Coolant level

Hi guys, I've searched but can't seem to find what I'm looking for...both here & in my books at home. I want to check my coolant level as I'm having the F430 heater always cold issue & want to discount this before going to my dealer. I've already tried the battery switch off then back on with no success.

So, my question.....where is the coolant level supposed to be in the reservoir in the engine bay? Also, do we check it hot or cold (assuming cold for obvious reasons!!)

Thank you!

 

I have noticed that I have to release the off switch for the climate control system in order to get heat going. It is a little weird, in my opinion, that the heat doesn't blow without that being in the on position (out). It seems that the button in the off position would just deactivate the air conditioning system, but I can't get heat without it being on. Now I am confusing myself. (-:

 

2 inches from the top of the filler neck threads is about right. You would have to lose a lot of water to effect the heating.
The off button needs to be in the out position and if you have no heat then try turning the ignition on , but wait a bit longer before you start it. Note that the battery switch does not switch off all the electrics, it is on the negative line and you will find some aux wires on the negative battery clamp that stay on.
You might want to try disconnecting the battery completely. Mine was not working as i was starting the car just after the ok, but now i leave it longer so the bits all talk to each other.

 

Same thing here. What has helped before was pressing the off switch to make sure that it is in the off position and then disconnecting the battery for a few minutes and reconnecting it.

 

Mine had a coolant change at the Ferrari dealer when I got it. Coolant was/is 2" deep and 1 3/4" from the top of the filler neck, cold. It's never moved.

 

There is a pretty good description in the 360 WSM of how the system works. The F430 WSM has much less info, probably assuming the tech has access to both. The AC on/off switch does not affect heater operation, only AC operation, but the manual switch does. If the system is in manual, air flow is provided only by forward motion of the Ferrari, adjustable through 4 airflow settings. Two other things that do affect the heating are the water recirculation pump, which actually pushes water into the core, and the proportional valve, which regulates the hot water going to the core.

If there are problems with the HVAC, the SD3 has HVAC diagnostic capability and should be able to pinpoint the problem after ensuring the OM instructions on how the system works is understood and nothing is wrong. If the temperature is below 15C/59F, the compressor remains off until the system is warm to prevent blowing cold air on the passengers.

 

On my 430, the heater does not work if the A/C switch is off.

 

You are not the only one with that issue. I wonder why our F430s are not functioning as expected when it comes to the AC switch.....my temporary fix was to make sure the A/C on/off switch was off, unplug the battery for a few minutes, re-plug, and that would do the trick for a couple of months.

 

Remember, this came from the 360 WSM, the F430 version is not too specific. Could be some differences, but none I can see comparing the two. Maybe Brian or one of the pros knows.

After a battery disconnect, it is not unusual to have to cycle the HVAC system off and on two or three times to get it working normally, especially if no run cycle was performed.

 

Few weeks ago I also thought maybe I had coolant issues when I noticed my heater not working. I read some posts to disconnect my battery for a few minutes and reconnect. It's been working again so far.

 

Thanks guys....I've not been around for couple of weeks so only just managed to get back on board here.

I've tried the battery switch off for 10 minutes, then back on with no joy. The buttons are inthe correct positions....this started to during a decent run across France after we had stopped at some services. We started again but I needed to turn the fan from auto to speed 2/3 to clear some slight steaming (it was raining heavily), after about 15/20 minutes realised the cabin was still cold & it has worked since (even putting all back to auto position).

A visit to my dealer maybe?

 

Forget the battery switch and physically take the cables off the battery for 10 mins and see how you go, the switch is in the neg line as previously explained

 

Ah, ok thanks Mike! I had assumed it was achieving the same thing. I'll give that a go tomorrow & report back.

Appreciated sir ��

 

Just as an update on this....disconnected the battery completely & left for 10 minutes before reconnection....fired up the car with lots of hope.....still no heat

Guessing it's a trip to the dealer