I was in Daytona for the Finali Mondaiali a couple weeks ago with my 360 Spider. While waiting to head out on track for the world record attempt my passenger and I started smelling a burning smell. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw smoke rising out of my engine hatch. Immediately I shut off the engine and popped the hatch to see if there was a fire. If there had been I would have had to find a fire extinguisher (note to self - get one for the car). Fortunately it was just smoke coming from the front of the engine. My passenger and I sat until all of the cars headed out on track and then tried to restart the engine. It started fine, so I drove back to the hotel about a mile away figuring it would be much easier to get a flatbed into the hotel parking lot than into the crowded track. Had the car hauled to my mechanic in Jacksonville and just got the car back yesterday. I have had the car about 6 months and this is my first semi-major repair. Hopefully there won't be more in the near future. Turned out to be the alternator and alternator harness. Ran just shy of $6K. The car has 14K miles on it 1200 of which I have put on since buying the car. Not sure why I decided to post other than to confirm what has been stated before that you better have some $$ in reserve if you decide to buy and own a Ferrari. Mine passed the PPI with flying colors when I bought it.
They burn at the alternator end for three reasons. Loose on the alternator. Poor engine ground. Run regularly with a compromised battery and the alternator is working hard all the time. It's common but you never see it on well maintained cars.
+1. 62k miles on mine. Original Harness. Cleaned grounds on it prior and get new battery every 3-4 years or as needed.
I have had several clients with more than that. One car wore out an engine and I reused the original harness. No good reason those need to go bad.
That you know of! Mine was a well maintained one owner garage queen with 6K on the clock when my mechanic checked the cable to find that it was in a serious state of health. How long it would have lasted before going up in smoke I don't know but it was easy to see that it needed to be replaced. Car all stock, stock standard radio, stock battery, etc. Car lived in Newport Beach from 2003-2013 and then over here from 2013 on. When you look at the stock cable you can see the attempts from the manufacturer to isolate the cable from heat since so it's just one of those things that needs to be checked and a good mechanic will keep an eye on this during service.
$6k? Wow...I could see maybe $3k. From what I've seen, parts should come in around $2k. I'll be sure to do some checking before that happens to me.
The cable is 1800-2000 and then it's another 700-1000 to replace it. So yeah it could be 3K easy. It's not just a single heavy gauge cable. It's a harness assembly. It looks like this... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Wow, 62k miles, impressive to see a car really driven! How many have you put on yourself? Everything running as smooth as when you got it?
This is what mine looked like when found and shielding was removed! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
To me the corrosion around the terminal end means that there was moisture there. This is forward and low in the engine bay but I don't know if this area get misted if you drive in the rain or not. Possible loose connection?
Overheating, often from not being tight enough. The normal failure mode. Like I said, doesn't need to happen.
Oh its an original harness... 12k miles in 6 years. Runs better than when I bought her. Never.. I repeat NEVER had a CEL. As I understand the think line runs from the alternator terminal to the starter... seems like a simple rebuild once an alternator is rebuilt if needed. If I had to rebuild the line I might just run a second line from the same terminal to the starter or rebuild the harness completely.
The harness just runs under the engine and then up under the left hand tank and into the left wiring hatch behind the left seat. Straightforward to replace with just the undertray off and absolutely no more than a day's work in labour. The alternator is just a denso unit with a star wound stator and standard Japanese running gear. $100 in bits to rebuild it, max.
This is my mindset...which is why I am not scared of the F-Car... this could have been done on a Saturday for $2k rather than $6k...I understand the dilemma of the OP though.
Yes for sure. I absolutely don't mind paying for skilled work and replacement parts - not one bit - but when you hear of someone paying six thousand dollars in good faith for a piece of work (based on what we have been told) that is simply neither difficult nor particularly skilled (we are not talking about replacing a crankshaft or something) it definitely makes me a bit sad. There are some places that are quite simply scaring owners and charging obscene amounts of money for work that any decent "ordinary" mechanic could do. I mean come on it's an alternator and a little sub harness for crying out loud! Ferrari were even kind enough to make the loom plug in easily behind the seat! It's an absolute gift of a job!
See http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/360-430-sponsored-yellow-compass-group/507808-fried-alternator-cable.html Same problem. The alternator checked out fine. $3K parts and labor just like Rifledriver said. Sorry you had the problem and missed out on the traffic jam on track! That would have made it 802 Ferraris )
Well at least the job is done and the car is fixed hope she provides enjoyment for many miles to come now
This is how i feel about belt service. All parts could be bought for $1k and and a pair of vice gris for the most part and shops are charging stupid amounts of money for it. I understand for the previous cars that the engine needed lifted or removed, but in the 360, not mecessary.
