hello everyone As I get closer to (hopefully) a purchase of a testarossa, can anyone tell me what a normal cold start should be like? I assume there is some increased idle rpm for a minute or so, and then it settles down? does the driver need to touch the gas on start up? i am going to see a car in person and I want to know what is normal and what might not be, appreciate the advice hoping i can contribute more in the future! Justin
In a perfect world just turn the key and it should start easily and settle into a slightly high idle then as it warms slowly drop to 1000-1100 RPM. It should be unusually smooth throughout. Not all cars are in good enough condition or tuned well enough to do that. Typically I go to the garage, reach in the window, turn the key and let it run just a bit before climbing in and taking off.
thanks for the info! i'm going to look at a car that has been sitting for a long time. According to the seller, "It runs perfectly!" He can't understand why it hasnt sold in the past year! (I'm guessing it is mostly because he is completely insane in his asking price.)
ts always the same story. "My car is perfect. I think I'll park it here for 14 years". If he is insane in his asking price walk away now. If indeed the car was in perfect order when parked expect $20,000 to put it back on the road. It goes up quickly from there. If it has been sitting a long time I would be very reluctant to try and start it.
good advice. it would be nice to oil the engine before starting it. i'll try to sort out how long it has really been sitting. he says it runs and drives great. it is just not clear to me exactly when it last ran and drove great!
i get a good blume of smoke, raised rpm for 1 or 2 minutes and nicely idles there after - a 1987 with 10k miles on it.
If it was a low I do this for a living and that narrative is mostly wrong A low mileage car in great condition when parked it would still be mostly the same way. People do not park 20 year old cars for 10 years because they were in such good shape.
Still probably a bad idea. See how long since it was in regular use. If it is as I suspect And I was asked to put it back on the road, no way I'd run it.
not sure what you are recommeding - if it has not been run in a while. what would you do? take engine apart to check it out and lube before cranking? just asking if I had an engine i cared about, that had been sitting for more than a year, if i could prime the engine with just the oil pump (american older V8s), i would do that. for a ferrari engine, i am pretty sure i would remove spark plugs, spray oil into the cylinders, change the oil, and pour new oil down the oil filter hole. then would crank it over without fuel to lube the engine. not perfect.
Timing belts have a 5 year life span. Old belts have a nasty habit of failing during a startup of an engine that has been sitting a long time. On a TR that is a very expensive fix. If I had a belt drive engine I cared about that had been sitting a long time I'd take it out and service it before I started it. Been in the Ferrari business a long time and that is SOP for one that has been sitting. I bet you thought I was joking about the 20Gs.
no i totally get the 20G's - i am well aware of the hazards. even though some may scoff at the idea, if I get this car (or another) I most likely will do the engine out myself. i have worked on a lot of cars, and am pretty capable. Timing belts and water pumps dont scare me. Bad 35 yr old computers and bad engine bearings do, though.
