Newbie 88 Mondial owner

When I got mine it was not perfect. It still is not perfect. If I need to go on a dirt lane I go. If it might rain I don't care. I bought it to wear it out. I hope you do the same. Beautiful car!

 

Looks like a really nice example.

There is nothing proprietary with the ac, it uses a pretty common Sanden compressor. The ac compressor is accessed through the right rear wheel well. Needs a check for leaks, flush thoroughly, get a new dryer and charge with 134a. New orings compatible with the 134 charge are required. Should be good to go without too much trouble, nothing really Ferrari unique to contend with in getting it sorted.

If you look at the back of the hand brake there is a button switch. You remove the cover with the two screws to get visual access. Make sure the nut attaching it is tight, spray some electrical cleaner in the switch button make sure the wire cinnected to it is not corroded, and it may work again. If not you can get the replacement switch.

Not sure about the starting issue, need more info to comment. The conflict with the alarm is not typical. Does the car not always turn over, or does it turnover but not start?

 

The starter motor tend to suffer from a lack of voltage, such that at times it does not engage. There is fixing kit you can fit which consists of an extra relay and an additional 12 volt supply. Someone on here will know where to find one.
Generally the ac runs on freon 12, but if you go to 134 then you would need to change some of the hoses other wise you will lose the gas. Appartently it leaks through the hose walls.
Locate the ac compressor eletro clutch and switch the ac on and off- see if the clutch engages, if not then it may need gas.
How old are the cam belts ?

 

Connect up a volt meter to the starter motor plus terminal, turn the key and see if you get 12 volts. If not then consider fitting the extra relay.

 

Good looking example! Care to share mileage and what you paid?

 

Its the cam belts you need to ask about, keep on top of them

 

So about $38K US Dollars. Seems about right to me, given the recent work. Congrats!

 

It’s a copy of mine, except we have different wheels. FWIW, my '88 has been very reliable. I've even had weeks where the weather was nice and it did daily driver duty- no issues.

 

If you need the relay kit, here are a couple of options:

https://www.busdepot.com/wr1

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-starter-relay-wr1?ads_cmpid=352578319&ads_adid=22976872639&ads_matchtype=&ads_network=g&ads_creative=85227587119&utm_term=&ads_targetid=pla-22190487637&utm_campaign=&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&ttv=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwprbPBRCHARIsAF_7gDbRUaYAEzMsH8isq-Gn5w1mf5CHioLsERzUZgG7DMh0ThNpppnNCu4aAhnSEALw_wcB

I had mine run into my trunk on mounted on the board that holds the electrical equipment, so if fuse blew, I didn't need to go digging around the rear wheel where the original setup was going to be. Mine is a t, not a 3.2, but I don't think that makes a difference.

Regards,
Jerry

 

Congrats on the new purchase Chris. I'm sure you will love it. I went for a drive in Toronto with my Mondial a few years back and it was great. Enjoy!

 

I am in Toronto, Tom Bakowsky did my purchase inspection almost 15 years ago, I understand he remains a very highly regarded Ferrari expert. Very good to have had the hoses done, that can be a bit of fussy labour but hugely important on a car of this age. The relatively high mileage is a good sign in that the car was maintained and reliable. My identical car has not had your start issue, so maybe the relay idea would solve. But my guess is you have a weak connection at the big white vertical plastic connector on the fuse board. The fuse box is in the front trunk on the left, remove the cover, remove the connector and see if there is any browning or discolouring of the connector from heat. Cleaning the connection will often solve for what you described. If the heat damaged the fuse box, that too would not be unheard of, there are plenty of fuse box threads to peruse on this, including one which shows the visual of the connector I am referring to. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/charred-w-connector-in-fuse-box-fix.500217/

 

Just to clarify the starter relay kit, it supplies a 12 volt supply to the starter solenoid, which then makes to power the starter motor. As the previous post says you can lose voltage in the system due to ageing problems.

 

Congratulations, beautiful car!

 

Hi ,

Congrats on your purchase . Regarding the Handbrake , I had the same problem . My solution is when I release the handbrake , I push the button continously down until the handbrake indicator light turns off, then I release the button .I had this problem since 2006 and this was my solution , & it works everytime .

Hope this helps ,

Luigi

 

Most important thing is not to let the car sit unused for long periods of time. Letting the car sit will generate all sorts of problems. Try to run the car at least once a week. If you don't drive it, at least start the motor and bring it up to temp.

Also, I would stay away from dealer service, and parts. A lot of the parts on the car are made by Bosch. You can find parts online for substantially less than what the dealer will charge you for the same part.

Also, the paint looks like it's getting scratches. The car should be washed by hand, very gently. And apply a coat of Brazilian Carnauba wax (without cleaner), every time you wash.

 

My Mondial used to be prone to cutting out for no reason coming up to halt signs, loss of brake servo etc. It would start up fine and eventually found out it was the injectors playing up- a dose of redex or your local similar injector cleaner in the petrol tank once a year does wonders. It was still running original injectors in 2014 when i parted with it. So 27 years.

 

Love the black carpets. Interesting that your door pulls are black too ( or are they entirely carbon covered?
Any idea what the “pod” is above the radio? Not seen that before.