400i on BAT

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1982-ferrari-400i-10/

 

Just curious about those green lights on the wood console? It also seems this car received the same radio as mine (Becker 7xx) with the very same curious setup : this autoradio provides only 2 channel outputs, while the car has 2 additional (rear) speakers, which makes a total of 4 speakers with only two outputs. Should work with higher ohm loudspeakers wired in parallel and a resistive fader, but I really did not like it on mine. I was lucky the console was not butchered in order to accommodate the fader, but it seems here that there is some cut-out next to the Becker.

The late generation 1 400i are sweet (a few fixes here and there, plus the old-school interior) and do not command a high price. Motor seems quite clean. Could be a reasonable deal. Not sure about the quoted mileage though.

 

I have those same green light on my 400i. Any idea what they're for?

 

When I bought my car it had a red one and a green in the exact same location. It was part of a security system. I removed the whole thing - keypad, red and green lights, siren, associated wiring. I used some brushed stainless "buttons" to cover the holes (you can just see one of them in the photo). Image Unavailable, Please Login
My guess is you'll find holes, or a keypad, on the far left side of the the dash below the instrument binnacle.

 

It will be interesting to see what this car brings as I have the identical car (same year, color, etc) for sale but in a manual transmission! Currently working on doing a better ad for Fchat.

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/ferrari/400i/2294496.html

 

Currently at $30,000 with ONE hour left.
No reserve..........
Located about 40 miles away, so tempting.

 

Go for it! Denwerks is a reputable seller, too!

 

Sold for #35,000.
I have always loved the 400 body styles.

 

I got it. I'm also BDJeff. Looks like the consensus is I stole it, I do think it was a pretty "competitive" price. Based on the long range weather forecast, I think it might be smarter to ship it than try to drive it back. It's in Salem, OR, and is heading for Santa Fe, NM.

This car has laughably low miles, like 20k. I'm assuming it needs all of the deferred maintenance done, including valve adjustments, hoses, belts, grease, etc. The rear suspension looks like it actually might still be operational so that's a plus. But what else to check? It's only done 63 miles since 2016. A friend bought a 550 Maranello with really low miles and it ended up needing an engine rebuild because of stuck piston rings and cooling system corrosion. I hope that's not the case here.

I'll check the vendor section but any recommendations for parts suppliers?

 

Seems like market correct after the buyer premium. Hopefully makes for a happy buyer and seller!
Congrats on your purchase

 

If you want to take it somewhere, Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo (the dealer) is actually quite good on that era of car and could help you out. Or there are several other independent service providers in the Portland area.

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Just got a line on Craig at the Jag Shop in Portland. He seems very knowledgeable, esp. about 400i's. I may send it to him for a look see.

 

Just spoke with Craig at the Jag Shop in Portland. He seems very knowledgeable, esp. about 400i's. I may send it to him for a look see. I did call Tonkin first, they seemed very hesitant to do any inspections on something this old. Maybe their vintage tech has retired?

 

Craig is very knowledgeable. Jim Trofiter at Harold's Auto Service is also good. I am surprised that Tonkin was hesitant-- they don't really do PPIs any more, I think, on any car, but they have several techs who should be more than qualified to work on the car. And they are much closer to Salem.

 

Whats the premium on a manual for these?

 

Congrats!

I got my 1984 with just under 20,000 miles, and sat most of the time for prior ten years. After doing a full set of fluids and annual maintenance, had a hot start issue. Warm-up regulators needed to be rebuilt, and fuel distributors rebuilt (o-rings deteriorated on modern gas). Also fuel pump replaced, and a couple of leaky injectors replaced. Window switches were spotty and I replaced them. Checked timing chain tensioner and adjust to proper setting if you still have some room on bolt. Procedures posted in this section of FChat- just do a search. Alot of parts on eBay surprisingly.

 

Santa Fe Jeff - Congratulations! You will love this car more and more over time. There is nothing like a truly hand-built Ferrari.
Your car is #40549 and mine is #40555 - so only 2 cars in between ours.

As others have pointed out, your car likely doesn't have 20k "miles." It is either 120k kilometers, which is 74,500 miles; or it possibly could be 20k kilometers or 12,400 miles. If it is the later you likely have one of the lowest mileage 400i. I checked my odometer and it is in kilometers. Yours pretty clearly appears to have the sticker over the speedometer. So far I've heard of no federalized 400i that had the odometer replaced at the time of import.

There is no way I'd drive this car on a long distance trip after sitting for such a long time with so little use - you're asking for trouble. My advice would be to ship it to a shop NEAR YOU so you can be there and make a long-term rehab plan with a mechanic you trust and will use for the long haul, have it all checked out by him, and then drive it regularly/locally for a while to get it fully sorted.

This forum is invaluable to us owners. I can't imagine owning a 400i without this knowledge base at my fingertips.

Here are a few tips I've learned along the way:
IF you have ethanol-free gas available in the Sante Fe area USE IT. My car is much happier.
Spend the $50 and have Blackstone do an oil analysis as it can tell you the health of your engine, especially coolant leaks into the crank before major damage is done.
Buy a case of the Baldwin B253 oil filters as they are the best.
Use a high zinc engine oil such as Amsoil Z-Rod 20W-50.
After much research (and asking the right people) I settled on Red Line 75W90 Gear Oil for the rear differential, and Red Line MT90 in the manual transmission (yours may be different due to the auto box).
The correct/usable fuel filters are the Bosch 71021.
Only use a water pump seal that is from a Ferrari dealer - do not try to use T.Rutlands, etc. as they say they are OEM, but there are not and may not work (ask me how I know).
A good brake fluid is the Castrol GTLMA Synthetic.

I hope some of this helps you enjoy your new Ferrari.

 

As Schumi said plus:

• Read the owner manual as it provides a comprehensive check list for each inspections, this will provide some guidelines to your mechanic.
  
• Have a look at Erwin's blog, and collect all the documents (owner manual, workshop manual) he has provided for free to the community (see post #19 here : https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/wire-diagram.564951/#post-145799407)
• As for reliable suppliers, have a look at an earlier post titled "how do you purchase from" (https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/who-do-you-purchase-from-for-your-400.590400/#post-146351460)

Some will totally disagree with this suggestion, but the engine looks well taken care of, so planing a gentle trip over a few days could be a nice way to get familiar with the car and see what needs to be sorted out. Also bear in mind that these cars need to be driven, so it's best to perform quite a few miles before attempting to fix issues. For instance Electrical "gremlins" usually disappear after a two hours drive. Self levellers do need to actuate in order to perform etc... So unless there is some suspect noise near the cam covers, I would try the trip.

Check the date code on the tires and do not take the road if the car is not fitted with FRESH tires. (a TRX that looks like new is usually a 20 year old deadly piece of dry rubber)

 

Schumi, thanks for the info! Exactly what I need. I looked at the picture of the speedometer again, do you mean how it appears the holes over the indicators and the odometer digits appear to be slightly hidden or offset? Was nothing changed in the speedometer except the markings? Then is the odometer in KM or MI?

Does the ignition use (shudder...) points? Or did it get upgraded to a solid state system of some sort?

 

Just like the F1 of the 70s, there is a magneti marelli dinoplex module bolted on the right side of the bonnet. It makes quite a high pitched noise. This module does not like to be jump started (actually you will certainly kill the module if you use a jump starter). It is reportedly impossible to service as it is sealed in epoxy. Works quite well though. This was not upgraded until the 412, which received another module similar to the Testarossa. This later module is not on the bonnet any-more, which is sad as it is well away from water on the 400i.

Only issue you could have is "jump started module" or a weak harness. As said it is bolted on the bonnet, so opening an closing the bonnet just moves the harness up and down. It may be crushed when not properly routed. The harness is routed through the fender, as this is extremely difficult to put it back, sometimes you may find a harness carelessly attached to the airbox, next to the exhaust... Such harness will be either burnt or crushed!

So unless someone made a mess on the car, this works quite well, and the Dinoplex noise is just a tribute to the racing technology of that era.

More info here : http://dinoplex.org/

 

Raemin, excellent thread, thanks. I've also found a guy who I think is in the Netherlands at erwin400.blogspot.com that has a bunch of the 400 and K-Jetronic manuals for download, which I've done and am busily studying.

And yes, changing the tires is Job One, regardless of which way I go. I'm surprised they still hold air!

BTW, I'm a mechanical engineer by training (UCSB) and have been in the oilfield maintenance business for over 40 years with a number of stretches actually "on the tools" by happenstance (horrors!!!). I've also got two restored Datsuns, a BMW 3.0 Coupe, a Bavaria, a 1961 Willys Overland truck and four motorcycles so I'm no stranger to breakdowns. AAA Premium to the rescue!!

And I really really appreciate the considered suggestions given above. Definitely given me directions to consider, thanks. I may start a separate thread to document further adventures.

 

Hi Jeff and welcome to the forum. Longstone is probably your best bet for the tires- they are familiar with the car and very fast at shipping. Good luck with everything else and be sure to check the timing chain adjustment as excessive lash will destroy the tensioners and the sprockets. Keep us in the loop!

 

My father was driving a "beige" 3.0s, great engine but so-so handling until the trunk was filled with 50kg of lead!

Erwin blog is a huge resource and the link I gave you is actually pointing to Erwin's own google drive account. If you want to mess with the k-jet, you may have a look at http://www.ferrari400parts.com/ . On the auction, there is an original workshop manual, that's a great plus you got here! By the way I'd rather buy the car from a genuine enthusiast who has a workshop manual.

From personal experience, original TRX tires do not last more than 8 years. Last year new TRX-b were issued with a new rubber (presumably "R21" as this is what they use on the "new" TB15). With a bit if luck these new tires will last longer, unfortunately you cannot mix these with the older ones (as per Michelin's guidelines). I am not saying TRX tires manufactured two years ago are bad: these are fine if you only want complete an existing set, but if I were in the market for a full set I would buy the TRX-b. So carefully check what you are buying.

 

I would second the recommendation of Longstone for tires.