Ignition failure?

I was driving the Boxer to work today. It started fine and and ran perfectly. When I got to the parking structure, the high pitched Dinoplex ignition started having changes in pitch and the speedo and tach started registering odd readings. Then the car completely died. Luckily I am in a guarded parking structure. So, I'm going to have it towed to my mechanic. Oh well, it's just part of Ferrari ownership. I'll keep you all posted.

 

Thanks for the encouragement, Pete. I'm actually not bummed at all. I know it's just part of the ownership experience. I am lucky that it died at work and not out on the freeway somewhere. I have been driving it a lot and it has been flawless and really incredible to drive. It is such an awesome driving experience that dealing with all the bugs still makes it worth it to me. I'll tell Gary about changing to an MSD ignition as I don't really care about the originality because I bought it to drive it. I'll still keep the part if I ever sell it, but I doubt if I ever will. I'll keep you posted.

 

You're exactly right, Pete. I drove it over the weekend which was one of the warmest we've had in a while. The engine oil was warmed up sufficiently to put my foot in it, and wow what a rush. The car actually howls during brisk acceleration and really takes off. It actually drives better after hard driving. I wasn't dumping the clutch or doing burnouts ( with the ever present thought of differential failure in mind) but just winding it out while respecting it's age. It indeed has a character of it's own and I am beginning to learn all of it's nuances. So, Pete, I understand your sickness and I hope I'll never find a cure. Take care and thanks again.

 

Thanks guys. The only problem is that it is sitting in my parking structure with the driver's side window open since I had to roll it down to insert a card to get into the special parking at work. Is there any way to get the window up since the electrical system is shot and nothing works? I don't mind it sitting until I can get it towed but I don't want the window down until that happens.

 

I'm not sure, Newman. It shouldn't have a dead battery because it is always charged with my battery tender. It has been fully charged since I bought it. Maybe I can go out to the structure and try to roll up the window. Thanks.

 

Interesting thought, Sam and Donv. I actually keep it on the battery tender all the time as it is supposted to stop the flow of current automatically when the battery is fully charged. That's why I plug it in when I'm not going to drive it for a few days. I have used them on my motorcycles for years and they all start right up after sitting for weeks or months at a time. My MV Agusta has been sitting for about 2 months because of the weather and it starts right up. I think the most this car has sat since I bought it was about a week and a half. I'll talk to my mechanic and see what he says, but I'll switch to a modern ignition system in the original housing like everyone has suggested. Thanks again and I'll keep you posted.

 

Well, the diagnosis of my ignition failure is in. It turns out that the previous owner installed a battery disconnect switch for long term storage. Since the car does not sit for very long and I drive it quite often, the connection vibrated loose seperating the battery from the electrical system causing complete loss of current. Whew! The Dinoplex works fine and the car runs as perfect as before. I have always heard one should check for simple solutions first on the older cars. By the way, my mechanic said that having a battery tender (as opposed to charger) continuously plugged in does not affect the battery or the Dinoplex because it automatically shuts itself off when the battery is fully charged. Thanks everyone for your help.

 

Whew is right! Yes, I guess it could have been much worse. No, I won't be going to that event. I proposed to my girlfriend this weekend (she said "yes" incidentally) and just spent a good bit on a big rock for her, so I was pretty happy when my problem turned out to be something simple. We will be hanging out with her parents this weekend. Have fun and I'll talk to you later. .

 

Thanks guys on both the car and ther girl. I actually dated her before back when I had my 328, so she is used to my sportscar hobby. She says "if you can afford it and you want it, then you should buy it." She's very beautiful and very practical at the same time, a rare combo these days. Take care guys and thanks again.

 

I would love to Newman, but she's very private and would have a cow if she knew I posted a pic of her on the internet. She's a very exotic Japanese and German mix. I'll see if I can take a pic of us in the car and post it that way.