That is interesting Clyde. Before I bought my car , Dave Helms was kind enough to talk to me on the phone a few times at length about f355s. At some point in our conversations he mentioned to me the thing with accentuating the division of the scoops on the left side exactly as you described. I didn't have the car yet so I really had no clue what he was talking about. That mod isn't mentioned much but it is endorsed by some knowledgeable folks. Glad you made it out of the city. Take a drive down south someday and let's have a beer. I don't think you'll sit in traffic like that!
I hate adding to this post. It just means I have a similiar issue. The car has been running great this year. Today - Left Fan not running. The problem is Baaaaacccckk. Driving, the temp is 190. at a light or going very slow, the temp climbs up. I didn't hear the relay clicking or the right side fan on. But it's a cooler day today so maybe the A/C didn't come on and neither did the right hand Fan. Checked the fuses - they're fine. swapped relays...still no left fan. so tomorrow its up in the air to check the temp switch & the fan connection.
I'm scratching my head at the moment. I should have checked the coolant level at the get go. But I replaced the Power Steering resevoir & disconnected the coolant tank a few months ago. After reconnecting everything, I checked for leaks several times. No problem. Certainly not running hot. But this morning, the coolant tank was empty. Maybe I had a bubble in the system when I reconnected? I thought the system was suppose to self bleed. Maybe one of the coolant lines worked itself loose? I didn't see any sign of coolant on the top of the block if a line had worked loose. Anyway, refilled the tank, started the car & left it idle. Temps went up, fans kicked on, no coolant on the floor, rechecked the resevoir & topped it off with a little. I hoped that was the issue. Went for a quick ride this morning. after 5 miles or so, the temp started rising at lights. I noticed a little spot under the car at my last errand after I left the parking spot and dribbles up my driveway. Got home, the coolant was down in the resevoir. checked the hose connections at the resevoir- they seem tight and no sign of leaking. No sign of coolant on the top of the block. the left side bottom of the fiberglass tray by the tire was wet with coolant. It -looks- like coolant got on the left side valve covers though they weren't wet, just had that cloudy look like something spilled & dried on it. I'm wondering if the cap was spitting out cooland & maybe splashed up to the valve covers. It would certainly have gotten the fiberglass shield. Put the cap on a stant tester...it held at about 13 psi (my tester is only marked in general PSI, unfortunately, not finer units) put the tester on the resevoir - it held at about 12psi after that the tester started to seep air. once before after a major, I had a similiar symptom - turned out to be a loose radiator hose between the left & right side. But they seem to be ok. I'll refill & let her idle longer this time. I'll see if anything shows. I'll run a seperate overfill hose to a seperate bottle & see if it is the cap. Then it's a ride up to my Ferrari dealer. I'm thinking a $50 cap is a worthwhile investment as opposed to a trip to a shop.
Took her outside, washed down the engine bay to remove old coolant, let her warm up to evaporate the water. Fans kicked on & off just fine when there is coolant enough in the system. no need to get a coolant tank cap. There is a significant leak from the front left side of the engine. I can see what looks like a trickle coming from above the A/C compressor & below the lines though I can't see the source. And I'll bet its getting worse. I'm guessing the valve cover was getting blow-up from the leak. I'm thinking a cracked hose or a broken hose clamp. I'm a little surprised it was holding pressure though perhaps that's why I couldn't get more pressure into the system (besides my tester leaking some) Time to climb under her & feel around
Clyde, Check the 90 degree elbow coolant hose located at the left front of the engine behind the firewall. Barry
Looking at the parts diagrams, that does look like a possibility. There aren't many. just reaching & touching things - doesn't seem so. I may have to crawl under it when it's hot & running to see the leak. I'm thinking it's after the thermostat and when it opens, the leak happens. I may have to add a rain poncho to my tool box so I dont get scalded
I haven't been under the car yet. I will see if I can see anything with a PC USB inspection camera. I did a sanity check for the amount of anguish to replace this or other water pump hoses. I understand it's not a lot of fun. I also checked and saw my last major was 4/14 @ 31K miles. She's almost at 41K miles and over 5 years. So I think it's time to sign her up for a major & replace the hose when its readily accessible with the engine out. So I'll have her flat-bedded to Vinny @ AutoElite for some TLC.
My left side 90 degree hose split a few years ago while I was at Watkins Glen. I knew something was wrong when I was given a point-by and checked my rear view mirror for traffic behind me. It was like looking through a steamed-up shower door. I refused the point-by and pitted in. I ruled out an engine fire as the steam on the rear windshield started to dissipate as I was slowing down. The corner worker on pit lane stopped me and said they were about to flag me in as I was trailing vapor. When I got to the garage, we lifted the hood and saw a small spray of coolant from that hose. The technician replaced the hose once the engine cooled down. The hose was accessible from the engine bay. The split was about 1.5 cm in length. It left coolant in the same places you mentioned in post #29.
My F355 Challenge was due for a major service right after Watkins Glen. I replaced every coolant hose (except for the one that replaced the split hose) during that major. Two other F355 Challenge cars experienced problems at track events with me. One had an oil line split and dropped all his oil at Pocono. The other had a gas line let go at Watkins Glen which resulted in an engine fire. So at my major, I had all oil lines replaced and gas line connections checked. I made sure that all these items were carefully checked when my car was being prepped for each event.
Barry, thanks so much for sharing the info. I appreciate it. I'm compiling a "While you are in there" list now
I was just rummaging through my invoices & old parts and came across the old hoses pulled during the major 5 years ago. They looked good. But at least I know what's on the car is new from Ricambi.
