early 348 issues

I have found a nice looking 348, however it is an early model (1990). Research shows the clutch, engine management and alternator to be issues. Can the clutch and electronics be upgraded easily to the ones used in 1994 which appear to have solved the problems? If so how much expense would be involved as this could impact wether it would just be easier to buy a 94?

 

I owned a 1990 348ts with no issues with the orginal clutch.I purchased the car with 19k mi.and put 4k on it in two years with no clutch problems.The alternator can be upgraded to later,Nippon unit with new brackets,very costly.I removed the stock Delco unit and had a good rebuild shop rebuild the alternator with HD bearings,ansd renew everything else,diodes,armature,etc.for 200.00.Works great.I have since sold the car and now have a F355 Spider.

 

i also own a 90 348 tb...the clutch has just been replaced 40.000 miles (buy the previous owner)...

I also remoed the alternator to rebuild it, with new bearings, diodes...after 3000 miles, i hadn't any problem...

 

I have a 91TS purchased in May with 11,000 miles. I've had to replace the alternator already, - new & all necessary upgraded wiring kit (£1,000). I accept that, and feel that the car is all the better for it. The clutch had already been replaced at 8,000 miles (£800).

I now have a stunning car, reliable too! If you get an early car and the upgrades haven't been done, then the least I would do is to put aside some funds to cover these over the length of time you look to own the car.

 

Hey Glen,

It depends on how early the car is. If the manufacture date is Jan, then I'm not sure. I have a 1990 that was made in Sept, so I have the upgraded computer. Also do a search in the archives to find out what chasis number was the first to get the updated ecu's. What you want to look for on the engine, is to see if the throttle bodies have throttle position sensors on one, or both, throttle bodies. If the sensor is only on one of them you will have to get a new throttle body that has the sensor on it for the other side, you will have to get a new wiring loom (not cheap) for that bank of the engine, and you will have to get the Motronic 2.7 ecu's. The early 348's had the 2.5 ecu's. Now if both throttle bodies have the sensors on them, then they should already have the 2.7 Motronics. However if you want to upgrade to the '94 spyder ecu's (again not cheap), it is a very easy fix. All you have to do is unplug the old ecu's, plug the new ones in, and then let the engine go through the warm up recalibration process. As for the clutch the only thing that was done was to go from a twin plate clutch to a single plate clutch, to save on replacement costs. No matter what clutch you have the weak spot is the Voith flywheel. The flywheel is packed with grease and the seals have a tendancy to go back, no matter what year the car is. When the seals go bad the clutch gets cooked as a result of the grease getting flung on it from the flywheel. However, if you want to go from a twin plate to a single plate clutch you can do that. But this will not solve the problem of the flywheel seals going bad.

 

A good 348 is a prize; a bad 348 is a nightmare.

An '89 or '90 348 tb/ts can be just as good as a '91-'94 348 tb/ts. There are people on this board who have early 348s that are problem-free.

Just have a thorough pre-purchase inspection done on the car by someone who is experienced with 348s. An early 348 does not necessarily have to be a "bad" car, or a "nightmare."

 

I have my '90 348 tb for 3 years now and drove it 30.000 Km ( now a total of 86.000 Km ) only the flywheel gave me some trouble and a leaking sealing on the clutch made me pull over. I take it anywhere now. I hope I stay this lucky.

Luuk

 

Hi Chaps,

This is interesting as I'm about to buy a euro '91 TB.

Are the potential problems the same on euro cars?

Thanks

Mark

 

ZERO problems on my 348 that I'd consider worth noting.

* A wheel bearing is getting replaced (today!) by Sport Auto in NC-- but it was spotted early, and I consider it a normal wear item on this type of car

* Brake pads needed replacing

* Slow windows -- but that's not unusual

* Poor weatherstripping on the windows/roof -- again, that seems normal for all models


That's it!

I rolled 6,000 miles this summer with no problems whatsoever.

1990 348ts (July 1990 build, 2.7 Motronic)

 

No noteworthy problems on my 1990 348ts with nearly 40K miles. Replaced a clutch throw-out bearing last spring, a fuel pump early summer. Car runs perfect. I would expect these things to go out on ANY ferrari at some point or another.

Problems with the "early" 348's are way overblown. People complain about the "Delco" alternator like it's some major flaw. If someone's worried about that on a $50K car, well...you probably get my point. My gosh, you can rebuild a delco alt. for 100 bucks. What's the big deal?

Forget the year. Buy on condition. Good luck.

 

I have a pretty early production car. An '89 ts....32nd car produced, 17th ts, 5th US car. I have owned it for 15 years now and have made numerous upgrades, but the basic car has been extremely sound. I have had no major failures. The Motronic 2.5 works just fine. I have changeged out the chips to Powerchips for more hp/torque.

The single biggest problem was that bloody Delco alternator. I spent the first 5 years of ownership pulling it out and rebuilding it...EVERY YEAR!! I then decided to bite the bullit and do the upgrade to the Nipondenso. The kit cost me $1200 from my local Ferrari dealer and took me a weekend to put in. That was one of the best things that I ever did...and I've never looked back.

Other than that.......the car has been bullit proof. It has had 3 majors....two of which I've done myself. I've had to mess with the electrical connections in the doors and I've replaced numerous bits that have worn out over the years, but overall it has been a great car.

I have had 308s, TRs, Mondials and even an F40.....and the 348 is still here!! I suppose that says something.

Ciao..Dino