Wanted Wanted 355F1 power unit

Wanted power unit for 355F1.
This is usually referred to as part no. 177686

Please note I am only interested in purchasing either the whole thing as per the picture, OR just one solenoid (the EV1 solenoid) that forms part of the whole.
The solenoid is the only part of mine that has actually failed.

I am aware of some places advertising for sale “part no.177686” but it is only the basic body and does not include the solenoids etc. A bit dodgy in my view but there you go.



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Thanks Dave. I’ll get in touch.
I’ve found one at Eurospares which sounds promising but want to see what else is available too.

Can you believe all this trouble I’ve had over more than a year apparently comes down to one solenoid, which is unobtainable on its own?!

Ridiculous!!

 

My car has 28,000 miles Grant

 

Ian the solenoid has been tested and it actually works in the basic sense.
However, there must be something wrong with it (can it go out of adjustment?), as the fault follows that particular solenoid.

No one seems to know if it is possible or how to re-adjust it.

The most frustrating thing is that you can buy these solenoids for every other F1 model and they are, of course, pretty cheap.
But you can’t buy them for the 355F1. Ferrari (and others) will only sell you the complete power unit.

 

Thanks Ian.

The problem is intermittent. However it has happened hot, cold and everything in between. The car has also gone many many dozens of gearchanges without any symptoms and then suddenly it happens again.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve got the car back from having the problem “fixed” only for it to re-appear a few days later.
I’ve replaced many, many components along the way (at significant expense).

Several months ago an error message showed up which appears to follow this particular solenoid.
ie. We have moved this solenoid from the EV1 position to the EV2 position and the error followed it.
We removed the solenoid and sent it to an expert who tested it and found it “works” but of course it’s obviously not working properly all the time. It is a sealed unit as far as I can tell and the only way in would be to cut it.

I find it utterly ridiculous that I can buy a brand new F1 power unit for a five figure sum (bearing in mind the new unit has at least five new solenoids in it) but apparently I cannot buy just the solenoid from anywhere in the world. Trust me, I’ve tried.
Any other model Ferrari the solenoid is an easily obtainable, cheap part.

I’m at the point now where I just can’t see another way out, and I’m frankly sick of trying “maybe” solutions. I just want my car back.
If, by buying a second hand working power unit I solve the problem and then have some spares as well I’m prepared to just do it.
As long as the price is fair, of course.
What I can’t do is pay $13k for a new unit when all I really need is a $200 part.

I have wondered if a solenoid from another model would work but I doubt it.
I’ve also wondered whether we could just install an entire power unit from a 360F1 as these are plentiful and relatively cheap but again I doubt it.
Surely someone would have suggested that by now if it were possible.

The perfect situation would be to find someone who would very generously “lend” me a solenoid from a 355F1 so we could install it and drive and test it for a little while to see if that did indeed fix the problem. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to find anyone quite that generous!

 

I’ve now ordered a second hand power unit.

If it fixes the problem I’d be happy to send the original offending solenoid to you, Ian, and if a better fix can be found hopefully someone else doesn’t have to go through this ridiculous situation in the future!

 

Thanks Dave. That’s precisely what I’m going to do - simply take the solenoid off the “new” unit and attach it to my existing one which is still in the car. I’ll hang on to the rest of it as spare parts.
Ultimately, I’ve taken a hit here, having replaced many parts which were supposedly the problem only to discover that they weren’t, so my main motivation now is to - obviously - get my car going but also hopefully help other people in the future.

If Ian (or anyone else) can find a way to repair these solenoids then that’s good news for everyone.

 

Thanks Dave, but I think I’d be wise to hang on to it all as spares!

Thanks Gary. Let’s hope so!
My research did show that this has happened before to other 355F1 owners, but it is rare.
It’d be nice if we could just find an aftermarket solenoid that would do the job.

 

Is there any technical reason why you couldn’t replace the F1 power unit with a 360 one?
These seem plentiful and are less than a quarter of the price of a 355F1 unit.