Hello to all Today we had usally warm weather in england. was stuck in traffic for an hour. with aircon on, the temp went above 90 and the needle ended up almost beyond the "0" of 90. Still some disstance from the red zone but with needle somewhat past vertical. I switched off aircon which helped a little. I am puzzeld because: 1. I had the system repaired last year. Fans seem ok. 2. I have checked coolant level before and was fine, no leaks 3. I had just added some water wetter (can't imagine how it would have been without it) I am just turning paranoid about water temp or is there genuinely something wrong? I know someone in malaysia posted something about water temp hitting the red zone. Here it is different but has left me wondering. On an other note, I was supposed to change air filters. I was expecting standard fixation but not four fidddly screws... anyway, with the bad experience above and engine compartiment quite hot, i decided it was not a good day... pretty bad karma, did not want to push my - bad - luck further. cheers T
Hi, Due to the fact that I live in Mexico and heat, at least where I live is a common thing. I used to reach way past the 90 every time I was stuck in traffic, never reaching a boiling or overflow condition, but still hotter than what I consider "comfortable". I did some research online and found out that the fans on the 550 are off the shelf 15" spal units, and that they were not, at least by year 2006 the largest nor the most cfm units available. So I decided to buy spal's new 300cfm 15" unit, just one, not both. I replaced the one on the passengers side (RHD vehicule) with the "larger" unit, the difference was night and day, now the car even sitting in 100+ weather doesnt go over 90. If you feel you need to upgrade your cooling system this is the best thing, and bang for the buck. Its a bolt on thing, same mounting holes, same connector same everything. Its as if your car was constantly traveling at a higher rate of speed, you may also want to replace the other side, which would help woth a/c performance and oil temps, its my next step. Just my .00000000000002 centavos de peso (even less than any other currency) David
Hi David, That's very interesting. I checked spal website and they seem to have either 14'' or 16'' fans. Are you sure OEM is 15'' ? thanks T
a couple of times my engine temp pushed into odd levels, and on both occassions i was notably down oil. doody.
Interesting... in 2 1/2 years of ownership i have not seen the engine use any oil, but i will check again. cheers Thibaut
Not unusual to have fan issues. Check fuses for both. Should be on the passenger side engine compartment fuse box if same as the 575. Check owners manual. If the fan seizes it'll blow a fuse. Test to see if both fans spin free by hand with motor off.
Hello, checked with spal and are you talking about theyre "extreme performance" fans? How is it doing now? does it drain the battery more or negligible? thanks, my 550 here in the Philippines has that problem too. Another advice is to drive with 1st , 3rd and 5th gear only during traffic. It works but i would rather change the fans. thanks Im also wondering if it worked for thibaut.
BTW, I had installed the SPAL USA 3000CFN on the Engine side. major decrease in Temp. Great suggestion! John
Hi John, did you replace both fans? if not why? did you have to buy special brackets for it or connectors ? or it was easy bolt in that the ferrari shop here can do. Can you pls tell me what i have to purchase from spal aside from the fans itself. thanks a lot Gar
I can't take credit for the solution. Phil Hughes -Ferrarifixer made the comment that when he was collecting a 550 that had a dead battery, he kept the car idling above 1500rpm and found that there was no problem in hot weather traffic with temps. I had an ongoing issue, particularly on track, with water temps getting high after a few hard laps, with my whole cooling system being checked by both an experienced independant and the authorised dealer, with no problems being found. I had a workshop manufacture a smaller water pump pulley with matching shorter belt and presto problem completely solved. No temp problems in peak hour traffic, or race track. the root cause of the problem seems to be insufficient water flow through the cooling system, rather than the capacity of the fans, or radiator.
Easy Just ask for the Ferrari 550 Adapter for the plug ($7) I just replased the passanger side, since my AC is vey cold. John
Hello guys. I live in Los Angeles weather can get really hot. In the heat of the summer in stop and go traffic the gauge moves up. Would you give me the full information of the cooling fan, modle # and the web site to look for. Thanks
On the Website http://www.spal-usa.com/ the webpage uses frames and I can't break them so go there and select Fans>>ExtremePerformance>>16" to see PULL 16" Curved Blade Extreme Performance Fan 12 Volt Part Number: 30102113 Previous Part Number(s): 30100845 (VA18-AP6/F-59A) Description: VA18 - AP70/LL/F - 59A Retail Price: $299.95 When we designed the Extreme Performance 16-inch fan we sacrificed motor longevity for the highest performance fan available to date. When reaching the finish line is more important than driving to grandmas house, the Extreme Performance 16-inch fan is what you need. -SPAL's Extreme Performance fan line -Perfect for use in paved oval stock car racing -Curved blade design for increased strength and reduced noise -Motor is not sealed and should not be used in high dust, dirt, and/or wet environments -Should not be used in unusually high ambient temperatures -Individually balanced -This fan uses a Metri-Pack 280 connector and will require the use of pigtail part number FR-PT15300027 Tech Sheets http://www.spal-usa.com/fans/automated/tech_sheets/0845-2113.pdf The unsealed motor worries me Is this the correct part?
Hi John, I emailed the sales dept. of spalusa and they dont know the 550 adapter plug. could you please give me the part number ? Im from the Philippines and will just ask someone to buy it for me there in the states.How about the pigtail connector do I have to buy that as well. thanks a lot
thanks a lot John there are around 6 550's in the Philippines and they will be glad to know the result in my car. Thanks again
Did they confirm that the SPAL fan: Part Number: 30102113 was the correct one? I'm still a bit unsettled about the unsealed motor casing as dirt and debris can get in there and damage it quickly.
Yes thats the part no. SPAL usa cant confirm but they heard that its stock for the enzo. I havent tried them but John has and said made a big difference. Hopefully I can have them installed , Im just waiting for some info.
Correct, it made a major difference The adapter is just the "Ferrari" adapter, not 550 specific. John
