In the interest of science, could you share a close-up picture of the fracture surface? Thank you
I put my money on the rod where it wears on the gate. I have seen already the wear when I took it apart.
Sadly part of the joy of the ownership of these gorgeously machines! Glad u are able to fix it! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Paul, you might consider one of the Hill Engineering slick shift gates to help reduce stress on the new part. Good luck getting it all back together.
Thanks for all the kind words! I'll post more of the requested closeup picture and let you know all how it goes and the procedure of replacing it. Cheers
That's correct, I stuffed it into 2nd gear and just drove (very slowly) home. It should be easy to weld, but I wanted a permanent solution so I figured I would just replace the whole rod. Btw, looking at some 308/328s this week, I think the 348/355 rod is thinner? Maybe just an optical illusion.
I was going to say - I've never heard of this! Crazy. Glad you were able to avoid the shame of a tow truck ride though. Haha.
Like this former Mondial owner? https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/my-bob-norwood-experience.576625/ Sid
Ernie had the same problem with his shift rod on the 348. Of course, he has many problems including his rod.
HI JLF, Yes, so you put the car on a lift and detach the shift linkage cables. You open the central console and then lift it up out of that center unit. It's not bad if you have a lift, if not - much harder. On the scale of difficulty, definitely on the lower end. Keep in mind that this link is for the 348 which has similar mechanisms - but the box itself is different. Not sure how compatible the other parts are, so YMMV. Just as an FYI - the car has 60K miles, so hopefully that gives you all an idea of how much shifting before the rod failed. The new one has 20K so hopefully it lasts longer. I also am installing the Hill Engineering fast shift - maybe that will help. Also, not sure if certain 'batches' were just worse. Hope this help you all my friends. Cheers
Thank you MvT for your links and your comments. Talking to a few folks, it's more common then any of us would believe! I don't know if there is variances in quality from rod-to-rod. Also, I don't think I've overly aggressive with my shifts (been driving stick for 30+ years) - maybe the track driving took it's toll on the rod? Either way, one last piece of advice. If it ever happens to you, be careful with the breakpoint - it is VERY SHARP, and will cut you. Try to get a rag or other mechanism to push to 2nd gear. It will allow you to eventually get to your destination (albeit grandma speed style) Cheers
Sounds like Hill Engineering has a new product to build.... Tempered Stainless Steel Shifter shafts for your Ferrari!
Everything installed and ready to go! The Hill Engineering shift gate was not a marketing gimmick - the thing works. Shifts in all gears much easier and smoother. No brainer mod, $140 and 5 minutes for a lifetime of smoother shifts. I didn't change the bushing though (hopefully we don't see failure) - I did grease and clean the heck out off the mechanisms while I was in there! Cheers
UPDATE: Since replacing my gear shifter assembly, I noticed I no longer have 2nd gear hesitation when cold. I always thought it was a function of oil; No complaints at all. But I thought I would report it here.
I thought I would clarify, I still have slight hesitation in 2nd gear when cold, just nowhere like how it was before. I can still put it in 2nd, even when cold, of course it’s much smoother once temps go up, just that before install it was a complete no go skip for at least 5-10 minutes.