Hi - Wondering if it is normal on a 355 for the red BRAKE light and orange ABS light to stay on for a while after all the other lights have extinguished (following engine startup)? Seems to me they should cancel out along with all the other lights. Today, I pulled the E-brake and released a 2nd time to get the lights off. Any ideas? Thanks PS What is the difference between BRAKE and PARK lights? To me, they are redundantly indicating that I have the e-brake (aka parking brake) engaged...right?
Your engine ecu, SLOWDOWN exhaust ecu, and ABS computer are independent systems...and each system performs its own self-diagnosis test at startup. As each computer passes its own system, your CEL, SLOWDOWN, and BRAKE lights go out. Sometimes one test can take 15 seconds...othertimes the same test can take 2 seconds. *If your BRAKE or PARKING light stays on even with the emergency brake fully released, then check your brake fluid level. The manual for the 348 gets the light wrong, saying BRAKE when they mean PARK or vice-versa. Was that corrected in the F355 owner's manual?
ABS and brake lights turn off last because the ABS pump takes time to reach pressure after the car has sat unused.
Now owning spider348's old 348, yes, it normally takes an additional 10-15 seconds before both cut off, and one normally goes out a second or two before the other. I figured it was due to some abs issues he had when he owned it, but they never failed to go out, so all is good. I look at it as another way to let the car warm up for a bit before moving. Also noticed that when on an incline, and release the emergency brake, and rolling, the lights go out quicker.
EVERY ABS equipped car I have ever owned, Ferrari or otherwise, takes several seconds to extinguish the ABS light. It is always the last one to go off.
