URGENT !! Is a 400 carb alternator the same as a 365GT4 ?

long story short - 150 miles from home and just bought a 365 - was driving home when I realised that the battery wasn't charging.

Mananged to get it 20 miles to my sons house where I called the RAC (like AAA) and they confirmed that the alternator is screwed. The car is Swedish registered hence has no UK road tax so won't relay the car home for me (I'm arguing this as we speak).

If they won't do it I'll borrow my sons car, pull the alternator from my 400 (its NOT a 400i) and come back and fit it to the 365 to get it home.

It's more complex than this but you get the gist but need to know now.

Can anyone advise ?

Thanks,

Russ

 

Just got home BUT in my sons car. I was a bit screwed really - the RAC flat refused to relay the car home and I had a friend with me who needed to be home or he missed an important doctors appointment in the morning plus I'd borrowed a friend in the car trades dealer licence plates which allowed me to drive the car home untaxed and he needs them back in the morning.

Wasn't sure what to do so I removed the alternator from the car and brought it home with me and will try to find someone to fix it tomorrow. Failing that I'll take the alternator off of the 400 and compare them to see if they fit the same - both the 400 and 365 have only one alternator so I hope they're physically interchangeable (which I suspect they are) - if yes the question is whether they're electrically interchangeable and no damage will be done to either the 365 electrics or 400 alternator if I swap them over (this would just be to get the car home which is around 130 miles).

Other than this electrical problem the 365 was driving fantastic for the 30 miles done so far. It's been owned by a Swedish collector since 1986, has done 51k miles and is in excellent condition (except the alternator that is.....)

Chassis number is 17537

Will post some pix asap when I get the old girl home plus provide some more info of the other cars the Swedish collector has - all 240 of them !!

 

Very hard question to answer - I wouldn't want to break down on a motorway knowing that the RAC wouldn't relay me home.

I'll speak to the agent who sold me the car on behalf of the Swedish owner in the morning and see what they say. It was sold as seen without warranty but they seem to be pretty fair guys so hopefully they'll contribute something to the cost of repair.

What actually happened was we left the agents place to drive home and drove 5 miles to a petrol station. After filling up the car turned over really slowly and eventually ground to a halt. I wondered at first if it was the starter falling over when hot (I had the same problem with my 400) so called the agent who came out with some jump leads - the car started fine but when I checked the ammeter it wasn't charging so I knew the alternator was at fault. Wasn't sure what to do as if I took the car back to his place I had no way to get home so we charged the battery via jump leads for 10 mins and I then drove fine to my sons place 25 miles away. At least there I could either borrow his car or take the Mustang home as that was also with him.

All a real pain in the arse but the car was a great buy and hopefully this is a minor teething problem.

Shame really, the day had gone perfectly up until this point.

Bugger.......

 

That's what I thought - my problem is time (long, boring story about the car being parked in a private car park where it can't be left, my son needing car back by 3pm tomorrow, being able to borrow trade plates again, going on holiday in a couple of days blah blah blah).

I've attached a photo of the alternator model which is:

Magneto Marelli
GCA 111A
12V 80A

Idea idea if the 400 alternator is compatible ? The easiest option is just to swap it temporarily for the drive back.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Just spoke to the agent who sold me the car - as mentioned car was sold without warranty but he's spoken to the Swedish owner who wanted to confirm sale went ok. When he found out about the problem he offered me a full refund on the car if I wanted (I don't !!). He's also offered to fix the alternator for me but due to the time issue I face he's agreed to take the alternator from another 400 he's selling in the UK (also selling a 400i, both cars are MINT autos) and swap it for mine. Basically couldn't be more helpful really.

I took some photos of the other car for sale - see attached. The engines look like new as do the cars in general - not for sale cheap but I doubt better cars can be bought. They also have the original Jag XJS V12 Le Man pace car for sale with 20k miles on the clock complete with roof lights, paintwork, decals etc - it's unbelievable !

If anyone is interested in any of these cars (or a mint Ferrari 365 GTC4 at big $$$) let me know. He has so many cars (240 inc his many group C racers) it's worth letting me know your requirements - just let me know.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

400i engine
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

picture of both cars
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

This is like new !
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Forgot to take any pix of the 365 I bought - it's good but not as good as the other 2 cars which is a shame.

 

I think I understand what you mean here - translation software isn't that good.

Thank for this, hopefully I'll get another alternator fitted and the problem won't exist any more.

 

Thanks for the good wishes (and cheapskate jibes !!!)

I think I've got the alternator fixed - found an excellent guy who found the fault and totally reconditioned the unit for me - looks like new now. He understood the urgency and turned it around in 4 hours. They're called London and Essex Auto Electrics and are based in North Weald in Essex - call Steve on 01992 523660 and tell him your from the Ferrari 400 Forum. I can't recommend him highly enough.

Driving back to Birmingham tomorrow morning to refit it and hopefully complete the journey home - my sons going to follow me back just in case (sort of a backup crew - more for moral support than anything else because as a mechanic he about as useless as a bag of monkeys !)

And I did consider renting a lowloader to bring the car home but couldn't resist the drive - bit silly with hindsight but my girlish enthusiasm got the better of me. Trust me I won't make the same mistake next time !!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Hard to say as yet seeing as I've only driven it 25 miles due to the alternator problem but the 400 is auto, the 365 manual so the 365 feels totally different from a driving point of view but really familiar at the same time.

It's interesting to see the differences between the cars - the earlier car feels more basic and "older" interior refinement and creature comfort wise. You can see how the 400 evolved from the 365, much as the 400i evolved from the 400 and so on.

The auto is such a fantastic car to drive - way more relaxed and in the real world probably no slower whilst the manual is a more involving experience. I always wanted manual and auto carbed cars so for me this is very rewarding (if a bit selfish) - my family are scratching their heads trying to understand why I want "two of the same cars".

But then my family are all idiots !!

 

1800 miles ? That would be up and down the UK twice - girlish enthusiasm is one thing but at around $10 a gallon I'd need a labotomy !