Stiff Brake Pedal, No Rear Brakes

Bleed the rear brakes with the ignition key in the on position. You will feel the abs do its thing

 

You are very lucky you weren't injured or put a hole in the ceiling removing the accumulator. That's a high pressure reservoir. Don't try this at home, folks!

 

Can you get to the tube nut that connects the rear brake line to the master cylinder complex? If so, I would try loosening that with a brake line wrench to avoid rounding off the nut, and have someone gently (to avoid further spraying brake fluid episodes) push on the brake pedal and see if anything comes out. I'm assuming that the fluid reservoir is plenty full. It is compartmentalized and it can look like there's plenty of fluid, but it's all in the front brake chamber.

 

I remember there was a recall notice about the ABS system not sure exactly what it was. Might be something to look into

 

Yikes but sounds like you are on it. Any damage to the paint?

 

I've seen the crossover line on the rears clog up. You might check that.

 

If nothing is coming out of the master cylinder assembly when the tube nut is loosened, then the problem is most likely up stream from there. I'm not an expert at all, but my next hail Mary would be to buy a brake master cylinder bleed kit (metric), they're like $6.00. You'll get a couple of plastic fittings that screw into where the brake line goes. Find the one that's the correct thread size, screw it in where the rear brake line was attached, put the supplied rubber tubing onto the nipple of the plastic fitting and then use a syringe, turkey baster, whatever (not compressed air!!!), to blow air gently through that tubing and see if you get bubbles into the reservoir. If so, I'd blow a little more, then use same syringe to see if you can suck fluid through the right direction. May the Force be with you!

 

Thinking further, if the above doesn't work, another half-assed trick I would try is unplugging all the electrical connectors that go into the master cylinder/hydraulic unit to see if by chance that's makes any difference. I believe there are 3 different plugs. If you can't find them, check out the Youtube video I did called "Ferrari 348 ABS Basics". I go over the different plugs and where they are located in part 1 and 2 of the series.

 

One further idea if all else fails: there's always a very remote chance that maybe the ABS computer went crazy and sent a bad signal to the hydraulic unit shutting off one of the valves (yes, I realize that's pretty far fetched). If you pull the ABS computer out and type it's model number into Ebay you should be able to find one from a Lincoln that fits for $40.00 or so. Very unlikely to help, but cheap to try.

 

Also found this site that was mentioned on a thread by juhani that has a ton of good info. It's for a Ford, but the system is almost the same:
Ford Thunderbird - ABS Anti-Lock Brake System

 

I would have started from the back and broke the lines until I found fluid.

 

Ouch, that hurts!! I guess no air could be blown up the rear brake fitting. If you've removed the unit already, I would try the same thing but with air from a compressor, just to be sure you don't have a little piece of crud stuck in a passageway. Getting a cheap computer replacement is unlikely to fix it, but I would try it. $40 vs $12,000 is a worthy gamble. I'm also assuming the unit can't be broken down into reparable components, it's more of an impenetrable block?
If you do replace it, you might consider at your leisure, trying to open up the bad one to see what's inside and put lots of photos on Ferrarichat to increase the knowledge base of the brotherhood.
Good luck!!

 

According to a couple different sources, the rear brakes on 348's (and 1995 355's) won't bleed if the ABS pump isn't working. So, whatever is causing your error light, might be keeping the ABS pump from letting you bleed the brakes. In the case below, the original poster found he had a bad ABS pressure switch.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355/421432-348-rear-brake-bleeding.html

 

Just on the point of the ignition working you should see the fluid level drop and hear a buzz.

NB ignition should be on in order to top up fluid to the correct level

Exciting video for you.... LOL

http://s68.photobucket.com/user/jeffreyduckworth/media/Ferrari/348/Manual/G%20Wheels%20and%20Brakes/Brake%20Caliper%20Overhaul/2013-10-30124825_zps46243953.mp4.html

BTW The workshop manual (not owners manual) has quite a detailed diagnosis section in the brakes section. Worth a look before buying any parts.

 

Try the ferrari recall maybe you will get lucky

 

Any up-dates in the brake mystery?

 

You should verify that when you turn on the ignition to position 1 that you hear the ABS pump activate. If not, that is your clue. Check fuses and relays first. You can bleed the system without the pump being activated - I have done this many times. You have another bleed screw on the master cylinder underneath it. I thought it was for the clutch but those 355's are so whacky!

 

The 1995 355 has a different master cylinder. There's no bleeder that I've been able to see. I don't think it's possible to bleed the rear brakes of a 1995 F355 without the brake pump running.

Ferrari F355 M2.7 (1995) Parts : Table 34 - BRAKE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM