Engine out service

Hi there,

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Ferraris that do not require the engine to come out to change the belts include: any cars with the 3.2 litre engine (328, Mondial 3.2 Coupe/Cabriolet), the 456 series, the Maranello series, and the 360 series. I am not an expert so I can't compose a complete list.

 

Most of them. Which car are you interested in?

 

I'm almost positive it is the 348 and 355 that require the engine to come out of the car for the belt service. Most others dont.

-Doug

 

TR, BB, 355 and 348 require engine out to service the belts (F-40??? or does it have a removable panel like the 288??).

All others can be done with the engine in the car.

 

My biggest and only regret of owning a F355 is that you would have to pull out the engine to the service the belts. I never knew that when I first bought the car in 1997, thinking it would cost about same price as my porsche to maintain. When I finally did my belt service in 2004 (5 years or 30,000 miles), if cost me $8,000 in one shot, which is quiet a bit, even for an exotic sports car. I did the service at the Ferrari Dealership, Beverly Hills, so they charged a lot for labor. With the money I spent, I should have enrolled myself in a Ferrari Mechanics course so that I can service everything myself.

mani

 

This may be a dum question. Buy would an engineer design an engine that must be removed to service the belts. Kind of stupid. Why not build an engine with chains or removiable panels. Later

 

No, the 246 has chains, BB needs engine out though.

But don't be put off by this fact.

It's no big deal. the cars are DESIGNED to have easily removed engines. If it's just a "Belts Only" job, the labour is not too terrible.

The scary part is the scare tactics most delaers/specialist employ to do a bit of job creation.

In the last 12 months I've done 5 engine out cambelt jobs, I've turned two of them around (355, 512TR) in less than 1 week. That's from collection to delivery. It doesn't always happen that smoothly, but it can in the right circumstances.

Many places offer special deals on belt jobs, try to time it right and you may be pleasantly surprised.

 

You can change the cam belts in the Boxer, TR and 348 with the engine in. But, you can't change the tensioner bearings not re-degree the cams. So, it is best to go ahead and remove the engine. You can get ripped off for this service though. The fact is the engine is easier to remove on those models than it is to remove a small block Chevy engine from the average muscle car.

 

1979 308(and all other 308's) can easily be done without removing the engine, but some other ancillaries need to be carefully dealt with. The A/C compressor; inner fender well panel; belt covers-which are a little tricky-all have to be dealt with. It is not beyond the scope of anyone who has the time, tools, and patience to do it.