I put this on the general discussion thread earlier. It should have been here instead: A couple minutes after I started it today, I heard a growling sound from the right fender duct. It sounded like a fan with a bad bearing. It started suddenly, ran about 15 seconds and quit just as suddenly, before I could get the hood up. This is near where the timing belt and pulleys are located. The car had major belt service less than 2,000 miles ago. Is there anything else in this area which could be the culprit? Thanks
I don't know how cold it is where you are, but I had just started my '85 308 this week in very cold weather, after several weeks of non-use, and I was alarmed by the same kind of sound. It sounded almost like ball-bearings being swished around in a cup--very scary. In my case, it turned out to be noise from the very cold accessory belts. Once the car warmed up, it stopped. I consulted 2 very good Ferrari mechanics about this and that's what their conclusion was. I was told that the belts can sound pretty loud when it's very cold--in this area, it's been below zero nearly every night for the past month!
Their are lots of possibilities in that area, water pump/pulley tensioner, alternator/belt and A/C pulley/compressor. Then also timing belt tensioners, cam bearings etc. Do a visual inspection on all your belts for condition also.