My 1999 Ferrari 355 F1 Spider is in for a major service (engine out) and a new clutch. The 355 F1 Actuator has been found to be leaking... it seems to leak more in cold weather. The leak seems to be at the bottom post and the dealer indicates the part cannot be serviced. New replacement part is $11,000 I am looking for guidance on sourcing a used or rebuilt part or recommendation on who might be able to repair it. Seems to me an $11,000 part has to have a repair-solution. That is the price of most used cars. Advice much appreciated !
Ferrari considered some leakage from 355 actuators normal. You can buy a truckload of ATF for $11,000.
Did the dealer mention that the reservoir should be run on the low side, if not then you should mention that to them and take some fluid out, maybe that will help?
No idea, it's just that some leakage in general has been traced to too much fluid in the reservoir, if you're lucky that's why the leakage is occurring, and someone is misdiagnosing the problem.
Do nothing! It is not going to hurt anything and like someone else said you can buy a lot of ATF for $11k. Honestly this is very normal event when the temperature drops. I have narrowed it down to either be a pressure relief spring or seal that when the temperature drops it shrinks and thus lets a bit of fluid out the pressure relief tube. I only notice mine leaking when the outside temps drop to somewhere around 40F or less. And then it is only a small drop or two each time I park the car. Sitting I would be surprised if it even drips more than a few drops all winter. As for not being serviceable I don't buy this at all, I have read of a 355 owner that took his actuator apart and found a cheap fix although he never posted what that fix was and has never been back. It's just that Ferrari doesn't service the actuator therefor to them it is non-serviceable and a nice little $11k bill. I know someone is going to jump my case for this, but in my opinion they are just trying to sell service. I wonder how many actuators they replace for this issue? Seriously don't worry about it as it only drips in the winter and only then a tiny amount. Do some searching under "actuator" in the 348/355 section. Here is a thread I started when I purchased my 355F1 last year and noticed the same thing. http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=359664&highlight=actuator
If the operation of the actuator isn't compromised and performing inadequately, I see little value in spending that money. The is a guy in Turkey rebuilding marelli actuators and selling them on Ebay I believe. I have no idea if these rebuilds are worth anything, but perhaps you could replace a few before it added up to $11k if you decided to do so.
Brian, I think he might be on to something. Just reduce the amount until the leaking stops. I wonder if the British have heard of this. Brilliant!
Appreciate the advice. I am going leave the protective panel immediately below the actuator off and monitor it closely. I did have the system cleaned and flushed when the F1 Pump was replaced this past year. Therefore I have been running with clean fluid, however too much fluid could have been added, as it was topped off shortly after the F1 Pump work. I did run across a service offering on E-Bay to rebuild or repair these actuators for $1,600. Seems like a very reasonable price point, however I believe the repair takes place in Turkey. If anyone has experience with this service, it would be a great post. This issue is also common to the 360 and even the 430 from what I have researched. I am going to talk with the dealer's head technician who replaced my F1 pump and suggest they study the issue and find a solution other than proposed $11K plus 3hours abor. It is not so much the $11K that bothers me, as the money is not the issue, it is the concept of a part costing this much not being serviceable. This is a great example of why prospective Ferrari owners are scared of the ownership experience and cost of repairs-ownership. Short of the F1 actuator, I will have addressed every possible point of failure, including a new clutch in an effort to bring the 355 up to its deserved, near perfect mechanical condition. Near $30K in 12 months will have done the trick. Please keep this thread going in pursuit of a practical solution to what appears to be a fairly common problem.
Contact BRADAN who is a sponsor on this forum. He is in the process of rebuilding mine as we speak. My leak has gotten worse and seems to be letting air into the F1 system. I think mine is the first he is rebuilding so we are keeping fingers crossed.
I'm glad someone is taking the challenge of repairing one of these. Please do a write-up about your experience when you get it all done or perhaps BRADAN will do it.
Could you provide the contact information for the person doing the repair ? I am going to proceed with the major service and new clutch and monitor the actuator leak issue. I do see the leak getting worse, but this has been in cold weather. For the benefit of this thread and members, I did find new F1 Actuators in the UK, new, for half the price point of the U.S. quote from Ferrari. I have verified the entire assembly is just under $5K from the UK. $5K and 3-4 hours labor is a much better option than the $11K quote for the part. I have matched the part number with the supplier. Thanks again and would love to have mine repaired in the near future through this contact. Thanks, CF
BRADAN is the shop. They are a sponsor here. You can probably PM Dan there and ask him about specifics. He's in the midst of the rebuild now so I have no outcome yet. I'm hoping it all goes well and this solves the problem I'm having with the F1 system. I have had issue upon issue with the F1 system in my car and I'm hoping this leakiy actuator is the culprit.
Thank you for this information. I have spoken with Dan. He will post the results of your repairs. Hope it is succesful. I am going to monitor mine in warmer months and make a decision then. The F1 system is problematic. The F1 pump and the actuator are the key points of failure. Uprade your F1 pump to that of a 360 if you have not already gone that route. The pump is much more durable.
I agree with Brian's original comment, at first the leak bothered me but now it seems most others leak...I just keep adding fluid. Ultimately it is just hydraulics, any good hydraulic component rebuilder should be able to fix these, no?
You are correct, this is just a hydraulic pump when it comes down to it, with a series of pistons that push fluid. I am going to take on the challenge of finding a used, scrapped part and have a team of mechanical engineers at Georgia Tech take it apart and identify the seals or other points of possible failure. If we can identify the root cause of the leaks, a solution can be developed. There is already a kit solution for the the pump on the 355 F1 system, which is known to be under powered and not very durable. Research points to the fact every 355 F1 pump will fail in a 12-15 year window. The historical quoted cost of repair is in the $25-$30K range. The retrofit kit to adapt a 360 F1 pump on the 355 is available from Ferrari (Seattle) or (Atlanta). Complete F1 Pump ugrade is likely now under $4K. Ferrari of Atlanta service is first class and they are genuine in finding practical solutions. They did my F1 pump and it works great. Note the F1 pump ugrade should also include a new, more durable power relay. Will look to broadcast BRADAN's repair of a 355 F1 Actuator so this community of 355 owners will have a possible solution to a painful problem. Thanks to those providing feedback here. Really appreciated. CRF
Yes Carl, I already upgraded to a 360 pump. This seemed to open up Pandora's box though as now the pump is operating at full pressure and seemed to cause the actuator to leak more. Somehow air is getting ito the hydraulic system and BRADAN thinks it is most likely the actuator now. T.O. bearing already changed and a slew of other components. F1 being problematic is an understatment. If I knew then what I know now I would have gone with the gated shifter. BTW...Ricambi has the adapter block needed for the 360 pump conversion.
Agreed. I have also completed the 360 F1 Pump conversion. The work was done be Ferrari of Atlanta, and yes the higher (normal) pressures now can cause the Actuator to leak more. They did a great job and added a heat sheild behind the pump to protect it. Hopefully the actuator improves in warm weather. My car is currently in for a major, engine out service and I am putting in a new T.O. bearing and new clutch. Going the Hill route on the T.O. bearing. I would have also gone the route of the gated shifter, however I purchased mine well under market and it is in great condition. Hopefully Dan will crack the problem and post a successful repair approach. He could get very busy repairing F1 Actuators. Once we have the Pump, T.O. Bearing, and clutch addressed... the only remaining point of trouble is the actuator. I have to believe we can find used ones in the future, given the number of 355 that seem to be parted out. $11K is just outrageous. Thanks for the advice again and the opportunity to network on this. Will post back after my major as to progression of monitoring the actuator leak. I am going to insulate and heat my garage !!!
I was not aware the 355 pump was that problematic. I know that before the 360 retrofit the pump was expensive, but I had thought the 355 pump was actually pretty reliable. Mine is on to 15 years without a hitch. There is also the relay which can go bad and let the pump run continuously, and I think this has been responsible for more than a few 355 pump failures; but you cannot blame that on the pump. I have put that relay on a 5 year replacement plan, and I listen when I first turn the key until the pump stops running to be sure the relay is operational. Certainly the F1 system adds a lot of complexity you don't get with the manual (If you ever look in the manual at the F1 system components it is pretty impressive how much stuff there is!). But considering everything, it's a relatively robust setup.
BTW the complete OEM actuator is $6850 from Ricambi, new from Ferrari: http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=207466
I agree, the 355 pump actually is very reliable it seems. There have been a few failures, but I think mostly tied to relays that got stuck on. I wasn't aware that the 360 pump ran at a higher pressure...is there any way to slow it down, or even put a pressure reducer in line? (totally thinking out loud there!) With regards to temperature...my actuator doesn't leak a bit in the summer. Not a drop. But in the CT winter...it looks like 'that time of the month' under the car Dec-Feb!
