F430 Hydraulic Pump Problem

Yes, it’s under warranty and yes the dealer will fix the problem, but I wanted to know if anyone has had a similar experience or any ideas on what the problem might be. Here’s what’s up:

The problem first appeared today when I was driving the car around town. I heard a fairly loud pump whine sound that I had not heard before. When I shifted gears the sound would disappear for 5 seconds or so and then resume. Shifting was normal and the car functioned normally except for the pump whine. The sound did not vary with engine rpm. Well, obviously this was out of the ordinary and since I was only a couple miles from where I live I drove home. When I shut the car off, the noise continued! Even with the key out of the ignition the pump continued to run. Well, I decided to pop the hood and turn the battery disconnect which did indeed shut the pump off.

When I turn the battery disconnect switch back on, the pump makes the normal sound it makes when you first open the driver’s door, but it does not shut off and instead works up to a loud whine after 15 seconds or so. It is obvious that there is something wrong in the hydraulic circuit, either with the pump, the pressure tank, or the pressure sensor that causes the pump to cycle. Needless to say the car is grounded until the dealer can pick it up. In the meantime I’d love to hear thoughts from anyone with knowledge or experience with this problem.

The real bummer is my local dealer is so booked up he cannot take the car in until after Christmas so I will be grounded for the next two weeks. If it’s something simple I’d love to give it a shot myself, but that may be wishful thinking.

Thanks for your thoughts.

-Chris

 

tell him that's not good enough that's bs

 

Chris,

If I understand you problem correctly, the fix is a simple (and relatively inexpensive) replacement of an electrical solenoid. It controls the F1 pump which is supposed to cycle on and off to maintain the appropriate amount of pressure to operate the clutch and do the shifting. It's located behind your passenger seat under the protective cover/ledge adjacent to the engine fire wall. The more major problem can be the resultant over heating and seizing (hence the "screeching" sound) of the F1 pump since it won't turn off due to the faulty solenoid. If they have the part -- it a 15 minute fix. This did happen to my 1999 360. Interestingly enough, by the time the car got to the dealer with the battery disconnected (via the switch), when the battery was turned on by the dealer -- everything functioned properly. However, a visual inspection of the solenoid revealed an electrical overload/overheated circuit -- blue discoloration. The dealer replaced the solenoid even though everything was working, i.e., the F-1 pump was cycling off and on.

Hope this helps.

 

Don't touch the car. With it being under warrenty, leave everything as it is. Somtime dealers will try to blame the customer if they find evidence of tampering. Try to get the to dealer to get you in before Christmas. If you want to try a repair this yourself, inform the dealer of your intentions before taking anything apart. Ask them to lead you in a direction and keep a record of everything you have done.

I have seen warrenties get voided by dealers because of customers trying to fix their own cars due to wait times. I'm just trying to give you a heads up.

 

If you want to get this fixed right away, slip the guy $50 or so

 

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I guess I can live with the dealer wait. I will be out of town the better part of next week anyway.

I'll update this post with the details of the fix when it is complete.

 

Did your dealer fix the problem?