FF PTU Design Flaw.

a battery that holds charge but has one bad cell cld throw everything off. what is the latest?

 

Thinking I made the rookie mistake of not waiting long enough when starting the car. There is AL priority wired in as well that may pull some extra power on start up until fully activated. No codes in the last couple weeks.

 

I have a FF 2015 with 45K miles and the dealer just informed me that I need a new PTU. My service light came on and the car only goes into Wet and Snow mode. The dealer wants $46k, does anyone have any other options or know good place in Vegas to take it?

 

Even if you send it to gte in nj to get done u will save 35k

 

Where are you located Ernie ? I have a FF that need a PTU

 

Having read through this very informative thread in my research for possibly buying an FF, it seems repairs to the PTU are now possible for around $10k USD?

GTE Engineering in the US
SS AutoTech in the UK

Check the immediate prior pages of this thread and you should see all the discussions on repair and upgrades within these repair kits.

If I’m wrong, please someone let me know because that’s what I’m understanding and I’d like to be sure I’m not completely off BEFORE I decide to get one of these otherwise fantastic cars.

Thanks!

 

I think you’ll find the speed sensor is a more prevalent problem, it’s not just related to the FF, it’s rife amongst most of the range..

 

Call Italy Service and talk to Brian

 

From what I have read, you just need to have a capable local indy or dealer to coordinate with GTE in NJ on the removal and transport of PTU to get it fixed by GTE for a lot cheaper as mentioned by Ricky.

 

See if you can coordinate with the service manager of Ferrari Las Vegas. He is Rich Kansky and the most honest person I have ever worked with. He takes care of my FF, 430, and Ghost

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

Might also want to PM forum member vegasviper. I think he had the dealer help arrange having GTE repair the PTU but don’t know the details and whether that was because he’s built up some good will with them or whatever. Worth asking though.

 

bang on, battery quit last week, didn’t have any issues for a couple months after waiting for everything (radar/laser diffuser/self checks) to finish before starting. I am confident the weakish battery was the root of the problem.

 

Where are you based because in the UK it is around 7.5K to have an upgraded repair to the PTU which is not bad given that Ferrari charge 5k per annum for full extended warranty. Just put 2 or 3 k away each year and go for it. Best value Ferrari on the road at the moment as Lusso prices are going up fast and a 2014 ish FF with good provenance at around 120k is a lot of car for the money.

 

Is there a consensus on the PTU repairs in the UK on which is the best option?

From what I can see and have read

Simon Furlonger - replace the seals with their own.

SS Autotech - replace the seals with their own and replace the two forks with machined versions.

Both seem to be the same price, so with that in mind it looks like you get more from SS AutoTech as they replace the forks and circilip which it doesn’t look like Simon Furlonger do?

Does anyone know more or have any input?

 

I don’t think anyone has made a back to back comparison (why would you) but I agree with your summary and conclusion. May I ask; have you suffered a PTU failure?

If so, I’m sorry to hear it but would also be interested in the age and mileage of your car as I maintain a database of reported failures.

 

Hi Nick,

I work with Simon ssautotech so can give you the information on one of the solutions.
We do indeed replace the 2 forks and the shafts entirely we have seen some of the failures damage the fork and we were unhappy reusing the damaged forks so we redesigned them and made them from stronger materials.
We have 13 of our repairs on the road now all with happy customers and have learnt a lot along the way.
Any questions feel free to ask

Martin

 

Thanks ANOpax, I’ve been watching your collection of date on these failures. It’s very interesting and helpful. I’ll PM you

Thank you Martin for posting and confirming the fork changes and reason. Whereabouts are you based?

I presume you also change the seals, are these uprated or modified?

Have you seen any damage from PTU fluid going into the transmission?

Thanks

 

No sure if I have a ptu problem or not but my car does have the faults that are all described in this thread. Was wondering if anyone one here knew where the ATF fluid fill is?

 

Hello, I am from Bulgaria and I own a Ferrari FF, model 2012. The problem with my car started from this: Low
4WD ATF
oil pressure - it was written on the dashboard. Our dealer in Bulgaria added oil and the mistake disappeared. After 200 km. a new error appeared on the dashboard - 4WD system failure go to dealer. this happens when I turn on reverse, also switches to WET mode. I must turn off the engine and start again to return to the normal COMFORT position. Later I found out that the oil that my dealer added was Shell Spirax S5 ATE 75W-90. My question is: is this the right oil? and if it is not what I should do, the dealer is incompetent and does not defend his actions. There are no Ferrari service stations in Bulgaria. The dealer himself does not understand either. I found out about you from the internet. I like the way you advertise the repair of the PTU unit. Please give me a professional opinion what should I do?
Bobby

 

Hello Nick,

No problems for the post and for explaining our reasons for re-manufacturing the whole assembly. My workshop is based in Ullenhall near Stratford Upon Avon. I do have a transport company who can collect and deliver cars if that's out the way.

We do replace all the seals that are disturbed during the strip down with uprated items and the seals in the forks are totally different due to a redesign of the end cap.

The oil that passes from the hydraulic part of the PTU into the lubricating oil is an ATF type of oil, we haven't seen any damage caused by the 2 oils mixing however it does thin the gear oil out and over time this could have a negative effect on the clutch plates inside the PTU.

Thanks
Martin Parkes

 

Hello,

If you are getting the 4WD failure, car stuck in wet mode lights on then its likely you have an issue in the PTU, You can check the fluid level but it's not easy to see. There are 2 reservoirs for the hydraulic oil; the first is on top of the pump and the second is higher and just to the side of the left headlamp. The lower reservoir should be full and the upper (expansion) reservoir should be almost empty. Its easier to see if you remove the side trim from under the bonnet.
If it does need topping up then the recommended oil is SHELL DCT-F3.
If topping it up helps then you may have a leak internally but external leaks need to be ruled out first. To identify if it is leaking internally the PTU gear oil will need to be drained into a container. If traces of red are found then the two oils are mixing and there is an internal leak. This test is only possible, however, if the hydraulic oil is the red oil but Ferrari did change to a golden coloured oil and this method would not work then.

I hope this helps

Martin Parkes

 

Hello Bobby

From the errors you have reported it does sound like you have the signs of an internal leak, the shell spirax oil you have quoted is the oil that lubricates the gears if someone has added that to the hydraulic system then that is incorrect.

If you believe the dealer put gear oil into the hydraulic oil reservoir then can you get someone locally that is independent to remove a sample of the oil from the tank? Gear oil has a very distinctive horrible smell.

If you don't trust your dealer can you find a supercar specialist in Bulgaria to give you a second opinion?

I hop that helps

Martin Parkes

 

Thanks Martin,

That all makes sense and thank you for confirming.

In terms of movement for the car, why does the manettino force you into wet mode? does driving the car at this point (to be fixed) present any risks?


I’ll PM you for contact details

Best

Nick

 

Thank you Martin, I will now remove the wrong oil. I hope there is no other damage to the PTU unit.

Bobi

 

Hi Nick,

I don't know for sure why the manettino forces wet mode but I would say because the car has lost its ability to drive in 4wd mode wet is a safe driving program and therefore go's some way to helping the driver keep it under control.

Whilst driving the car with the failure light on, the PTU just reverts to being an open differential, so in theory no damage is being done, However and it may be coincidence 2 of the cars known to me that have driven long distances with the fault have needed new ECU's for internal faults. As I said this may have just been a coincidence but we have not seen ECU failures on any of the other 11 cars.

Many thanks
Martin