1998 550 Maranello "sorting" thread--DIY

Sark, I just saw your questions in a prior post. My motoreva meter worked just fine. Of course I don't have any other meter to compare it to.

Regarding your fence issue, it definitely has to be fixed. I'm not sure how long it has been since your last "major" but technically you can remove just the timing belt on the one side, locking the cam cogs in place, and then remove the gilmer gear with the impact gun. The problem is you need to make sure your crankshaft doesn't move relative to your cams, and leaving one belt on one bank may help hold it a bit.

However, if one fence is bad the other is probably near bad also.

 

I know that people have created their own "cam locking" tools, but I would advise strongly to NOT use any tool that grips the gear cogs themselves (where the belts will contact the gear). Any marking of these surfaces *may* lead to premature belt wear.

I believe the WSM shows gripping the inner surface of both gears at 3pm and 9pm respectively with a vise grips.

Since you must use a new timing belt, you may wish to replace both.

 

Thanks for all the encouragement guys! She's actually still sitting on the lift, as I am sorting through a few issues. I have a few scattered coolant leaks, and I believe I've determined that my coolant tank pressure cap is bad. I think a lack of ability of the coolant system to "pop-off" is causing these little leaks. I've ordered a new one.

I have a drop of oil that appears at the bottom side of the timing cover where I replaced the new gasket every time the car cools down from being run, inbetween the oil filters. Very small drop. I will NOT redo the timing cover gasket this soon so I have tightened the bolt around that area and placed some silicone sealer.

I have a few other little issues, such as a p1115 (02 sensor heater failure) code that I need to look in to as well.

The car is getting readied for detailing anyway so I hadn't planned on driving it yet.

Thanks,
Pete

 

I finally managed to post a video, albeit brief, of the engine running after all these services. I chose to film the exhaust because under the hood all you seem to hear is fan noise

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OCDfaxpk58[/ame]

 

I have been off the radar for a little bit, completing the detailing on the 550 and sorting out a few minor issues.

I had a persistent p1115 code, which is the code for lambda sensor heater failure pre-cat on bank 1-6. I double checked the wiring that I did for the GCK. All good. I checked both fuses for the heater circuits, both of which were fine. Lastly, I did a ECU reset using the overnight battery disconnect procedure. Code came right back. Finally, I ordered a new O2 sensor to replace the one in question, which looked fine.

After another overnight battery disconnect, the code is now gone.

I also bypassed the factory exhaust system, which I discovered can easily be done with NO additional materials and just a rearrangement of the existing factory vacuum hoses. The net result is that all 4 pipes are always open at all times during the engine running. After spending time with this:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu_x0_-0yRA[/ame]


I have decided that this is how my exhaust will stay for the forseeable future!
The prior video from a few posts back was with the factory exhausts in the factory bypass configuration.


In the near future also I will add some detailing information specific to the 550.

 

I have now been able to spend two days driving the Maranello since all the work has been completed.
The car is an absolute beast. Man. This thing can spin wheels in 3 gears if done correctly and will snap my neck with torque. It is idling extremely well, revs freely to 7500 RPM, and shifts very nicely. Clutch takeup is perfect. It actually rides quite nicely but *may* need an alignment in the front.

Problems:
1. Persistent ABS/ASR/Brake warning. When the car is on, the "brake" and "ABS" icons are continuously lit on the left side of the dash cluster, and the multifunction display flashes continuously alternating ABS, then ASR, then back again. There is little information on this problem on Fchat but what I have been able to glean is that this commonly occurs when the front wheel speed sensor(s) are bad. The speedo is working correctly so apparently that rules out the rear speed sensors.
I took out both of the sensors on the front wheels and they look normal. Does anyone know whether these can be checked with a multimeter somehow? Since I don't own any of the SD systems I'm wondering if I'm going to have to have this checked at a dealer. There are no codes in OBD2 associated with this problem and the brakes operate as normal.

2. Squeal from the brakes every time they are pressed, mostly audible when nearing standstill.

That's it. For now. I do plan to change the oil in spring again to ensure that any contaminants that were caught in the oil from all the work get flushed out.

Next up, interior work.

 

ABS/ASR problem solved. Start with the basics first.
The ABS/ASR was working before I started my major service. The one thing that I did do was unplug the harness to the ABS pump to check for corrosion, so the first thing I did was go back to the pump to check that.
Whaddya know...I had not re-plugged the connector correctly to the ABS pump. Once I fixed this all lights went out.