360 Peace of mind maintenance

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the group, and a first time Ferrari owner (2003 360 Spider, 6 speed manual).

The group seems to be a great resource with a lot of knowledgeable members enthusiastic about sharing their experiences and interests and Ricambi also seems to be a great parts resource!

I purchased the car a few weeks ago with 13k miles (20,000 kms) on it and want to do a few 'peace of mind' changes to it to increase reliability and reduce the risk of a breakdown. I am thinking about replacing the following items and would like members' input and any other items you can suggest I consider.

I am wanting to replace:

- both catalytic ECUs (with green epoxy like backing) and both thermocouple leads to the cats
- new Interstate battery
- all four lambda sensors

I understand the 360s are a fairly reliable Ferrari (particularly the later years). Happy to hear your thoughts on my intended replacement of the parts above and would like to know if you think there are any other items that should also be under consideration to ensure reliability. The car is due for its major/belt service which I also intend to have done shortly.

I am also looking for a new 'SPORT' mode switch which I understand is no longer available and if anyone has any suggestions. The only alternative seems to be a used switch for now. I'm happy to wait for new if they become available again, will continue to check with Ricambi.

Thanks in advance for your input and recommendations.

Joe

 

He biggest thing I would say being a 2003 is check the header pre-cats, they can break down and cause pieces to get sucked into the combustion chamber. As far as the catalyst ECU's you may be able to put a coat of silicone or epoxy on them to extend the life if they aren't having a problem already (I did this on an acceleration sensor), but even the "green" ones can fail, as mine did . Replaced with gothspeed versions, which unfortunately have become rather rare.

The switch, depending on it's failure, may be able to be repaired or refinished by Sticky-Rx or a company like that.

 

I wouldn't replace them if they are working. The cat ecus only fail if the resin has cracked and thus letting in water. If they are working fine I would inspect them for cracks and if found simply re seal them so they are water tight. A good preventative measure is to fit heat shields as heat is what causes the resin to crack in first place.



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Joe, if you are looking for a replacement sport button, r34zach has a listing in classifieds (parting out a 360), it's not new, but may be good to get you through until a new one is available.

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I would not replace those for "peace of mind." The mileage is too low for that. I suggest you inspect the precat and the cats to see if they need attention, and only then replace with factory units. The rebuilt ones have more headache than they are worth. Any headers that are not stock (and with no precats) will come prebaked with a boatload of headaches, so beware.

Do the regular maintenance, regular belt service, annual fluid changes and you will be fine. As for the ignition and exhaust, when they go, they will cause CEL and let you know it's time.

But if you are new to Ferrari and have money burning in your pocket and want to spoil the new girlfriend, well then have at it.

 

Change coolant, brake fluids, oil, transaxle, etc. Plug's due to age and fairly cheap, check both inside and outside of brake pads...mine worn through rear on inside, out side of rear still looked ok. I wouldn't do exhaust ecu or thermo's till they fail. Check tire made on date and consider replacement, many new owners think the tires look fine but are too old for spirited driving, Hmmm...what else...Check ground at alternator...they get loose...actually all ground checks a good thing. Batteries are cheap, get a tender for your car also...hmmm....bring alarm antenna out from behind seat for better key fob reception, grease top mech's if a spider, check fuel pumps for leakage at top's, both mine leaked within a month of each other. HTH Cheers! they are great cars

 

Coil packs?

 

Absolutely. If he's feeling like giving some love to his new ' old car' there are plenty of areas that can be restored to like new condition.

Since the coil packs are cheap and the spark plugs are also non Ferrari part numbers it's in inexpensive to change them all if there is no evidence of this in the service history. You can actually see how healthy they are on diagnostic machines but since a full set of 8 from ebay or a bosch supplier isn't expensive just change them all. Do plugs and coil packs at same time.

If not changed I'd also advise the before cat bosch o2 sensors too which are wideband and used to trim fuel.

To me these are all service items on a 20 year old car and will make a substantial difference to how the car performs from a power output perspective.

If your really feeling flush maybe get injectors ultrasonically tested and cleaned and use something like a fuel Injector tetraclean services if you want splash out a bit on the whole fuel system. That way you know all the fueling system is clean, injectors are in top condition and ingition system is in perfect condition. Car engine should drive like new with any yearly power losses reversed. You'll also get best mpg too.



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Just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to reply to my post. You guys have a lot of helpful and insightful info to share! I hope I am able to do the same in the future once more knowledge and experience has been gained!

 

IMHO if you want a reliable car that always starts, runs, and never gives you any problems... don't over maintain it. If something breaks, by all means fix it. But if you're constantly in the shop replacing things to maintain it.. in doing that repair bolts and nuts and connectors are being removed and replaced and re-attached. It increases the risk of an error because of the repair. In WWII the airplanes had the greatest risk for engine failure/crashing within the first 24-48 hours after a repair.

FWIW what I've seen with the spiders at 13 years of age is the hydraulic cylinders functioning improperly and the top getting out of sync and trouble with opening and closing. They sell rebuilt cylinders that you'll probably replace all when one starts to show signs of failure. That, and the fuel pumps need an eye on them at this stage in their lifecycle if not replaced in the past.

 

I assume it is not possible to inspect

I assume the only way to inspect the pre - cats in the headers is by removing them ?

 

You remove the cats, and look inside the header with a mirror. It is quite a bit of work to get there.

 

A borescope camera off eBay for less than $10 will make the inspection a lot easier.

 

Yup