All, I've been wrenching on P-cars for years... I love doing most if not all of my maintenance and major work i.e.. clutch, timing belt's or chains depending on car =).... I know that technology marches on and cars get more complex. But in your opinions which is an easier car "relatively speaking" to maintain the 348 or 355? I assume they are some what similar cars to work on and have similar requirements. Do any of them have specific dealer tools? For example some 911 require a dealer tool to bleed the brakes.... Again I really enjoy spending time on my car, I get allot of satisfaction out of keeping my car running well. Thanks for all your input. Tom
Tom, I've been wondering that myself, too. I recently asked my dealer and I learned that a) you need a motor mount for the 355 engine, since in order to service them, you have to raise the car and drop the engine from underneath, and b) there are a series of Ferrari dealer tools plus the service manual that's very, very expensive to buy. Anyway, let me know what you find out and maybe we could work on our cars together. John
puorro, go with the 355, for a few reasons. First off they took everything that needed to be made better on the 348 and put it on the 355. Another thing is that the 355 prices have been coming down. As for the engine work, you don't have to mess with the valve adjustment, because the are hydrolic. The 348 has one timing belt and the 355 has two belts, one for each side. Yeah you have to change two belts but you gain that back in the timing, two belts are more accurate. Both have to have the engine dropped. Don't listen to the dealer. You DO NOT need a special engine mount to remove the engine out of the car. I used a half ton moving dolly when I pulled the engine out of my 348. It cost me a whopping $19.95 at Home Depot, and held the weight with NO problem for over four months. The dealers like to make you think that the cars are alot more complicated than they are. If you have been tooling on Porsche's for some time you will have no problem with Ferrari's. How ever I must warn you about the work shop manuals. In a couple of words THEY SUCK! They are very poorly written. The only thing they are good for is getting specs for the car, and even then some of the stuff doesn't make sence.
Everything Ernie said is right on. Major improvements with the 355. The only major problem I see with the 355 is the issue with headers cracking frequently. This is a common problem with them.
Then my friend, you should be OK... If I were choosing between those two cars, The 355 for sure, its a "much" better car than the 348.
Purro: After a year of thinking, pondering between the 348, F355 and Testarossa I bought a 348 a few weeks ago and love it. If you have a lift (or just some good jackstands) and some skills you should have no trouble working on a 348. So far I have found it far less complicated than working my Mercedes cars. Search the archives and ask questions (as you're doing) and you will find a ton of good advice and tips about working on these cars. There are various reasons why I chose this 348, but the bottom line was that after studying the manuals on all three I felt that the 348 was the most "home mechanic" friendly of the three, lacks power steering (I didn't want power steering) and best of all, was less than 1/2 the price of F355's in similar condition. As I learned, the 348 has some known quirks which can be sorted out with a little tinkering but other than that I don't know that the F355 is so much better to be worth literally twice the price. It wasn't to me but you may feel differently. I advise you to ask around and look at a few cars. Eventually you'll figure out what moves you and then you'll know exactly what to buy. I wish you the best. Shan
Dave, you Do Not need a lift to take the engine out of the car. I pulled my engine using two floor jacks. The trick is to take the rear bumper off. It is no big deal. Four nuts on the back, and two on the inside of each fender well, thats it. The only reason you would need a lift is if you didn't want to remove the bumper. A lift does make the job easier, but it is not manditory.
A lift does make the job easier, but it is not manditory.... Thats kind of like saying having the proper tools makes the job easier, but there not manditory. I guess a man can bust a knuckle on just about anything.
So tell me Dave, what kind of lift do you have in your garage that you used to pull the engine out of a 355 or 348?
