Warmup, gearbox and etiquette

Well, on a carbed Ferrari you'll note the Owners Manual states to warm the car after starting at 4,000RPM, so it's hardly a standard 'idle'....LOL!

Mine sets off a whole parking lot of auto alarms.........

Then as far as second gear goes, it's possible to shift into it when cold but the stiffness is quite noticable until the gear oil warms a bit. A change to Royal Purple helped mine some......

I usually wait until the temp needle starts to move from the rest peg, usually less than three minutes. IIRC.

On a cold day when 2nd is stiff you just go from 1st to 3rd at low speeds......

 

On my 328, I basically start moving as soon as I verify oil pressure. I don't run the car hard until after the oil temp needle starts moving. 2nd for me works well immediately unless ambient temps are below 40F.

My neighbors would kill me if I let the car idle in the garage for minutes at 6 AM, the open garage doors and tail-in parking create quite the echo chamber

 

IME, 2nd gear isn't "unusable" cold -- it's more a case that you need to match the engine speed to the wheel speed when making the 1-2 shift when cold (so that the syncro ring doesn't have to do much). Maybe it's easier for a dealer to just say go 1-3 when cold, but I prefer using 2nd.

 

spot on, about matching the revs..........I didn't think to put it that way!

 

It has been my understanding that the stiff 2nd gear change with a cold engine/gearbox is because of hydraulic lock. When shifting into 2nd a (guidance?)rod wants to enter a hole in the casing, and tolerances are such that with thick oil it (the oil) has nowhere to go, creating the lock. Apparently there is a modification you can do which involves drilling a small bleed hole to let the oil escape. Actually I learned all of the above from reading posts on this site!I just live with the fact that it's considered normal, I use a fully synthetic gear oil (CASTROL SYNTRAX), which reduces the symptoms a bit, and I avoid 2nd gear until warmed up.
Regarding the other issue: I start driving the car immediately (that is, after manouevring her out of the underground garage, takes about 3 minutes).

 

Regarding the issue of shifting: I have found that while shifting up, a small blip of the throttle (with clutch pedal depressed) helps match engine speed with the wheel speed. However, I'm pretty sure the syncro is still doing all the work. UNLESS you release the clutch when you blip the throttle with the gear selector in neutral. This is called double declutching, and I only use this on downshifts.

 

Since you are a virgin, you may or may not know about foreplay, but it is very important in order to keep your "baby" happy! Let it run just long enough to ensure that oil is flowing well-maybe 30 to 60 seconds-and then just drive off carefully not exceeding 3,000 or 3,500 RPM's until water temp gets to at least "warm". I never exceed about 4,500RPM's until water and oil are very near or at normal operating temps--water at least 150-160, oil at least 130-140 which is still somewhat cool by race standards. As for second gear, if you use a synthetic or semi-synthetic in the transaxle, this won't be an issue. Not sure exactly why, but it totally eliminated the problem in my 79 308...maybe because it is flowing better when cool or cold??? It also helps to pause for just an instant in "neutral" as you go from one gear to the next, and if it is an older car, you will need to depress the clutch pedal (if you use it!) a loooong way to avoid grinding the gears. Most of all, relax and enjoy it! (Most virgins do eventually...)

 

When I had my 328 I would just skip to 3rd the first time.
It's no big deal. imo it's one of the things that make these cars unique.

 

I usually fire the car - verify oil pressure [just like starting an airplane] and let it idle for a minute or so and then drive off. I'll keep the revs below 4000 until the temps start coming up. 2nd gear has never been a problem on my car - not sure if it's just the syncro hasn't gotten 'tired' yet or I'm just lucky. In my buddy's 328, we'd just do the 1-3 thing for the first few miles. No biggie - you get used to it.

I also let the car run at idle for around 30 seconds before shutdown. I find it helps with the restart [if restart will be within an hour - a piston engine hotstart].

 

In my 52,000 mile 328 GTB, 2nd gear is never a problem cold even if its 20 degrees. I dont know why, but I suspect it is bec it is well broken in and the car is used regularly.

Dan

 

Learn to match the revs anyway (with clutch)
It decreases wear on the syncros.
imo i'ts also very rewarding when you master the technique.

 

You guys are making this harder than it needs to be. It is a GENTLE upshift from 1st to 2nd, not a killer downshift. No double-clutching required -- it's just a case of letting the clutch side of things (and the engine) droop down a bit after pushing the clutch in and disengaging 1st but before selecting 2nd.

 

Most of the time I let my 308QV warm up until the oil temp gauge starts to move... probably around 3 minutes.

 

I also let my cars idle 2 or 3 minutes waiting for my wife to come out and go. She's late all the time and it works out in warm up time.

 

I let my Ferraris idle until the water temp comes alive. I don't use second gear until the oil temperature comes alive. I think it's just good form, and there is certainly no down side to it.

 

Make sure you know the shift pattern and how to engage reverse. Unlike a normal car.

 

I let idle approx 3 mins, then keep everything tame until all temps are normal.

I learned about reverse the hard way, after I bought the car and couldn't back out of a friends driveway

 

Yep. 1st is DOWN

Unfortunately, I've been pretty much driving the 328 exclusively, and now I get screwed up when I'm in other manual cars -- I'm always taking off in 2nd.

 

LOL! I too had that problem with reverse, in a parking lot about two hours after purchase.

Luckily, my riding partner was a mechanic that figured it out.

 

It won't go into reverse, unless you push straight down on the lever and then shift into position

 

Not on mine -- it slides right in.

 

I fire up, verify oil pressure, wait a few minutes, back out of the garage, get out the ol' dust mop and go over the whole car. Gives me a chance to check tires, any leaks in the garage (so far, so good!), take the top off, and by the time I'm done the cold idle has come off, the water and oil temp is off the peg - and I am ready to roll! 1st to 3rd for the first couple miles. Then I try to figure out why my mouth hurts - oh that's right, it's that ****-eating grin that just will not go away!
Jim