Had 348 stored in garage for a year and a half while out of the country. Cranks but wont start. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Welcome to Ferrari Chat, Ara! Does your car have an alarm system/immobilizer that may have become engaged? Can we assume that there is gas in the tank? Has the car been parked in a "mouse-free" environment where no one will have been chewing on the wiring or building nests in the air intake? Do the warning lights on the dash come on normally when you turn on the key? By any chance does the engine sound like it is "rattling" while you are cranking it over (possible flywheel imbalance)?
Well, if you just want to force her to start, I'd suggest spraying a bit of starter fluid into the air intake. But there's a whole chapter on how to bring a 348 out of long term storage on the club348.com site...
I would start by putting in a couple of gallons of fresh gasoline. Then I would have a look at the spark plugs.
Thanks for all of your suggestions. Spent a few hours working on it today. Ended up spraying in some starter fluid. The engine starts up but dies in about 10 seconds. Looks like a fuel starvation issue. Hopefully just a loose or blown fuse. I'll keep trying and let you guys know.
Busy with work... I saw your link on Eugenio's website. I spoke to him about service and he is a month out. I know he gives priority to customers with referrals. Do you think you can help me out and get me in faster? Thanks, Ara
Sounds like a f*cked fuel pump to me. I had a friends car that sat for 18 months, fuel pump was f*cked. Hopefully.....its a sticking fuel pump relay, but I doubt it mate.
Because the 348 has two fuel pumps, and two fuel pump fuses, and two fuel pump relays, it doesn't seem likely that both sides have gone out at the same time. But if it will run temporarily after spraying starter fluid into the intake, then it DOES seem like a fuel related problem. So.... Once again, is it possible that you don't have enough fuel in the tank? Is it possible that you have an anti-theft system that shuts down the fuel system? It's possible that your fuel pressure regulators are bleeding the line pressure back into the tank. It IS possible that you have a problem with the wiring to the crank position sensors, since they need to tell the Motronic ECU's that the engine is turning over before the fuel pump relays will engage. We can explain to you how to manually bypass the fuel pump relays for test purposes, if you would like to try that. In the meantime, DON"T spray a LOT of starter fluid into the intake - just a small squirt for test purposes is enough.
Ah, yes mate. But it can happen........ I just remembered Ferrarifixer sent me these pics of 348 pumps last year. If I recall correctly, this 348 sat for around 12 months and both fuel pumps sh*t themselves. He replaced both pumps. I cannot find the other 2 pics showing the 2 new pumps together. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I suppose it's possible. If Ara can determine that the fuel pump relays are energized during cranking, or if he can run the jumper wires to determine that there is power getting to the pumps, and there is still no fuel pressure and the engine won't start by itself, then the fuel pumps may be the culprit. I hope it's something easier & cheaper to fix!
Another 348 owner in beautiful Glendale! I'm sort of in the same boat myself Ara. I took my center console apart last July to have it refinished b/c the black stuff was just getting on everything, but have not put it back together since. Between a back injury twice (of all things cleaning windows in my house and repotting plants), working 60+ hours a week, family issues, the 348 has been sitting in the garage. Hopefully I'll be putting things together next week or so, and cranking it up and hoping the it will just fire up. I'll send you an PM, we have to get together for a drive since the weather is so nice now. Good luck with your car. Armen
That's it. She's going to the shop on wednesday to get worked on. I'll let you all know what it was. Hopefully nothing major. Thanks again for all of your input & support.
Got a call from Damian at Fusion Autosport. He got the car started today. Thankfully nothing major as far as fuel pumps etc... He just recharged the battery cleaned all the relays and started it right up. She is due for a major however so we'll go ahead and take care of that!
