Before I stored my old car I disconnected the battery cable. Rather than take apart the wheel well I figured I can disconnect it from the engine compartment. When you pop the "+" cover there are three cables. Do I need to disconnect all of them? Are there any other things I should do such as adding a fuel stabilizer? Thanks, Dan.
The switch is located in the front right, just in front of the popup light, you may have a cd changer there. It will have an arrow on it and the words off. I remember reading on this board that if you are going to store the 355 it may be better to get a charger and keep it plugged in because it may discharge the alarm battery which may cause other problems. --tony
The battery cut-out switch is a rotary knob located under a square cover in the front trunk compartment, on the passenger side. Pop the lid, and pull on the two little knobs on the right side to lift the cover off. You'll then see the knob. If you do kill the power, be sure to follow the correct power-up sequence to allow the engine ECUs to reset properly. Turn the ignition to "on", fully depress the gas pedal to the floor to index the throttle position, then start the car without touching the gas, and allow the car to idle for 10 minutes without touching the throttle. If you need the manual, you can download a copy from the Ferrari Owner's Site. vty, --Dennis
BTW, Instead of disconnecting the battery, I hook up the Deltran Battery Tender. Cheap insurance for the battery, and prevents me from having to reset everything. You can hook it up easily, with the positive connecting to any of the three positive leads you referenced in your query, and the ground clamp to the ground plug adjacent to those. Alternatively, do what I did, and hook up the semi-permanent connectors that came with the Tender to those positions, so that all I do is pop the rear lid, and plug in the Tender. Sta-Bil isn't a bad idea, though you really don't need it if it's just for three months. Make sure your tires are fully inflated, and it's not a bad idea to inflate them to, say, 40-42 lbs. cold. Leave a post it on the wheel to remember to deflate tires before driving off in the spring. May not be a bad idea to do an oil service, and flush brake fluid and change gear oil too, and maybe coolant as well. Oh, don't park it for the winter with the parking brake on. Just chock the wheel. vty, --Dennis
Dennis, where did you read the "fully depress the gas pedal" part of the start up sequence? I havne't been doing that, however, I've a 95 F355 which is OBD1. My manual basically states to turn everything off, start the engine and let it idle for 10 minutes. Regards, Gregg
Came from a friend and fellow 355 enthusiast, Al Chelini. He wrote to me, in reference to a situation where a 355 will not cold start with the first attempt but will almost always start with the second cranl: "I can't guarantee that this will work for your car - you may have fouled plugs, etc...; however, I've had luck eliminating this cold cranking problem from several F355s. The common problem is that the ECU computers have lost the baseline readings, probably due to a battery disconnect. In order to reestablish a baseline, one needs to warm up the engine to normal operating temp, THEN turn off all electrical loads, and let the car just idle for at least 10 minutes without disturbing it. This data collection process is described in the Ferrari tech literature. Mine starts on the first cold cranking after this setup. "Another hint: On starting, turn the ignition switch to the position where the dashboard idiot lights come on (but not yet cranking the starter), floor the throttle (to index the potentiometer), completely release the throttle, and then crank the engine. This is all empirical technique, but seems to work." vty, --Dennis
