Hi Ferrari enthusiasts, I'm in the UK and this is my first posting. My son who knows nothing about cars other than how to put fuel in them, has just received a 308GTSi non-runner that he imported from California. I'm his "unpaid mechanic" charged with getting it running. So far we have had the cam belts replaced by a dealer, and the plan is to sort the rest ourselves. It looks as if the vehicle has been thrown together by the seller as the oil cooler is flapping around with missing brackets and the water pump pulley was put on backwards (major misalignment)!!! I thought I would start by checking out the health of the ignition circuits ( points gaps, static timing, coil resistance, plug lead resistance. plug type and gaps etc etc) but I can't find any information. Any advice on where to find this sort of info, or the values I should expect to see would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks (in anticipation) Bob
No points nor setting the static timing on a 308GTSi -- it's Marelli DigiPlex electronic ignition. Try some searches here on "DigiPlex", "flywheel sensors", and maybe "ohms/foot" or "BPR7EIX"
Welcome Bob! This forum has a wealth of information for the do-it-yourself type, but it takes a bit of work to find it. There are actually a few very useful reference threads that are 'stickied' at the top of the forum - a Buyers Guide thread, a DIY thread, and a parts cross-reference thread. Those will contain links to other articles and write-ups as well, and with the searches recommended by Steve you should be able to find all you need. The Search function here can be a bit finicky, but with careful selection of keywords it is very useful. Good luck! You will really love driving that car once you finish getting it sorted.
US timing curve sucks firing 3 deg ATDC at idle. Most replacement ignition boxes are retuned 802 or Euro box timing curves. I have never seen an engine that wasn't happier with a change over.
Since nobody has mentioned it...the ignition boxes are hidden under a trap door in the left corner of the trunk behind the engine. Good news...they rarely fail...Aftermarket flywheel sensors are cheap and a great place to get started
Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I'll let you know what I find (might be a few weeks as I have other family priorities at the moment). BobP PS driving left hand drive cars is allowed in the UK
