Uh Oh...this can't be good.

What does your oil look like on the dipstick? Foamy? Milky?

 

Sorry to hear of your trouble.

I've no knowledge of your specific car so offering generic advice here only......

Loss of coolant from overflow pipe would generally be suggesting overheating but potentially over filling also. However, given the other symptoms you describe, it's possible that combustion pressure is being forced through the coolant system due to a blown head gasket or cracked / damaged head or block.

Personally I think I'd start with compression testing each of the cylinders, also careful inspection of the plugs and looking for traces of any leaks of any nature at all. The tapping sound you describe is possibly compression leaking.

I don't think I'd be inclined to drive the car at present.

Good luck.

 

Coolant leaking after a sedate drive in Maryland in December in any car is out of limits.
Smell repairs usually cost less than smoke repairs.
Qualified Ferrari techs are in no short supply in your area, advice should be forth-coming.

 

Save the effort of changing the coolant and start with pressure testing the cooling system. It attaches where the cooling system cap installs and pump up the pressure to see if it holds.

 

If you get stuck take it to Richard at Radcliffs. Good diagnostician, highly recommended, in Owings Mills.

 

+1 on Radcliffe

 

Sounds like big end bearings to me... Damn'd I hope I am wrong....

Happy wrenching!

Ben.

 

If you're blowing coolant out the expansion tank, pick up one of these kits:

http://www.amazon.com/UVIEW-560000-Combustion-Leak-Tester/dp/B000NPDL76/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325240067&sr=8-1

It allows you to test for the presence of combustion gas in the coolant, which is one of the common indications of a blown head gasket.

The other test you can/should run, as suggested by Dirk, is to have the system pressure tested.

 

I resisted suggesting pressure testing the coolant system on the basis that you could find yourself pushing coolant into one or more combustion chambers. Be very careful about that, you could find yourself with a cylinder-full of coolant with dramatic effect if you then try to start the engine again.

 

Or, you can do the other way around, pressurize the cylinder one by one ( this will take higher pressure than the cooling system) and see if you can hear or see air bubble from the expansion tank.

 

How bout checking the air pump.
My 308 made a tapping just before she locked up.

 

Also check the water pump belt. I would have never thought a belt could make what sounds like a metallic clicking sound, but mine did. When was the last time it was changed? Mine started making noise just before the water pump started weeping. Could also explain why your car apparently overheated if the pump is going.

Hope it's something simple.

 

FerrariDublin is correct per coolant in a cylinder while cranking.
The result is connecting rod origami.

 

Burned smell = Bummer. Remove the oil filler cap and take a big whiff. If it smells burnt in there your going to need a professional. If it got that hot it will be obvious. But if your oil level was good I can't see how it would get that hot without both oil temp and water temp going off the scale. Unlikely both gauges are bad at the same time but it is a Ferrari.

 

regarding the smog pump and other accessories, just take off the belts one at a time and run it after it had been tapping to see if it dissapears. This way you can spin each accessory by hand as well to check for resistance.

Another quick head gasket test is start it up when cold and see if it pressurises the hose right away. Then you know you are getting combustion pressure in the cooling system as it will take a while for the coolant to heat up normally and pressurise the system.

After you run it up to temp you can also pull the plugs and compare. Leaking coolant will have the effet of steam cleaning the affected plugs

 

The tapping noise and the coolant and oil issues MAY not be related. They could be.

I had a stretched front cam belt (about 10K and 10 month...) on my QV that was "loose" on the tensioner bearing. It made a metal/mechanical type of tapping noise, a mix of bad valve clearance, severe pinking and big end bearing type of "expensive" noise. Very worrying.
Luckily, it didn't jump a tooth, and re-tensioning and re-greasing the "dry" looking SKF tensioner bearing of the same age as the belt eliminated all unusual noises at once...
Unexpected though for a new belt and bearing... and a car driven on the road, not tracked.

Why do you suspect your temp gauge to be wrong (other than the expansion tank issue)?
Your cap may not be working correctly and causing a leak while the temp is still within range. Just a thought as 195° is nowhere near worrying.

The burnt oil may be from an external leak, burning up on the exhaust or another hot part.
Or an issue with the blow-by system. Did your car consume more oil than usual?

Just some thoughts. Best wishes for the new year!

 

Aaaaaa yes, just how do I begin That story.


Edwardo
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Hey Edwardo, that's an impressive bucket of pistons you have there. Care to tell the story or link to it if already told?

My365, yes leak from somewhere in the exhaust manifold area could certainly explain the talking noise also. Do please keep us posted on your progress.

 

Does the car have an emission air rail like the 308. If that small tubing gets a pin hole you will hear the valves pretty clearly. With the car running slide your hand down the tubing. You will feel the air if there is a hole. The front is easy, the back rail is not.

 

A friend had their 1990 Oldsmobile towed in yesterday with a spark plug "blown out" of the head. Apparently someone years ago stripped the threads and it finally came out. Re-tapped it for an insert and a new plug.

Now THAT was a noise!

Glad your problem was minor.

 

I've had a spark plug pop out of its threads on a 4 cylinder turbo engine before - I thought the engine had gone when it happened but was very relieved with the straightforward fix!