Anyone here have a mileage 355 with original valve guides?

1998 F1 GTS, 12.5k miles, original guides along with everything else, runs great!!

 

1998 Spider with 40K+ miles on original valve guides. Strong runner!

 

Valves all original as far as i know. 1997 Spider w/18,912 Miles. Have all service paper work from 2nd owner, no valve guide work done since 2005. 2nd owner bought it w/11k on the clock..
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1997 Berlinetta with 37K on (AFAIK) original valve guides. Absolutely no blue puffs on startup even after sitting for over a month.

I don't lose a wink of sleep over the whole thing, go figure.

Rob

 

37K miles. as far as I know, original guides. just had the major done two months ago. leak down and compression were awesome. no smoke, runs like stink. mine's a '95

 

1995 355b, with 25000 mi. original valve guides and exhaust headers,

 

43k, just had compression and leakdown down as PPI and everything is perfect. 1998. Unfortunately it's not my car anymore...

 

My 95 has 8,900 miles. As far as I know the valve guides are original. PPI was done at F1 Exotics & Imports in Naples, Fl. Compression/leak down numbers were very good.

 

'95 GTS, 39.5k miles. Major done last Sept, numbers good. No blue smoke. Just added 1l oil aft 2 track days and 3000KM recent 7 day trip, 24 MPG (Imperial).

 

1995 gts. 55K miles, just went in for belt service, strong compression/leak down numbers. Was told no need for valves this time.

Unfortunately, I can't say for sure if they had been done as some point earlier in its life, so I am just assuming they are the originals.

 

While they have the motor out, ask them to have a look and see what the material is...

 

'99 GTS with ~36k miles...original guides

 

I had 53k miles on my '99 when I sold it last year, still with the original guides. It had been sitting in the shop for 7 months just getting backed out and pulled back in every morning, so my leakdown numbers were crap when it finally got fixed. All other tests were perfect though and it wasn't leaking or consuming oil, so my mechanic's impression was carbon build up and recommended taking the head off to clean it up in a few years when the next major was due. The lesson there is drive the damn thing as often as possible...

 

What is "leak down?"

 

I use my 99 as a daily driver

Im at 69 K miles and its all original

 

Checking the leak rate between the valve and the valve seat

 

1995 GTS on original guides. Just under 70,000km on the clock (that's 44,000 British miles).

Car goes like heck, if anything it keeps getting better.

I let the engine and gearbox warm through and then rip the snot out of it. The car is not pampered or treated gently in use.

On the other hand I spare no expense on general maintenance though, oil change at least twice per year. Cam belts and engine out done religiously and ANYTHING that looks even partially suspect gets changed out (I even changed all the exhaust manifold studs and nuts just because they were rusty!).

Maybe I'm lucky, but I whip my horsie, and it seems to like it...

 

97 w 18k all original

 

Seems to be probable that the bad bronze valve guides came in batches and other batches were good without such a high soft copper content. We have the same trouble in the V12 community with the 456 and 456M and some of the 550s, all contemporary with your F355s. Most 550s seem to be OK, but one of our Fchatters just found his 550 has way excessive clearance on his valve guides. Fixed on the 575 with sintered steel valve guides.

Just luck of the draw on whether your Ferrari was originally built with good or bad valve guides.

 

1997 - 53K-ish miles, coming up on 54k. Still on the original valve guides. Last compression and leakdown was done in Oct 2010 at 39k miles. No oil burning, no CELs, so AFAIK all is okay.

 

1995 GTS with 44k with original guides on one bank only..previous history shows one bank changed early in life prior to my ownership. No issues now with either side.

 

1996, GTB, 30,000 miles. No Problems with valve giudes !!