Pulling the engine?

They come out, for sure!

Just take it slow and easy around the rear window, lot's of folks hanging around here to ask questions for help...

I might let Norwoods do the rework, once it's out though, lots of little quirks on these.
It's not a Chevy for sure!

( And I drive those too!)

 

Art, if you have basic tools, and some prior mechanical experience, and you're careful then yes, go right ahead and take out the engine and check out your issues with what looks like coolant in the oil. Yes, the 308 engine is more complex than a SBC but it's still just an engine and all the basic principles apply. I'd reco getting a WSM and searching past threads here on tips how to remove the engine efficiently, and how to do such things as remove the heads properly.

I suggest the above because you'll have a real hard time selling the car for anything much with that issue (coolant in oil) - prospective buyers will tell you that you need a new engine and you'll get peanuts for the car.

Again, ferrari's are still just cars with seats, wheels, engine and gearbox - there's nothing that difficult or incredibly special about them. It's not like only the Pope or Guiseppe Sarducci can work on them (despite what some nose-in-the-air f-car owners will say).

Good luck and be patient and careful!

 

if its been sitting for a while it could be moisture condensed in the oil....
was the antifreeze/coolant level low or non existant? maybe do an oil change and run the car for a bit then flush it out and change it again, all the while monitoring your coolant levels and then see if the oil stays "clean" or gets contaminated again.

good luck, and hope it is something minor...

doug

 

I say dive in. Pull the engine, look for the fault, and hopefully it will be something fairly simple (inexpensive) and your car will be on the road again. The feeling of firing it up and taking it down the road after you have overcome this will be amazing! Hey, this is nothing more than a stumbling block on the path of Ferrari ownership.

 

I'm with BoxerCrazy. A little bit of diagnostic work before you take it apart will either tell you there's nothing wrong or help locate the problem later. Running it for a short period with fresh oil is unlikely to cause any damage. Depending what the oil looks like, condensation is always a possibility. You could also send the oil to be analyzed and find out what is really in it before you do anything.
Tom B

 

I agree with Doug. It could be simple condensation. That happened to me with one of my Morgans. I'd let her idle up to operating temperature, watching the oil pressure, then just let her run for a half an hour. then check the oil again. Change oil and filter and repeat once. If it is condensation, the oil should clean up and stay clean. If not, there is plenty of time this winter to pull it.

 

+1 good advice

James Patterson's Norwood Performance will do you right.

cheers

 

I had the same thing in my 911 when I drove it very little and just for a very short trips. And, it does not even have coolant in that car. I say, drain the oil, change the oil, and drive the snot out of it for a week to see if it comes back. Then pull the engine if it does.

 

Another rookie here and I done a major this spring with excellant results. Two things I learned very quickly-------------one, a standard engine crane will not lift the engine high enough so plan on a hoist suspened fairly high. second, shop for parts!!!!!! The price spread is very high. Finally ,as others have said, Fcars are just like any other but getting over that mystique will take awhile.
This is the place to find out what you need to know~~~ Tom

 

Agreed. I would drain and refill, run until normal, 180ish, on coolant and oil temp is up to at least 200 or higher. Let things stabilize for a few minutes at these temps or higher. Shut it down drain the oil, if all looks OK, refill, new filter, drive it for a couple of hours easy, check the dipstick for any signs of moisture. If all is still OK then I think you will have dodged a bullet. Keep checking the dipstick after every run for any signs of moisture.

 

Also, pressure test your cooling system. Do the simple things first before diving into a rebuild. (Though a rebuild can be fun...)

 

Art, thanks for the update. I'm very interested. Your plan to do most of the work w/ Norwood's help is also my 'what if' plan.

I've got $10K saved for a rebuild if it ever happens....is that enough?

 

Would this just not indicate that the head gasket is blown?

Aaron

 

Art, you're going to need a few specialty tools, I didn't catch if it's 4 or 2valve. the 4 valve needs a special wrench to get the head nuts off. and all versions need the a ring nut socket. all tools available from Baum.

Also get a 'complete' gasket set, Ferr-parts has 'em I think there about 2k or so, it'll have every gasket, washer 'o' ring you'll need plus some extra.

Also get your hands on a WSM! you'll need it for the torque specs and the setup for the front timing gears assy.

replace all the bearings; you're in that far it's just good sense at that point.

I'd say your biggest expense is going to be the 'finish' of the assy. i.e. nuts & bolts, nothing like new hardware to spiffy up a rebuild. you can re-plate the old stuff or replace. replacement takes some leg work to get the right hardware that is the same. the hardest being the cam cover acorns.

Good luck Enjoy the project and remember it's normal for you to think "well since I've gone ths far..."

 

Be sure to check/replace the, timing belt drive pulley, outer bearings.

 

I just got off the phone with a guy at Peak antifreeze. I read a post yesterday from a Rolls Royce owner in England about his problems with using the new extended life anti freezes in older cars. It made his leak after a short time...(he had a fresh engine)
It seems the new formulations use organic acid technology for corrosion inhibitor and it can be the kiss of death for older engines. The man at Peak agreed and recommended their "old"
green formulation which uses inorganic acids in the formulation. And now I read a post about an antifreeze leak in an older engine.....
Anybody else heard about this?

Dave

 

There are several good threads on pulling the engine. One thing to keep in mind if you are doing it in a garage, do you have enough ceiling hight, i.e. top of the boom to the bottom of the engine + height of top of engine compartment to ground level. I found with a 8 1/2' high ceiling, I can remove the engine if I lower the car to where the chassis is almost resting in the engine crane legs PLUS I level the engine. Remember, to pull the engine, it must be tilted backwards (front head higher than the rear).

Take you time, think everything out, and you will have no problems removing the engine.

Good wenching

 

I have seen the same thing in some older Corvette ZR-1 LT5s if you all dont know the LT5 isnt some small block chevy, but anyway a few guys have had issues using the new antifreeze you can get off the shelf that they all claim is compatible on these engines it look to have ate up the head gasket causing the failure at the cylinder area

Ill be glad to dig up old photos of these.


To the original poster I had my 308 for about a week and had the motor pulled just to give me more room to replace all the old fuel lines and clean up everything.

I also took that time to change out all the gaskets check the valve shims and replace the belts and bearings and give a good tune up.

I had never even sat in a ferrari before I picked up this car my first one so don't be afraid of it plenty of help here and I asked around and did a lot of searching the forums.

good luck!