Hello, I posted my story months back about how My first ferrari bought on ebay was terribly misrepresented and now I am stuck with a Ferrari that is hardly road worthy. Do any of you guys know where I can get shop manuals for a good price? I have realized that as a college student I dont have the funds to pay somebody to do the work so I will have to. Thanks for all your help.
Sorry if this comes across as cold but, there are things in life that you just should not attempt by yourself unless you know what you are doing and one of them is working on a Ferrari. I was once a cash strapped college student, and the thought of buying a Ferrari was just soooooooooo not in the cards all those years ago the thought of buying one was laughable. If you know what you are doing, able to diagnose the problem, fix it, great. If not, you may be in for a world of hurt. Just my opinion.
I don't know how you get from this: "As of now she is almost done, I am happy to say I went from not knowing how to change oil to actually fixing up a Ferrari in a few months. All that remains is a few new hoses, cleaning up the headliner and a good buff. It has truelly been a blessing to spend time bringing this old neglected car back from eventual parts yard. These cars truelly are magic.... SO please bare with my "Noobie" questions as I am learning......", which you posted on June 9, 2009, to this: I quickly looked through your other threads and didn't see anything unusual, so I don't really know what problems you are having (maybe I missed something? ). However, if the car is how you describe it now, assuming you are still only 15K invested in the car...It may be time to consider selling her at a small loss or parting her out. For $15K, I don't know what kind of Ferrari you were expecting to get, but the worst thing you can do is start tearing apart a Ferrari, ESPECIALLY a Mondial 8, when you are not very mechanically inclined. The Ferrari manuals are not very helpful, and the Mondial 8, can be a car with some serious electrical issues, which will only be greatly worsened by Jerry rigging the system rather than doing a legitimate diagnostic shakedown. Furthermore, even excluding labor, parts on these cars can be REALLY expensive and they add up mighty quickly. As a college student, this may not be the best use of your limited resources. Personally, I would write this off as a learning mistake and dump the car. You have a great story to share with your friends and family either way and can jump into a better car when resources allow.
The previous posts, while not addressing your question, are probably true. But, by now, I expect you know your screwed. I'm not going to rub more salt in your wounds. The shop manuals, I believe, are available by doing a search on this site. You should be able to download them free. Good luck.
Go here: http://ferrari.stevejenkins.com/books/ On the repairs: take your time, shoot lots of pictures, and post lots of questions. These really aren't -that- complicated a car, it's just parts prices and availability that hurt. What specifically are you working on now?
a $15K Ferrari is exactly that, a $15K Ferrari. Sorry you thought you were getting a good car, but the price should have been enough of a sign.
at the end of the day a Ferrari is still only a car, if he bought one that needs work well congrats on owning a Ferrari, with the right manuals and patientce, it will be a great experience and by the end of it all Im sure he will have a car that will be his pride and joy, and knowing he has fixed it him self will only add to the joy of owning such a car, I am sure he does not want to hear negative comments but wants some good advice during this learning experience, good luck with the fix up
Sad, but true. And sometimes, the truth hurts. Get over it, but realize that you may have bitten off more than you can chew. And yes, the good news is that at the end of the day, it's just a car. It may be a little more complex than a Ford Pinto, but with a little skill and some determination, you can tackle just about any task on these older cars. They are not high-tech, computerized things that require $50K computers hook-ups to diagnose them. That said, they do require a little basic skill and knowledge. Things like changing oil, filters, spark plugs and the like are easy stuff. When you get into a belt service, engine repairs and the like, you need a good set of tools and basic mechanical knowledge. Lots of this is intuitive, but you do need to know how to do certain things, or have the assistance of someone who can teach you how to do it. The biggest problem, cost-wise, you will have is parts. Shop those around. And check the sticky in this forum for alternative parts sources, as many parts that cost a fortune with the Ferrari logo are available in generic form or for another brand car much cheaper. As for the manuals, they are available as free downloads. You don't have to pay for them. Best of luck and don't be afraid to ask questions here as you go along. And learn to use the search function, as chances are whatever you are looking for has already been discussed to death on here.
He came here asking for help and I am sincerely trying to give him the best advice possible. After all, he has a black Mondial...we are practically brothers I do not think my comments were negative. They may not want to be what he would want to hear, but they are not negative. Sometimes you got to know when you are in over your head, or when it is time to just cut the line. A college student with very limited funds and what appears to be limited mechanical skills, looking to rebuild a 15K Ferrari that is "barely road worthy," is quite a recipe for disaster. I was once in the same boat as him, however, it was a 1979 Lancia. I cut my teeth on that car, learned everything I needed, and parts were CHEAP---I barely got out alive . I can't even imagine trying to do that on a Ferrari, I would have gone belly up in two months. Unless he has access to some serious disposable income, this is likely not going to end up a fun job. Its not like rebuilding an old corvette. He is probably going to end up broke, hating the car, and parting it out. I sincerely hope I am wrong, but if I am, he will prove to be the exception, and not the rule. I am just trying to look out for him.
You can download a .pdf copy of the Mondial8/MondialQV 281/83 WSM here: http://ferrari.cdyn.com If you want hardcopies, try places like www.ferraribooks.com or www.ferrariliterature.com
Welcome to the Ferrari experience, but dont worry I spent 3 times as much with a 30k service to go with it and an extra 5k recently. I guess imo; maybe Enzo didnt just want drivers, but owners whom will enjoy the total race car expiernce. As for me, that is at the pit stop. Lol. I guess we all cant be drivers. Still love that car thou, I just wish I can drive it. If you have the will, then fchat is the way, and those cross-reference sticky will save you a ton of cash, but if you have no cash or time then cut your looses short. Good luck.
Can you let us know exactly what kind of problem it is that has you stuck? We may be able to help more given more information.
Sure, As of now the engine seems to run strong but it smokes. I think the seals are in need of replacement. Also, the headlights only work with brights on...any thoughts?
White, blue or black smoke? Head lights can be traced out. Does anyone know if the low and high beams have seperate relays? When I first purchased mine I got together with another F-car owner who knew these cars better than me. We took it for a drive and he gave me his honest opinion. What part of the country do you live in, fill in your profile, and you may find someone who lives within 10 miles of you who may be willing to give you a cursory opinion on where to go. Blue smoke means you are using some oil, I'd just run it if you are on a budget, rings or valve guides. Provided it isn't embarassing amounts of smoke. If the oil in the engine is 10 years old it will also smoke blue. Black is too much fuel. White is typically coolant, clouds of white smoke will be coolant into the cylinders, commonly a blown head gasket. Is the smoke even coming out of the exhaust, or is it the engine bay? Drop some more details.
Someone else posted that symptom which turned out to be faulty contacts at the stalk. My advice...create a punch list in order of severity and go at the car one item at a time. You might just find the time to be a 'bonding' experience. We all have done fixes and your car may not be worse that others of us have had. When one wants a car to drive without issues, one buys a new Honda. When one wants a noble rewarding hobby, one buys a used Ferrari.
When I got my 82 Mondial 8 it had the same issue with no low beams and it turned out to be circuit board. Short term cheap fix to get on road was a fused line to a set of rocker switches in the cockpit to provide direct power to the low beams bypassing the board. Other gremlins with the circuit board are common to this model and kept popping up. Proper, I hope permanant fix, was the $1000 new technology replacement box from GT Auto Parts in Pheonix. While the Ferrari is just a car there are many different from normal car settings--like AC ad alternator belt tension so check in owners and shop manual for settings before just doing as normal or you will have "learning experiences." Frank
A lot of white smoke may be a coolant leak into a cylinder, a leaking head gasket. If the vehicle hasn't been driven a lot and started several times in cold northern climates you may only have condensation buildup in the exhaust system. Check your coolant level make sure you aren't going through coolant. If it's running ok, I'd take it for a good drive, put 30 or more miles on it, full operating temperature, then see if it's still smoking. You can pull the spark plugs. If one is amazingly clean and different than the others that would be a cylinder that is taking in coolant. Let us know what you find.
With respect to your light problem, I suggest checking the fuse blocks. My lights did the same thing, and moving the blocks around revealed that to be the problem. One bit of 2 cent advice: cut off the battery at the cut off switch before touching the fuses or blocks. Then, VERY gently get behind the blocks with a small flat blade screwdriver ... don't pry them or you will damage the board; just "encourage" them out. If you just yank on them w/ pliers, the cover will come off. A word on the criticism you have gotten ... while you may be in over your head with the Ferrari, who in the hell hasn't ever been in that position? F Chat is about to become your best friend, as it is a great resource. A few members are a little haughty and a few are smart-asses but almost all have been helpful to me and I have appreciated it greatly.
excellent advice! Thanks David. I think you are right, the overwhelming majority of people on Fchat are fantastic people, just look at the wonderful responses people have offered to this post. Thanks again
I had a Mondial 8 for 4 years. It was a money pit, but it did get me into the hobby and I met a lot of great people. My suggestion is do as much as you can yourself! You really can't do much more damage to a 15k F car, so you have nothing to lose except bigger repair bills. Good luck!
