Ferrari makes engine head with non-aligned bore holes

Get the heads to a proper machine shop who can I inspect them and go from their. Your location would be helpful.

 

Offset valve guides

They go with the offset wheel lugs so they can fit many different models with one sku

 

Is the dealer actually doing the machine work? Most farm this out to shops that have the proper equipment like a Serdi or Newen.

 

Get a set of new guides so you start with something you know is right and go from there- these are a common part, ie mondial, tr etc. They seem to come in standard and 0.2 mm overside. Eurospares in UK are showing both in stock. You are probably going to have to chill them to get them fitted. Once you have these fitted you can see if they can machine the original seats to this known centre. Otherwise you will then need to fit new seats. There really is not another practical way to go, as if you use standard bits you know you will be able to use the ferrari shim range

 

What he needs to have done by a qualified machine shop is to have the guide bores (of the head, not the guides) checked for concentricity to the current seats. That is the starting place. A good machine shop will be able to inspect properly and will know how to resolve this.

 

Awesome^ . Let's just make valves with a double cardan joint. Fixed!

 

STOP THE INSANITY!!! You're talking about spending $37-50k on a top end rebuild? Nearly the entire value of the car.... And have the work donr by a shop that apperently has no idea what is going on. You need to go box up your car and get it away from them NOW.

You can get a good set of low mileage heads for around $4k pretty easy or a complete long block engine for $8k just drop it in and go.

 

Sell me the car. I'll buy a good engine and put it in for under $10k. 348 engines are a dime a dozen. Then I'll sell off the good parts of the old motor and recover some cost. Everybody's happy!
Where did the aftermarket valves come from? You bought the car new, when were new valves necessary before?

 

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+1

something very odd with this dealer......take the car elsewhere.

 

+1

check out ebay for a motor.....

 

where are you Big Bill?

 

I'm in with just dropping either a used motor in our replacement heads. Either way is much less expensive. I'd also take it away from the shop that just did this work.

 

Guys, there is likely no reason to drop in another motor. Heads are rebuilt all the time - probably every day. A good machine shop needs to have a look and determine the issue. I'm confident without even seeing them (unless they have been hacked beyond belief) that they can be rebuilt.

 

Good Used Ferrari 3 4 Liter V8 Engine for 348 TS TS GTS GTB Spider Mondial T | eBay

 

Go find a good used motor and forget about rebuilding the broken one, just put in storage to sell with the car in the future.
The car is just not worth enough to invest in rebuilding,

 

I knew I could smell a rat!!

Sorry to hear, but it sounds like the dealer made a boo-boo at the last major service and didn't replace the belt and tensioners like they should have.

And now they made up this BS excuse to tell you! Give me a break!

Again, sounds like the dealer/mechanic messed up and they are trying to pull the wool over your eyes with BS to make you pay for the damage done to you car.

Cheaper to have a used engine fitted, but if you're not in a hurry take the car to a reputable Ferrari independent and have them repair the heads for you.

I wish you all the best with it mate, please let us know how you go.

 

It is a common guide installation error on this type head. I have seen it before and can fix it without major re machining. It's not just Ferrari issue either.
And no, I am not giving away years of engine building knowledge, it's how I make money.
I do all of the head work here at Ferrari of Atlanta in house in our basement. If you have a set that needs work, I am your guy. New, really old, any of them. I can make it right.

I agree that at some point it may be a better choice to just put a used engine in it.
Have not seen the heads on this one so it is a guess at this point.

 

Wade, since you're performing very highly skilled work at FoA from whom I bought a 400i many years ago, I'm assuming you've done a tour at the factory. Is it conceivable to you that in the 1990s the engine shop at Maranello dealt with this problem thus? - "what conclusion we have come to is that the bores in the head that the guides mount into were not aligned perfectly to start with. to compensate for this when the heads were first built they used guides with a slightly off center bore?"

Don't smell clean to me

 

Common? With all the 355s that have had guides replaced I haven't heard of anyone having such an issue.

 

guy does this for a living and says it's "common" & "seen it before" what more do you need?

 

355s don't have the issue this one has. It is common on older stuff.

 

A previously unheard of problem is reported an one person states it common and you accept that blindly? I accept the guy is an "expert" but common means "occurring, found, or done often; prevalent". For me to accept this as a common problem I would not expect this to be the first time of hearing such after 30+ years of being around Ferraris. No need to say how he fixes it, no need to reveal trade secrets, but it wouldn't hurt to at least explain how it happens.

 

Wade, no problem. But we are talking about a 348 here. Is that older stuff? I mean, seems like you statement is out of context and therefore a little misleading.

 

So you are saying the guides where not pressed into the guide bores in the head straight by Ferrari factory?

If that is the case, are you saying the factory did no post guide installation machining of the guide or the valve seat?