More 308 questions

Congrats again on your beautiful ride. I have a 328, but FWIW, I'm sure the 308 guys will correct me as needed:

1. When you start it, watch the oil pressure gauge. When it registers some pressure, tap the accelerator to bring the revs briefly up to ~2000 rpm so the alternator light goes out. Otherwise you're draining the battery and not charging it. That shouldn't take 30 seconds. I drive off once the pressure is showing and just take it very easy on the 15 mph ride out of my housing complex. Don't force 2nd gear, but depending on how cold it is, gear oil, etc., it should be available in a couple of minutes.

2. I didn't lower my car. You'll want whatever ground clearance you have for curbs and ramps -- although the U.S. 308 isn't bad in that regard. Plus, more philosophically, that's the way Ferrari designed it. I think there's enough roll in the suspension that you might need to do more than simply lower it.

3. European versions had it. U.S. versions didn't, IIRC.

4. Don't do a Niagara Falls routine on the car when you wash it. I quick detail mine (Griot's Speed Shine, or comparable) between washings, to keep it dry. But if you do wash, don't shoot water into the grilles. Best to use a wash bucket and mitt, and I will put an old towel over the (cool) engine to keep water off it. Someone else suggested a shower curtain. I don't drive mine in rain, but I wouldn't think that would matter unless it's a hurricane.

If Motorcars is detailing it for you, it should look great to start, and have a good coat of wax (or whatever they use), so you can focus on keeping it clean instead of bringing it back to life.

5. Lots of tips, but make sure you read the manual on checking the oil, otherwise you'll overfill it. Also, reverse isn't synchro'ed on these cars, so you can save the occasional embarrassing grinding noise by slipping momentarily into 1st, then into reverse. Also also, it can be tricky to fill with fuel -- don't lock the nozzle in full 'on' and walk away.

6. Yes, per cylinder.

 

Enjoy your car!

I think the newer 308 cars came with Cavallino on the front. I put mine on myself (I have an older 76 308) as I like how it looks on the grille.

Yes, light washing is best - in my opinion. Mit, 2 buckets - one for dirty water/ one for clean. I would not recommend hosing/ drenching down your car. Then, just up-keep it with quick detailer between rides and it should stay clean for a long time. Its totally ok to wash your car 2x a year if you "take care" of it in between times.

Enjoy your car. The 308's don't like to sit around, so drive your car. The mor eyou drive it, the better it will run and very very soon you will know that Ferraris are hard to beat - they are just beutiful, great cars!

 

For the starting procedure my mechanic said to turn the key to on then wait until the Slow Down light extinguishes before starting.

My take is to not start having fun with the motor until there starts to be water and oil temperature decidedly off the peg. The QV is not a dry sump (unlike the original Euro 308s and some of the V12s) so getting some temp into the oil is not as difficult.

Jeff

 

If you change your oil, make sure you allow the filter to drain off before removing. Otherwise you'll be changing your clutch.

 

Bullfighter is right on #3.

Washing is not really a problem. There is a metal guard over the distributers. A bigger problem is getting water into the spark plug holes which will short out the extenders so don't open the hood and ty to wash down the motor. I've been washing these cars for 13+ years and not had a problem. Nevertheless, if the car just has some dust, use a waterless wipe down.

When changing the oil, put rags around the bottom of the oil filter in case it has not drained. It will 9 times out of 10, but once in a while a fair amount of oil will come out.

Good idea to drive it easy until the oil is warmed up. On cold days, I will let it warm up quite a while in the driveway because it takes a while to get warm oil on the road.

You will gain little or nothing by lowering except a scraped up bottom.

Depending on the incline, you can start out in 2nd when cold or go 1-3.

Congrats,
Dave

 

If you don't wash it with water, then do you wash it with ... red wine? Don't be silly. Turn the hose on low pressure spray and ... spray.

 

Ditto about H2O. I've driven my daily driver through many horrid rain storms. Never had any problems......."knocking on wood, at this moment" Though i did wash one of my jags engines and it never ran right after that. My car does have the metal shield but i have seen many that were missing and i have seen one with the shield on the passenger side. Is there suppose to be one on the passenger side? maybe for the TBs?

 

This exactly what happened to me. Only once did it not drain. It dumped onto the bellhousing and contaminated my clutch. Had the timing access cover on with the gasket, but it didn't help. Cost me $50 to reline my disk, had only 10k miles (no wear).

 

+1. Exactly what Jon said.

Here's one (that others may think is finicky) - getting in and out, don't be a guerrila. The 308 isn't easy to get in and out of...so it's best to do it slowly and carefully...try not to scuff the carpeting with your foot on the lower doors and on the side rails next to the seat. Also, the seat leather can tear and become worn very quickly so best not to wear pants with metal buttons on the rear pockets and try not to scuff the side bolster (left side when sitting in the driver's seat) as well.

Finally, get to know the typical gauge readings on your car - oil press, temp, etc. That way you'll be able to react timely if something goes wrong!

Good luck and enjoy! You'll love your 308.

 

For washing I have a piece of plastic in the boot, that I pull over the engine. Make sure it is cold. You can then do a proper wash, once done don't forget to take the plastic off again.

I'm still in somewhat of a puzzle as to cleaning the engine itself with detergents. There are a few places where I don't want them, behind the timing-belt covers for instance, and they are an open affair. The bell housing is also a consideration in that respect.
If and when you do wash your engine, make sure that the covers on the plug-tubes are seated properly and not cracked/torn.

When driving the car away from cold, just don't force anything. My second gear is not a problem at all, it just doesn't like to be hurried when the box is cold.

Keep the revs down when the oil temp gauge is still pegged, and it may take quite a few kilometres/miles for the oil to warm up depending on ambient temperature. Don't step on it full blast until everything is warmed up properly, that includes the oil.

It'll all become second nature very quickly, so above all, enjoy your new baby!

 

The catalytic converter(s) get too hot. For example, if for some reason the engine starts letting fuel into the cats & the hot cat temps ignitie it, the lamps light.
One or two cylinders down can cause lamp flickering, steady on you've lost a bank. You'll probalby notice the loss of power.
Ask me how I know :$

 

I quickly noticed this. It seems that with my local station, the nozzle doesn't go in all the way. When I first got the car, I put the nozzle in and squeezed the trigger. I quickly got fuel spilling over. Now I hang it half in and watch carefully.

As a side note, does the left tank fill up and then overspill to the right, or do they fill up equally? Same question on consumption?

 

I'm sure the tanks fill up simultaneously.There is a cross-over poipe at the bottom of the tanks

 

There should be no problem pumping gas into the tanks. I have a QV and at the track fill it up with 5 gal jugs by practically holding them upside down. No issues at all at the gas pumps. There is a flap in the filler tube, make sure that is not stuck. Also check you tank vent lines. Either one can cause filling problems.

 

If the car isn't really dirty -- just has normal road dust on it -- you can use a quick detailer and a cotton cloth to gently remove the dust. Griot's Speed Shine or Meguiar's various detailing sprays have all worked fine for me. Don't apply any pressure. Just mist and gently wipe. Start with the cleaner body panels and work down.

There are several benefits to keeping old Italian cars dry. The first is what Hardtop Dave mentioned above -- water around the spark plugs or distributor caps is never ideal. Secondly, Ferrari started rustproofing in January 1984 (or somewhere around there), but these cars have numerous seams and crevices that trap water: my car gets wet maybe a couple of times a year during a major detailing. Old 308s often rust along the door bottoms. The third is very simply that targa tops have never been completely waterproof, and Ferrari window seals aren't exactly up to the old airtight German standards (where you could barely shut the door without leaving the window slightly open...)

In fact, "keep it dry" was one of the first things my Ferrari tech told me after I bought the car.

I do use a hose with plastic nozzle set to low pressure for the wheels, lower bumpers and grille work once every few weeks.

 

Yes, do read the manual. It's pretty short and it actually has useful information about the operation of your vehicle.

-F

 

Filler flap is fine. Directly beneath the flap, the filler turns toward the front of the car. The hole to the tank is forward of the flap, this is where the nozzle hits.

Jim

 

...especially about checking the oil level! If you ever want to start a thread that will irritate folks here,
start it about 'when do I check the oil'! Follow what it says in the manual (as I now do) and you'll be fine.
These cars do use oil 'by design' (500 miles = 1 Quart on my '86 328 GTS according to the manual) so check it often,
per the manual.

Looking forward to seeing the pictures when she arrives!! YAY!!

Jedi

 

I have an 82 308. Per my manual, I turn the key, it starts and then goes through a warm up cycle of gradual rpm increases till it hits 2800 . It then will settle down to a normal idle. I don't take off in the morning till the engine settles to it's normal rpms. Should I be driving it while the WUR is doing it's thing? I would think I'd be putting extra wear on the clutch if I did- BTW, I live in Florida. Responses would be appreciated....
CONGRATS ON YOUR 308. You will be soooooooooo happy that you took the plunge!!

 

If you want a scary repair bill buy a 355 spider and have something go wrong with it...
Have fun driving it and keep some money in an account in case something goes awry.
MB

 

In cooler weather, 75F<, I let my car warm up until yellow light goes off, then drive easy another 5 min. or so until oil temp is off the peg.

>75F, I'll drive off after a minute, still take it easy till warm.

I also go 1-->3 until full op temps reached.

I never intentionally drive it in rain, always keep it garaged.