Hi guys, Just joined the site and I must say it is very helpful...I own my '94 348 Sypder since 2000 and finally the starter is dead. I don't drive it often (once every month at best...) and for the last half a year..it will take two to three times to have the engine start... I am not sure if that is a sign of aged starter about to run out of juice... And I have never replaced the starter over the 11 years I have the car. Any advice from any fellow members on advice or places for rebulit or brand new replacement will be much appreciated. -im
It's very unlikely that you will need to REPLACE your starter, but you need to do some diagnosis work in order to identify your problem. Start with the basics. Is your battery fully charged, with clean, tight connections on the terminals? If your car is a Spider, you have the battery in front, where it isn't easy to see and work on, but you're wasting your time if you repair/replace the starter if that isn't the issue! You probably have a battery shut-off switch in the front trunk - a voltage drop at this switch due to dirty contacts can disable the starter. You could have a loose connection at the cable block in the engine compartment. You could have a loose connection at the starter terminal itself. You could have an improperly grounded engine/subframe. You may have a voltage drop at the ignition switch. You may even have an issue with an alarm system. None of these possibilities point to a problem with the starter itself, but any one of them could cause your "no start" troubles. Even if the starter IS the problem, your Spider should have a starter manufactured by Nippondenso, and repair parts are not difficult to obtain or install. The parts are not unique to Ferrari, and the starter isn't particularly hard to remove for servicing. Good luck, and keep us informed. Lots of knowledgeable owners here to assist you.
I agree completely! I thought I had a dead starter a few months back, but it was just a funky little quick disconnect switch under my airbox that had given up. I also replaced my battery because I think I was losing a little juice to that bad connection. Sorry to hijack for a sec...but does anyone have a quick link to a battery relocation kit? I'd like to put mine in the boot.
Big +1. Welcome and good luck on your problem. The 348 is probably my favorite car of all time as well. Thinking of getting one in a year or so finally.
I'll need to check these things too...I have a cold weather no start problem. When cold, sometimes it takes 10+ turns of the key to start it...first 9 turns nothing happens at all. Also sometimes I noticed if I turn and hold the key on start for up to 5 seconds it eventually starts spinning... And the battery is new and fully charged
