F430 New owner diary inc. maintenance & upgrades

Thank you both

 

Thanks both!

 

As phase two of the project is drawing to a close I've had a checkpoint to see what's left to exactly match the Scuderia specification.

In scope, and in likely order of execution:
1) Engine management - many changes;
2) Suspension flamblocs (inboard, low deflection swivel joint/isolators) - increased shore hardness;
3) Rear under tray - lighter, made of a composite material;
4) Rear bumper grille;
5) Carbon door cards - lighter. I already have these;
6) Steering rack - 15:1 vs 16:1;
7) Steering pump - valved for less assistance;
8) Engine oil 'disareator' (combined dry sump reservoir and breather tank) - redesigned to cope with higher levels of blow by and the demands of track driving.

Out of scope:
1) Engine oil and water pump - will come as part of the planned large capacity engine build in phase 3;
2) Removal of carpets and sound deadening - I don't want to do this because the weight gain is quite minimal but the effect on cabin noise is significant.

More to come...

 

Scuderia Engine Management Conversion
I will cover off the main differences to the F430 management. Both cars use the same ME7.1.1 engine ECUs but with different input/output assignments.

MAF sensors and engine control strategy
The F430 uses the Bosch HFM5 and the Scuderia (and 458 on) use the HFM7

"Except from the new sensor design, the air flow meter used on F136ED (Scuderia) engines is characterised by the absence of an air flow strainer. The task of an air flow strainer is to ensure a regular and laminar air flow inside the sensor duct. At the same time the strainer also forms an obstruction to the incoming air flow. By eliminating the strainer, a power advantage of 7-8 hp is obtained thanks to a more free air flow.

The absence of the strainer will cause turbulences in the sensor duct which translates into an unreliable mass air flow signal. For this reason the mass air flow is no longer the main parameter to calculate the injection quantity, but will only be used to apply corrections on the fuel quantity. Instead, throttle position and engine speed are used as main parameters. This modification implicates a specific calibration of the engine control software."

Ion-sensing
The Scuderia does away with the two knock sensors per bank that the F430 uses and instead uses ion sensing technology to adjust ignition based on cylinder conditions that preceed knock, rather than reacting to knock that has just occurred. The system went on to be used in the 458 and other high-compression Ferrari engines.

A full explanation can be read Making sense of ion sense technology | Search Autoparts

The technology requires specific coils and spark plugs which were also fitted to the F430 from MY2008 onwards; that makes my life a lot simpler!

Secondary air injection
Some US F430 models have SAI but no UK models did. All Scuderia's have SAI to help get the main cats up to temperature quickly in the absence of pre-cats.

"The secondary air system is composed of an electric pump controlled by a relay, two pneumatic valves that close the line when the system is inoperative, and a solenoid valve that controls the pneumatic valves by means of the vacuum provided by a connection with the plenum chamber.

The secondary air system is activated by the ECU after a cold start and only when engine temperature is in the range -7 to + 40°C. In these conditions the engine runs in "Open Loop" conditions. During this phase the Oxygen sensors signal is utilised to calculate the temperature of the catalytic converters, utilising a mathematical calculation model."

Active blow-by/oil breather control
The F430 oil breather system is passive. The Scuderia system is active and introduced revised plumbing containing a one-way valve, and an ECU controlled solenoid to optimise the oil breather system for certain operating conditions.
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That's the theory covered so now on to the actual conversion of my car. I had planned for this to be a quick activity where I'd book in the car with Ed at Christian Lewis to remove the inlet manifold and fit the two injection looms, then I'd be on my merry way for what remaining good weather we have this summer. This would be an interim solution as the ECUs would log DTCs for the missing blow-by solenoid and secondary air system components that would be installed with the other required looms over the winter lay-up period.

It hasn't quite panned out like that. I've been diagnosing a potential performance issue with the car, well, I say potential but it certainly is: where the old car would romp up to 160 this one will get to 120 and become a bit flat thereafter. The old car with after market manifolds left me quite impressed with its performance, whereas this one - despite the weight loss - leaves me feeling a little unimpressed.

I checked the wiring plugs for the cam timing 'variator' solenoids and three out of the four had oil in them. This is a known failure mode of the solenoids have. With this discovered, and the cam covers needing to come off -
and I already knew they needed a refurb which would take a month or so - I decided to take the car off the road now and get everything sorted in one go.

Scuderia Engine Management Conversion - Parts List
The parts list for my car is below - bearing in mind it already has the other Scuderia systems installed:

- England/GB specific 16M/Scuderia ECUs. These are used so I've sent them off to FAI for both to be virginised for use with my immobiliser;
(Photo attached below)

- 16M central/rear fuse box loom - it contains fused feeds for the Ion module and an additional relay for Secondary Air Injection. It is 16M specific because of the Spider roof elements;
(Photo attached below)

- Right bank injection loom (HFM7 MAF, Ion module, Ion module power feed, secondary air solenoid, knock sensor connections removed);

- Left bank injection loom (HFM7 MAF connector, Ion module connection, knock sensor connections removed);

- Right side engine bay loom (Blow-by solenoid, Ion module CAN bus);

- Left side engine bay loom (Secondary air pump);

- Blow-by solenoid valve - Installed so no DTC code for its absence but ports blanked off for now until I fit the revised oil breather system later;

- Secondary air solenoid valve - Installed so the ECU does not log no DTC code for its absence, but the ports will; be blanked off as I don't plan to install the secondary air system;

- Secondary air solenoid relay (same 50amp relay as the F1 system) - monitored by the ECU;

- 2 x Scuderia Bosch HFM7 MAFs;

- Eldor Ion module.

Scuderia Engine Management Conversion - F430 Injection Loom Removal
This was a fiddly job - in fact one of the most fiddly jobs I've done on a car. Access to most fastenings is tight.

I had previously retrofitted coil water guards which I covered in a previous update, and with them removed the spark plug loom on each side is accessible; they are secured to the cam cover with zinc plated P clips. As per the other P clips on the car the rubber has deteriorated and cracked.
(Photo attached below)

With the injection looms out of the way on each side the poor state of the cam cover powder coat is visible.
(Photo attached below)

Inlet manifold assembly removed leaving access to the injection loom. The tape used on the loom is terrible and dries out, frays, and falls off. It is not heat related as it happens elsewhere on the car.
(Photo attached below)

Cam covers removed. These are hands down the worst condition parts on the car! The problem is the cost saving approach taken at the factory: the powder coat is applied directly to raw aluminium parts i.e. no primer. The issue is exacerbated on the Spider if the cam cover water guards are not fitted.
(Photo attached below)

I've found a local firm who will do the job properly: a chemical strip to degrease and remove the existing powder coat, a blast with aluminium oxide to provide a key, an etch prime, and then finally the crackle finish powder coat. Cost is between £130 and £150 (~$175) for both.

Scuderia Engine Management Conversion - F430 and Scuderia Injection Comparison
Photo to show my original injection loom removed and the new Scuderia versions I have to go back in. The green text/arrows indicate differences between the F430 and Scuderia versions.
(Photo attached below)
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Additional junior timer type plug for the secondary air solenoid.
(Photo attached below)

The F430 knock sensors are no longer needed so I could remove them. The four cam phase, four knock, and two crank position sensors all terminate at the rear of the engine in the vee. Bizarrely, all use the same connector and they aren't keyed and instead rely on identification numbers taped to the loom corresponding sensor cable. Whatever works...
(Photo attached below)

Photo to show three of the four F430 knock sensors removed from my engine together with the Scuderia Ion module that replaces their function. The knock sensors are labelled 3 to 6 and those numbers are not included on the Scuderia loom i.e. the numbering system is directly compatible with the parts remaining on my engine.
(Photo attached below)

Variator Solenoids
The variators optimise camshaft timing for the following operating conditions:

"Engine idling: intake timing is retarded. Late opening of the intake valves minimizes valve overlap. This guarantees stable combustion and smooth idling.

Low and middle revs, medium to high load: intake timing is advanced. Early opening of the intake valves creates high valve overlap. Exhaust gasses are partially re-burned which lowers combustion temperature and reduces emissions of NOx. Early closing of the intake valves at low revs improves volumetric efficiency.

High revs, full load: intake timing is retarded. Late closing of the intake valves improves volumetric efficiency as a result of the high inertia of the incoming air."

Each cam/variator has a 50 degree operating range: retard 25 degrees to advance 25 degrees.

The variators themselves seem reliable but their control solenoids are not, or certainly the variant fitted to my car. The solenoids were introduced with the Enzo with part number 186563. These were superseded by 212422 for the Enzo and this type was fitted to my F430, but these were revised again and superseded to 250646.

The solenoids are secured by a single allen bolt and with that removed they can be withdrawn by slowly rotating them, whilst pulling away from the variator housing.
(Photo attached below)

Three of my solenoids had oil in their multiplug but I'm going to replace all four with the later part, for peace of mind. The photo shows the four original solenoids removed - they are covered in dirt as I'd temporarily stored them in a waste container.
(Photo attached below)

Exhaust Photo
As I never posted one last time - a photo of the completed and heat-wrapped exhaust.
(Photo attached below)
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Thanks both

I see we now have a forum that supports inline image tags! My posts will be a lot more readable from now on in the format I intended, where the text is accompanied by the relevant image(s).

 

Another winter project carrying on the weight saving. The below is from a previous update:

"I discovered when working on my cars that the external body panel covering the roof tray is made from thick fibreglass and weighs 12kg. It doesn't serve any noise suppression function so is fair game for weight removal."
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I've found a UK carbon fibre specialist who makes unmanned surveillance aircraft for the Ministry of Defence, and what separates him from a lot of the cosmetic carbon fibre producers is that he understands structure and the structural properties of carbon, and thus designing components for optimal weight reduction. For example he uses Nomex honeycomb foam cores and other structural elements to increase strength whilst minimising weight, together with various types of carbon mat depending on the application. It is a vaccum bagging process - so it's F1 spec autoclave stuff - but the cost/weight ratio would not stack up for this project. I have to say his results seem pretty damn good - I've posted a few photos below of his work in progress.

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I estimate a potential weight saving of 5kg. If I am happy with the work I will commission the following parts in carbon:

- Front bumper
- Rear bumper
- Engine lid
- Bonnet
- Dashboard moulding

 

I have the cam covers back from powder coat and Classic Coatings have done a great job of both coating and cleaning; I simply gave the underside a quick spray of brake cleaner for peace of mind.

http://www.classic-coatings.co.uk/ - recommended.
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I pre-purcahsed all new stainless fittings for the cam cover, wiring loom including stainless steel P clips rather than the factory BZP, and a 1/4" torque wrench to make sure the fastenings are evenly torqued. Space around the front of the engine is too limited for a 1/2" or 3/8" drive.
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A birthday present from my OH: the passenger airbag will be re-trimmed in red leather. My thinking with the interior was to place focus on the driver area, and from the outset my Dad was of the opinion I should have the px airbag trimmed to provide balance to the scheme. After viewing some of the driving videos from this year I have come to agree.
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Thank you! I have a detailed spreasheet: http://www.mwstewart.co.uk/misc/f430/MWStewart_F430_Weight_Loss.xlsx

I'm not tracking cost in detail but it's currently in the region of £50k

 

Leather from the passenger airbag stripped along with all traces of the old foam. Apparently the glue Ferrari use is really strong.
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New foam backing glued on.
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Retrimmed in red to match the rest of the new interior pieces.
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Passenger airbag fitted. I love it.


Remote luggage compartment release
The luggage compartment is opened by a toggle switch on the dashboard. The switch isn't even a consideration most of the time, but when away in the car with luggage the lack of remote opening is a pain because it involves unlocking the car, opening the door, inserting the key, pressing the switch. Not the end of the world, but it is a chore, so I wanted to develop a remote opening solution that looked OEM and, obviously, had equal security.

I started to research the standard alarm module and learned it is the Meta M826. I also found out the module was shared with some Maserati models, and researching those I found they came with a two button key - lock/unlock, and boot release. I also determined the pin number for the switched earth suitable for relay coil control (NOT the load itself). The F430 alarm module and Maserati modules appear to have the same Meta model and revision numbers, so I have a theory that the functionality exists in the F430 and how I can use it. .

My plan is as follows:
1) Strip a Maserati two-button key and remove the locking circuit board - the immobiliser chip and rest of key can be discarded;
2) Remove the engine immobiliser chip from my spare key;
3) Install both of the above into a 458/California style key blank

I have the key parts:
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The immobiliser transponder chip is a straight swap, but the alarm circuit board is not and will require a bit of custom work with an epoxy moulding compound. I will send off the circuit board to be programed to the existing F430 alarm - made possible by using the factory supplied 16 digit code card.

Finally, I need to add another pin to the existing alarm multiplug and run it to a relay to switch the luggage compartment solenoid.

Scuderia Engine Management Conversion - Oil Breather System
As mentioned previously, the Scuderia engine management has additional solenoids, one of which is for the revised oil breather system.

For reference, the F430 is plumbed as follows - essentially a hose from each cam cover to the disareator (oil tank/separator).:
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And the Scuderia is below. I've circled in green the additional components and different hose connection to the disareator.
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Here are the revised hoses, yellow check (one-way) valve, and the solenoid.
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I noticed that the solenoid is bolted to a Scuderia specific PAS reservoir bracket, which has an ear to which the valve fastens.
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Scuderia Engine Management Conversion - Misc Parts
Two of 90mm MAF sensors (Bosch HFM7)
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Secondary air injection solenoid.
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Misc Parts
Variator solenoids. Unfortunately, in-between the last time I worked on the car and ordering the new solenoids Ferrari had doubled the price(!) to over £2k for the four.
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Old 212422, top, and new 250646, bottom. I couldn't discern any external difference.
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A new coolant reservoir cover. The last one had gone yellow whilst on the last road trip.
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Side window glass mounts. Ed identified these as being a bit worn on my car. Common issue on the spider, apparently.
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One of the switches in the roof has developed a fault, so I'll have it replaced. There must be a cheaper source for these switches...
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All new gaskets and seals to refit the cam covers, inlet manifold, and plenum.
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This pile awaits me in the workshop. I hope to have some time in January to put everything back together.
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Scuderia Engine Management Conversion - Motor Looms
The 430 platform uses one Bosch ME7.1.1 per bank and each has two looms: one that Ferrari term an 'injection loom' which includes the spark plugs, MAFs, etc. - basically anything attached to the engine itself (I covered off the injection looms in a previous update, and I am yet to install those). The other is a 'motor loom' which runs down the corresponding rear side of the car and connects ancillary items such as O2 sensors, exhaust valve solenoids, and emissions equipment.

The RH side motor loom is different to the MY08 F430* in the following ways:

• The superfluous heated rear window wiring is removed; obviously not required anyway but strangely included in the Spider specific F430 loom. It is a two pin plug fed from the central loom and earthed on the rear chassis;
• Two pin connector for the secondary air solenoid valve. A positive feed spliced from the existing loom and a new purple/blue to pin 9 of the ECU for switched earth;
• A five pin connector for ion module data feed comprising a brown/yellow wire spliced to the existing wire between RH ECU pin 37 and the F1 TCU, a CAN C pair (green/white) spliced into the main car CAN C bus, and another (green/white) spliced into the secondary CAN C bus between each ECU and the F1 TCU.

*Some pre-MY08 cars use resistors with the fuel pumps.

Given the relatively small number of changes I will convert my existing loom exactly to Scuderia spec including details such as the exact splice point, wire gauge etc.

The LH motor loom contains a two pin connector for the secondary air pump. I will not retrofit this loom because I don't want the added weight of the complete SAI system, which comes in at approximately 3kg. Instead I am installing the rest of the electronics to satisfy ECU error checking and to make it simple to retrofit later on if I decide to.

Scuderia Engine Management Conversion - RH Motor Loom
Whilst visiting family a couple of weeks ago I had a couple of hours spare in the evening which I spent removing the RH rear motor loom. I’ve mentioned before that the tape on the looms isn’t very good because it dries out and falls away, so I’m taking the opportunity to replace all of it with Coroplast 837; a high quality loom tape used by German premium car manufacturers.

The photos below show the loom and the Bosch ME7 ECU plug disassembled, and coils of new wire that I started to add e.g. SAI solenoid earth to ECU pin 9.
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For the new Ion module and SAI solenoid plugs I’m using black conduit, the correct waterproof version of the factory terminals, and matching boots.
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I always run CAN lines as a twisted pair. My OH helped me create a few metres of this from regular thinwall cable.
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Here is the ECU end of the loom back together and re-wrapped in Coroplast. I carefully removed the original assembly sticker and re-added it when finished – I will update the part number to the 16M version to make future maintenance straight-forward.
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ION module data lines ready to be trimmed to length when in the car.
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Thank you. I'm not really tracking time spent because its my hobby. I have owned the car for around one year and ten months, and so far I've driven 6,000 miles.

 

Thanks Richard. It's a significant undertaking because the electronic systems are integrated. £25k probably covers it if buying used parts.

- Instrument cluster
- ABS module

- E-Diff module
- Ion Module​

- TCU
- Engine ECUs
- Suspension Module (it will work without this but the dampers will be stuck in Sport and the module will log an error for suspension malfunction)
- Dampers
- Gearbox
- Actuator/hydraulic system

- F1 loom (if car is not MY2008)
- Scuderia ABS loom
- Scuderia injection looms
- Scuderia DX motor loom (rear right)
- Scuderia central rear loom
- Scuderia luggage compartment/front loom.
- Scuderia dashboard loom