Whaa? I thought the single belt was a "feature"; you get early warning that you lost your water pump when the alternator light comes on. So far so good for me.
The single belt design was, and is, a great design for the carbed 308 with a 55A alternator -- very light and minimizes hp losses. On the 2Vi models, they didn't have too much trouble staying with the single belt design because they under-spec'd the alternator at only 65A, but, if you are at idle with the cooling fans "on" and the headlights "on", there's a good chance the battery will be discharging. On the QV, they went up to an 80A alternator and decreased the size of the alternator pulley to spin it faster at idle -- both right things to do electrically, but it puts even more stress on the belt drive system. The '84-'85 US QV are the worst as being "with Lambda" just puts even more electrical load on the charging system. They should've recognized that they had already stretched the original design too far and done a new belt design for the QV from the start (i.e., a belt design done for a 55A system that can still work well for an 80A system is actually a bad design with too much wasteful margin).
In that case, I wonder if my stereo amp didnt push my particular example over the edge. I have had a 400W in there from nearly the beginning.
I think I have 75/90 bulbs in the headlights too (all on a relay harness) So 15 years ago when I was driving at night with the high beams on and the stereo cranked wide open (hard to hear on the highway, top out with a Tubi and test pipe)....
Now change the amplifier to a Class-D and your H-4 incandescents to JW Speaker LEDs and you have slashed your electrical load.
My 1989 323 GTS did 80K miles mainly going to, from and competing in hill climbs, sprints and track days, the only major fault was a sheared wood-ruff key on the crank shaft pulley. The car won many awards at the UK FOC Concour events and was only sold when I emigrated to Australia where they would only allow me to take one Ferrari so the F40 went with me. The 328 was a joyous car to drive with great handling and great reliability which I am sure was in part due to expert servicing by my local specialist. I have a 308GTB 1980 dry sump carb model that is in race trim and has been as reliable as you can expect a race car to be after converting to electronic ignition and fitting stone guards on the back of the cam belt covers (Two cam belt failures in 6 months $10k) owing to poor roads and tracks in Australia kicking up stones into the engine bay. The 308 has managed to avoid tin worm and again that is down to a sensible maintenance regime. The 308 is still road registered and although it is a bit less comfortable than the 328 it is still a pleasure. The 328 is a much better car for general use but the 308 looks better and is more raw.
Yoric- a good friend of mine and fellow FCA member in my region has a platino winning 89 328 GTB for sale. If interested PM me. Stephen
I own a '89 328 GTS. Since the day it rolled out of the showroom 31 years ago, it has never had a single mechanical, electrical or other issue. The only expense has been for annual and scheduled services, and consumables like tires and batteries. It still looks and runs like new. Even the AC blows cold. You can't get more reliable than that. I will however fess up...about 10 years ago the rearview mirror bracket came off the windshield while I was adjusting the mirror angle and I had to glue it back to the windshield. Damn, but I guess that's what I get for owning an older exotic. Lucky for me I had some superglue in the toolbox!
i have no regrets with gabriella, my 328gts. the first day home in 2007 seemed like a blur. changing the oil for the first time scared me to death. after being underneath her for awhile, i realized the fear and awe were all in my head. but i still felt the rapture, "holy ****, i finally have my ferrari after 50yrs!" the toy that i sold to help buy her was my first brand new car ( of 33yrs.) my little orange 2002 bmw. another milestone car. i think my best confidence-inspiring friend and mentor, guiseppe defelice, has been the sole reason for keeping her as long as i have.
Zeus, I totally agree with everything you said about the 328...except that part about the AC blowing cold! C'mon, Nobody's buying that!
Mike, I only said cold,..not ice cold. Webster defines cold as "of or at a low or relatively low temperature, especially when compared with the human body." So, if my body temp is 98.6 I guess my 328's AC qualifies.
Similar experience here. Other than major and minor services, I've had the solenoid replaced once, and other then cosmetic touch ups that's been pretty much it.
