Ferrari California Engine light keeps coming on

I'd take it back to see what the computer says is causing the light to come on. Their software is pretty good at telling you what is happening. I've had two Cali's with over 45,000 total miles and no engine light problems.

Ran out of gas ... wow I would be very careful about that, modern fuel systems really don't like that.

Rick

 

Most likely a software update is needed. What happens is if it gets even a single misfire, it sends the signal to check the engine.

Both my 458's did this and both were corrected with a software update.

 

I was told you should never run out of gas with a fuel-injected car. Do not try your luck in that scenario.

Fuel injectors need fuel to cool and lubricate themselves with. If the tank runs too low or dry, the injectors can damage themselves. I think the "check engine" light is a catch-all for a number of possible sensor codes. The dealer garage can scan the codes to narrow down the cause(s). I would not tell them to just clear the codes.

P.S. Nearly forgot, I'm not sure how the fuel pumps work in the California but another danger of drying out your gas tank is the fuel pump. My E30 BMW had 2 fuel pumps, one near the engine and one actually in the fuel tank. The one in the tank was definitely cooled by the fuel - can't recall if the other one was as well. But one consequence of running the car on a near-empty fuel tank was that the pump in the tank could ruin itself if it wasn't immersed in fuel. It's nasty to replace the pump in the fuel tank. The California probably has a different setup but the E30 BMW was also not a fossil or unsophisticated by any stretch of the imagination.

 

This also is true. Direct injection has its quirks. I was told never to rev the engine and shut it down. You need to let it settle or it will foul the plugs.

 

the biggest risk with a fuel injected car, especially a direct injection, is the high pressure system and particularly the pumps. If they run dry and spin up, they can overheat and/or have other bad things happen if they spin dry for a period. In a modern Fcar, if you run dry (and ignore the low fuel light), the car should go into mild limp mode; when you actually run dry it would detect low fuel pressure, then engine running too lean, then drop cylinders, and eventually it will shut itself off. (ask me how I know)

As for the CEL, the dealer can read the code, if it's a specific fault they can address it. In most cases, they can clear a code and it will not reappear, some codes will clear upon reboot/restart, some can be cleared with the computer (higher criticality), some may require an actual repair or replacement (eg. bad O2 sensor or thermocouple on a 430).

The alarm software on the modern cars is very conservative (i.e. tries to warn you and save the car) and also very sensitive (one transient fault and it alarms). If your battery ever dies, when you try to start it up it the dash will likely glow like the Vegas strip...

Please keep us posted, tribal knowledge on issues is valuable.