Pre Computer Car

Every time I see that darn Check-engine light I think "There has to be a better way."

Still,won't computers be easier to re-manufacture in the future than something as complicated as a carburetor? As far as I know, the computer in the t, as complicated as it is, only operates the fuel injectors and the spark plugs. I would think some techno-geek with a laptop could run our 3.4 liter engine pretty well with just a crank sensor and throttle position. I can't believe this simple engine would become a beer can just because the world was out of Motronics.

Dave

 

IMO...no.........the electronics in cars are proprietary to the maker, and you'd have to gut it and start over, to rework the interface....

That might be doable, but.........

 

I envision a very large market for 360's, 550's, etc. when they drop into and stay in the affordable range, say $40-$60K.

There will be plenty of buyers with ready $$, and I don't envision a time when the "problem" parts will become unavailable.

IMO, Ferrari will recognize the need and continue to manufacture the parts, and individual entreprenuers...like some on this board...will jump in and produce repro aftermarket parts which will probably be better and cheaper than the same from Ferrari.

 

Car electronics and ECUs can be restored or replaced by similar components, you can even build adapter daughterboards to accomodate new microcontrollers to existing ECUs with some bus logic and level drivers.
The real problem is getting hold of the embedded firmware which controls the ECUs behaviour and the timing tables for the ignition and the fuel maps. If the embedded microcontroller including the firmware/tables goes bad, it will be easier to adapt a new unit such as the MegaSquirt ECU and spend some time adapting the tables.
From my experience ECU defects are most often based on driver and imput stage defects so in most cases a repair is relatively straigthforward.

It is possible to reverse engineer fuel/ignition tables and sensor/actor behaviour on the test bench by simulating all external sensor values. This takes some time but is quite helpful for setting up a new plug&play replacement.

 

Ferrari's track record on this isn't all that encouraging. Maybe they will turn over a new leaf.

Given the way innovation happens now, you will probably be able to buy a new ECU from some startup in India to keep your 360 running.

 

Through my past ownership of a '60s V12 and presently a fast-aging 308, I've learned that where there's a will there's a way, and Ferrari owners seem to be very strong-willed individuals.

No doubt that parts will eventually come from India, China, etc., as well as from here in the US.

Ferrari's failure to respond to the needs of the biggest market for preowned cars in their history would be an incredibly stupid business decision...or maybe they're making so much easy money from licensing makers of models, keychains, hats, jackets, and a host of other products that they don't see enough money in supplying replacement parts.

They could apply the same strategy to replacement parts as they do for all the Ferrari trinkets: license the aftermarket manufacturers to produce "Ferrari Approved" parts, supply the technology, and sit back while the money rolls in.

 

The market is too small for the usual batch sizes handled by asian manufacturers, i am quite sure that this will be handled by niche manufacturers in the US and Europe. I just went through a similar project (remanufacturing an electronic ignition for a high volume sports car from the seventies) and the projected market size for replacements was just around 50 units/year.
Keep in mind that most units can be repaired so there is more work in the future for specialized shops.