting fresh oil is never a bad thing, the really important thing to do distribute the oil over all of the internal transaxle parts.

 

Thank you,

 

It's a well known fact that cars that are driven regularly and maintained by the book are the least problematic and most dependable cars out there.

 

Agreed, I think the worst thing you can do for a Ferrari is to not drive it. That’s both from a reliability and a moral point of view.

 

Steve, you described exactly what happed to me. I had a bad surface rust on the gears/bearing no longer coated with oil.

 

I have had cars left in farm field for years that would show no internal rust!

Maybe this type of product would solve for the problem?

https://www.cortecvci.com/Publications/PDS/VpCI-326.pdf

 

Never really understood statements like this.

Is it supposed to imply: "I've never encountered this issue, therefore it doesn't exist"?, or: "I'm really lucky where I live" ?

Personally, I've never had a car catch fire, which is great, but I know for a fact that others have.


As for suggestions that Ferrari made some sort of mistake with the design of the car when it comes to lubricating the differential: Ferrari didn't make a mistake - The owners did!

Ferrari design their cars to be driven, on a regular basis, and more often than not, driven hard - They don't design them to sit around doing nothing for months/years on end.

So long as the cars get driven regularly, seals don't dry out, components don't seize up, and parts remain lubricated, so it's hardly Ferrari's fault if owners don't use their cars as Ferrari intended.

 

It just means that having inspected internals on powertrains rotting in a field, I have been surprised how much a residual oil film inside protected things, and no visible damage was in the internals.

The thread does identify the design aspect that can have the diff drip dry and rust if left to sit. My comment probably reflects others who read this and are surprised by this storage related problem.

I don't think the problem reflects on Ferrari engineering, although the thread certainly includes some views to that effect. Every car is designed for use, and some appear to take abuse and in this instance storage and neglect better than others.

 

I'm not much of a believer in the "water condenses" and contaminates fuel/oil theory. Based on some opinions, one would expect fuel tanks/oil sumps/etc to be full of water when the car is stored for a few months... Read the link below...

https://www.yachtsurvey.com › myth_of_condensation_in_fuel_tanks.htm

 

It depends on the storage conditions, the typical (changing) ambient conditions, and how easily outside air can get into/out of the tank. He/she also has the logic wrong -- the condensation occurs when a warm day cools into night (to a temperature below the dew point of the air inside the tank). Probably right that it rarely happens, but what's the harm in filling up the tank before storage?

 

Another senseless problem. Root cause, not driving your car.

I can't count how many people I meet who own Ferraris want to tell me how few miles they have on their car(s). I'm never impressed and just wonder why they bought the friggin thing.

Sorta like, Yeah, I just bought a lear jet, but we don't like to travel.

 

The marketplace calibrates improperly for mileage and does not reward for a well maintained higher milage vehicle. The market has spoken, and low miles gets a premium.

Many Ferrari owners are buying artwork more than a car. Keeping it unused feels like art preservation, and cosmetically it probably is achieving that.

Frankly, most Ferrari's other than the simpler era cars under the Enzo era through to the 328, will all end up in the crusher. Too complicated to restore, and they do not invoke a special time or character of society as the earlier Ferrari's did.