Hello John, I have read your Qs & As with extreme pleasure & interest. I have just purchased a 1973 246 GT & am extremely nervous about how to maintain it. In your threads you mention servicing your car regularly. Can you please give a rundown on what you do & how often ? What types of engine oil, transmission oils do you use ? How often do you change them ? Servicing of catches , hinges, door locks, cables etc.? How often do you adjust the valve clearences , synchronise the carbs etc.? Wheel bearings , steering rack, tie rod ends etc. ? I have purchased a manual but it will be weeks before I recieve it in Australia. I have mechanical knowledge from rebuilding other cars but nothing like an Italian balerina. Do not like other people working on my cars as I have had lots of bad experiences Thank you for any information, Cliff Donnon, South Australia
Besides John, you also need to talk to Richard here ( lm2504me ) as he does his own work on his car also. Richard also helps work on mine and several other Ferrari's.
Cliff I don't blame you! youv'e got alot of resources here willing to be helpful, just post when you have a question and you will get many reply's from the Dino Brotherhood. Gary
did not mean to ruffle FERRARI feathers, but I thought I did ask a question. Perhaps not to the right people ? Sorry. Cliff Donnon South Australia
I have purchased a manual but it will be weeks before I recieve it in Australia. Cliff Donnon, South Australia[/QUOTE] Cliff, I pm'd you with a free copy. You could have had it the next day too...
Cliff, you gave a very loaded array of questions without being specific about how you drive, how many miles you put on your car and under what conditions. You would be better served if you spoon fed the questions one at a time and allow responce time between each. Search previous threads if you have to know immediately, just a suggestion we are happy to help.
Yasmin, sorry I dont understand your message. I have just purchased the car , with service books, & wished to service the car myself before I drive it too far. As I stated before "if you want something done properly, do it yourself. " I do not intend to drive a 33 year old car as a race car, but I do intend to enjoy the spirit of the car. Thank you, Cliff Donnon, South Australia
Cliff, It is not a question of ruffling any Ferrari feathers. Without knowing the particulars of your Dino, it can be difficult to advise on what needs to be done to service your Dino. I hope the below helps to get you going. I had some time this morning waiting for the kids to wake up. I may of let something out, so please ask after you review the owner's manual. So, to get the ball rolling. What has been done previously to your Dino from a maintenance standpoint? Do you have a US or European Dino? You may want to update your profile. Have the following items been replaced / serviced in the past 5-10 years? Do you have records of this? If not, then check, adjust, or replace accordingly: Note: I follow the owner's manual recommendations on service intervals with the exceptions noted. I used metric, assuming you have a European Dino. *Coolant hoses (all of them including heater lines) *Coolant - change out if over 2 years. Serious damage to head alloy plugs and coolant components occur in Dinos which are rarely driven. *Radiator recored - *Oil cooler cleaned out - *Radiator fans functioning at temperature *Thermostat checked for proper operation - you also see this based on you normal engine coolant temperature when running *Perform pressure test of coolant system to find any leaks. *Fuel lines - I always replace these whenever I buy a car with no docs showing when they were replaced in the past 5 years. Cheap insurance. *flexible brake lines - check date on hoses and if over 10 years, then replace *brake pads - *brake fluid - change every 2 years *alternator belt every 6000 km - keep spare in trunk *alternator rebuilt *Ignition switch with diode installed per John Corbani, reference: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74532 I had to replace mine due to the arc damage - 1970's BMW 2002 Bosch part *fuel filter - *CAVIS Ignition wires - on Ebay for ~ 60 USD *cam timing marks line up with crank mark, if chains have been retensioned *vacuum hoses (all of them) - *chains retensioned (I will do this every 10,000 km or every other year) *valve adjustment - every 10,000 km) *clutch pedal free travel (20 - 25mm) *Engine Oil (Castrol 20w-50) every 5000km or 6 months including filter IMPORTANT: Check engine oil level after every 500 km. NEVER run engine with level below MIN level or serious damage may occur due to oil starvation at high rpms. I always carry a liter with me. *Transmission (Valvoline 80-90 - not synthetic) every 10000km or 1 year *Wheel bearings - fronts - inspect and if not damaged, regrease and reinstall *Spark plugs (NGK BPR7EIX #4055 ) - every 20000 km *Distributor (bearings, points, centrifugal system lubrication - check for wear) - keep spare points in trunk *Distributor contact points - adjust or replace if worn, *Distributor points, oil the wick *Carbs, once set, will not need adjustment for a long time - ensure no unfiltered air leaks into the air box and use a new fuel filter. Never use the fuel enrichment device or you may have to adjust the idle mixtures again. I use the John Corbani method for idle speed adjustment. Reference: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75513 Do not put the foam filters in the carburetors, they will cause hesitation when the carb circuit transisitions from idle to normal driving circuit! Believe me, I know. After I do or know the above, then I continue to follow the owner's manual recommendations. I didn't include some of those items which are listed in the owner's manual. These are done also. I know it sounds like a great deal. If you have records, then you only need to do what is not documented or is out of adjustment. When I bought my Dino, the previous owner had lost all service records and let it sit for over 8 years. It had 31909 miles on it, but I felt I should do an engine teardown to validate the condition of the motor. I ended up doing a complete rebuild, except pistons. This was for my piece of mind. Post if you have any specifics. Regards, Richard #03510 Dino246GT
Cliff, I have had very few real problems taking care of my Dino with little more than the tools I showed in one of my Dino Saga posts. I have the following shop tools: Workshop Manual Illustrated Parts List Grease gun Trolley jack 2 Jack stands Torque wrench, 3/8" drive Compression tester Air flow meter for carbs Timing light Drill motor #80 to 1/2" drills Moto Tool * misc. accesories Hammers Hack saw Standard mess of homeowners tools, all of industrial quality Routine maintenance is easy: Every fill-up: Check oil, water, tire pressure Record mileage and gas quantity in a little note book (I get about 12 mpg around town and 20 mpg at 80+ on the freeway) Every six months or 2500 miles: Change oil, Castrol 20-50; Filter, Fram HP-1 Grease ball joints in front end. Mine are still there on top. Lower ball joints are now greaseless Oil all hinges, latches, linkages Check and top off transmission Blow off air filter 1 Year: Pull distributor, grease advance mechanism & lube cam Adjust point gap Adjust timing Check carb synch and idle settings. (I idle at 1000 - 1100 rpm and ignore the popping when I back off) Check brake fluid 5 years or 25,000 miles: Change transmission oil. 90 weight petroleum (Synthetics won't shift when cold. In Santa Barbara, 50 deg. F is cold!) 30,000-40,000 miles: Change tires Check alignment Check front wheel bearings Change brake fluid Allways: Fix the smallest problem immediately; Big problems even faster. If something is over your head, pay to have it fixed and pay(if necessary) to watch it done right. You will make a friend and learn a lot. Good friends will loan you specialized tools. I bought my Dino 246GT #04504 in 1986 with 51,000 miles on it. 20 years later it has 186,000 miles and runs just as good as the day I got it. Drive it every day and find it makes an acceptable Jeep in an emergency. Hope you have as much fun with yours as I have had with mine. Cheers, John
What a wonderful group of replies, thank you to all involved. Enough info to keep me going till my manual arrives. Again thank you, Cliff Donnon, South Australia
Cliff, maybe my note wasn't too clear. in an earlier post from yourself you were asking about workshop manuals and how to get one. I sent you a pm (private message) telling you I had a copy here in Australia and you could have it if you wished.
