What have you done to your Ferrari Today?

Ta mate, that'd be good to see. I hear you about stereo (and alarm, and old mobile phone) installers - just effing butchers

 

Tim,
I already cleaned the old, hardened glue-like grease years ago. But this time I had a weird problem, which took hours to solve.
In the end I discovered, that the worm gear was getting incredible hot after a few up and down cycles.
I have a spare window lifter assembly, on which the big worm gearwheel is damaged, but the rest is fine. I took the screw and its brass bearing brackets from the spare and suddenly my window lifter worked extremely faster.
Don't know yet, where the problem was with the other screw or bearings. Parts are looking good and by hand all is freely moving.

I think nothing of the electronic fixes. I think these try to cure just the symptoms.

Best Regards
Martin

 

Here you go. The mesh is domed and quite solid. I thought it was a factory job as the quality is great.

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Martin:

I have already installed the "electronic" fix in the passenger door and it has helped some. It became obvious by inspecting the OEM wiring and looking at the length of the wiring runs that the wire gauge Ferrari used was not heavy enough.

When I drove away from the independent Ferrari service shop who ripped me off and damaged my voltage regulator almost 2 years ago the windows moved up and down quite rapidly because there was in excess of 20VDC running through the 12vdc system. It only lasted minutes and 4 miles as multiple component failure occurred and left me stranded.

 

Tim,

I still didn't figure out, what the electronic fixes actually do electrically.



Best Regards
Martin

 

It's known as "the relay fix" - basically two relays per door with a bloody great big power wire (and earth wire). Doubles the window speed, easily. I was going to do the whole clean out and regrease the gears thing, but the relay fix works fine.

 

Neat! I've been planning the same thing, but painting the mesh to match the upholstery to blend it in a bit. Thanks!

 

Shouting at it, as it is standing in the way. I am putting together my new BBQ...

 

Re windows: I find that regreasing seems to make the windows move smoothly where as with old grease they tend to "drag" at certain positions. But, stupid question, why do some of you feel it is necessary to make the windows move faster? Just for the fun of it I timed my windows, about 3 seconds to lower or raise all the way. Is that slow?

 

No, but 11 seconds is.

 

Unfortunately I'm not allowed to view your profile. What car? If it's that on your avatar, you can't compare it with a 308.
Three seconds is very fast. I'm now at roughly 5 seconds up with the engine not running and very happy with it.
I didn't time the windows before, but think it was something like 10 seconds upwards.
The worst case scenario I have seen on a GT4. The windows didn't go upwards at all with just ignition on.

Best Regards from Germany
Martin

 

85 308 GTB, engine off. FWIW, the 355 is about the same.

Yes, that's slow. But why? Perhaps a difference between GTB (my car) and a GTS window channels?

 

Could be a lot of things. Storage environment, inherent electrical health of the car, average temp level of where the car lives, how often the windows have been cycled, and maybe Luigi got the grease "just right" when it was slathered in the window motor. I suppose a GTB maintains the truest shape of the channels without flexing over time, so could also be a factor.

 

I've read a lot about slow windows and the fixes. The only problem I encountered was due to old grease. As most know, it solidifies at one place in the wheel gear and then the windows would bind, even stop, at that point. If they get past that point, they resume at normal speed, then bind again. Typically 3 times from full up to full down. But once the grease was replaced mine work pretty good, I guess. That's why I never really understood the "slow window" thing. I don't do anything special to my car. Stored in an un heated garage all winter, and it gets fairly hot in the garage in summer. Never touched the window wiring and all switches and relays are original, so claims that the original wiring isn't sufficient seems unfounded to me. And I don't drive the car much anymore. Probably 300 miles in the last 5 years. So it's been sitting with windows up. But like I posted, I got in it this morning and time them and about 3 sec down a little longer up, maybe 3.5 sec.

I would think, switches with bad contacts or bad connections, grounds, would be the most significant thing other than hard grease. But the wires themselves? I don't think that is the case.

Now my Cayman windows, if anything are too fast. It's a pain when I just want to crack a window. Barely touch the button and release and the window is 2" down. And if I try just a tap, most times it jumps into the auto down mode and I have to put it back up. Such and inconvenience.

 

Completely agree. While working on the windows I checked the current, my motors are drawing while lifting the windows.
Something between 2 and 3 amps. The wire dimensions are absolutely more than enough for such amps.

Therefore my earlier statement, that the relay fix just cures the symptoms.
Moreover, like Verell stated correctly in an earlier thread. If the mechanics are binding, it's easy to fry the motors quickly by just increasing current.
Next thing: The internal mechanism of the worm wheel. There's an internal toothed connection, which is under pressure by the big belleville spring washer, one can see from the outside. The purpose of this spring loaded connection is to make it possible to disengage the connection between the cable pulley and the worm gear, when using the emergency handle, since you cannot drive a worm gear in the backwards direction.
This belleville spring washer also get's weaker over the decades. And if the torque of the worm gear is too high, the internal toothed connection fails, when the windows stop at their upper or lower stop.
I experienced this 20 years ago. Nasty, loud ratchet-like noise, when window reached its stop. This was the one and only window lifter, which was no more repairable.

Best Regards from Germany
Martin

 

There may be a difference from car to car. My harnesses were hacked into by the stereo installers. The voltage I measured at the motor last year as I recall was under 11vdc. With the new harness and the relay fix my up and down times were about 2x faster. Should have done some measurements on the driver's door before I pulled the old wiring.

That being said I still don't think the gauge is sufficient for the job given the wiring runs and connectors. But what do I know...

 

Re-dyed my 308 GTS's red carpets. Turned out well.

 

Streching out after water hose change an retorquing the sump covers.

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Very cool garage.......I like it!

 

John, wanna come over and help my windows go fast?

 

Drove to work with her today.
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Up in the North East on Cape Cod knew it was going to rain, did not care drove it like I stole it. Third year after being a P car owner getting use to the Ferrari Vibe. Love it.

 

Thank you very much!

But the garage is far from cool, the temperatur here is around 30C and it hasn't rained since early may.

 

After nearly 2 years it’s finally red again , should come home in a week or so and the reassembly can begin Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login


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Ooooh! Shawny!
Who's doing the paint?