yes.. throw it in the bin... its useless crap OK let me get you the EXACT data you need. be right back..
I'm serious They are useless and will always fail. I delete them and re-program the EMS to use cat estimation modelling (which is exactly what Ferrari eventually did post 2008 on the F430. Image Unavailable, Please Login Ok, this will allow you to verify the voltage coming out of the ECU matches the temperature calibration table programmed into the Engine Management Software. It uses these exact values as a lookup from the Analog to Digital voltage conversion going on inside the Microcontroller. With the wiring diagram, a 12V power source and a multimeter you can test these are working accurately. Just extend the wiring loom and leave it attached to the car then verify the temperature with the approximate temperature reading (from diagnostic tool) for the other bank's cat ecu. If they vary wildly from the other bank you have an issue with the cat ecu. If you need wiring let me know...
The minimum temp before trigger a CEL is : 220 Grad C (under temperature) The maximum temp before triggering a CEL is > 1150 Grad C (maximum threshold exceeded) And the cats need to be > 510 Grad C before the system starts monitoring. This is around 1.5V more or less.. .
If you don't go the software upgrade route that is a great alternative to the factory rubbish. Did you develop these yourself?
I second NEVER buying the OEM computers to replace these. I replaced both of mine with the now-unavailable Gothspeed units. Couldn't be happier. Glad Technistrada is making reliable replacements. The Vescovini units are overpriced garbage.
Anyone here who has used these units. I'll call them tomorrow, there across the pond from me. Auckland N. Zealand Thanks for your input lads.
Yes, connect a rheostat to the input side of the ECU and apply power and ground to the ECU on the output side of the ECU. While varying the rheostat you should get a voltage change measured by a DMM on the signal wire. If successful, apply heat to the ECU with a heat gun to see if the ECU breaks down. Make sure you have a good power source to the ECU and a good ground in the vehicle. Also you can check the probe from the Cat with the ohm side of the DMM as the engine warms up, should see a change in the ohm measurement. The ECU just changes the ohm reading to a voltage reading so the engine computer can read it.
I suggest changing the thermocouple, they get old and not reliable. One of mine showed continuity when cold and everything was ok but when engine was warm - no continuity and slow down alarm on passenger bank. You could even move thermocouple from one side to the other if fault on one bank for testing purposes. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
The Technistrada units have been around for a few years with no reports of problems (as far as I am aware). I've been running them on my car for quite some time now, but because of COVID lockdowns and other issues, I haven't done much driving to give them a thorough test. They are smaller and much lighter than the originals (if you're interested in weightsaving )
I finalised the design mid 2019 Trev, along with bypasses for the 355 crowd after a few years of tinkering on my cars (and credit to Ian for the 355 bypass housing solution idea). Using a modern thermocouple amp IC specifically made for exhaust and oven temp measurement as opposed to the awful discreet component effort Ferrari/Vescovini came up with.
They amplify/convert the signals from the catalytic converters' temperature sensors (thermocouples) into data useful to the engine management system (Motronic ECUs). An Motronic ECU will respond to excessively high cat temperatures by turning on the SLOW DOWN light and, if things get too bad, shut down the engine bank. The original Ferrari ones don't like heat/moisture and don't last too long.
I have a 03 360 (29,000 miles) with a P0431 check engine light and a red slow down sign that comes on and off whenever I hit the brakes after the car warms up. No signs of a glowing catalytic converter and cat ECU's have never been replaced. Anyone deal with something like this before?
Weird... Haven't seen that code before (not on my list). The CEL and SD signals are sent to the instrument cluster on a CAN Bus from the engine Motronic ECUs. Do you have a 3 or 4 pin connector on your brake pedal switch? Later models have 4 wires, possibly for switch fault analysis. Not sure why, but one wire on the later cars does go to the RH Motronic ECU. A fault with that might generate a Check Engine Light (???), but I'm not sure why the SD warning would appear. Of course, hitting the brakes tends to move things about. Maybe something is shorting out when g forces are applied (or does it happen even with light braking?) Sometimes low battery voltages can cause weird issues like this. How old is your battery? Do the CEL/SD lights come on when you turn on your headlights (or other power hungry devices)?
I am not sure which connector style I have. The battery is brand new, and sometimes it turns on with the turn signals. I do have updates though, I was able to drive the car for longer and I can visibly see one of the cats (Passenger side) glowing now. The slow down sign stays permanently on and puts the car in limp mode until I turn the car on/off. I uploaded two photos, brighter one is passenger side and darker one is driver side. My thermometer gun maxes out at 1022F and it read right about 750F. I was not able to find P0431 on the 360 manual PDF either, but it reads "Warm Up Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshold Bank 2" on my OBDII.
So maybe the CEL & SD lights/annunciations were just coincidental with the brake pedal input. Easy enough to check at the top of the brake pedal, but maybe not important now.
