Quick 355 & 348 Trouble List

A few for the 355
1.leather shrinking of the dash
2.center console plastic going to sh,,,t
3.bolster wear on seats(seems to be true with all F cars)
4.exhaust manifold cracking and burning through
5.valve guides, some are a problem and some are not it's a crape shoot
6.catalytic converters
7.some hose up front it can fail,something to do with heating system
8.early cars had grounding problem with the alternator
9.some clutch problems s,slave cylinder leaking and some trouble with the duel mass flywheel ,not as much on the 355 as the 348 the clutch is similar so not sure why 348's seem to have more clutch trouble than the 355's
10.cheep owners that don't pay for all the service!
you can do a serch on each of these problems and find out more info.
DAVID

 

Here is my short answer: bad 348s have electrical problems and issues with sensors; bad F355s have engine problems. With either, you have to make sure the car was properly serviced.

I'd say search the archives. There's a huge amount of information.

Here's how to search: go to "Advanced Search," then select the option to "Search Titles Only" and type in queries using the word AND between search words--this will make sure that you will be finding the titles of threads that contain all the words in your query.

For example, type "348 AND problems" or "348 AND issues" or "348 AND maintenance"--that kind of stuff. Those right there should give you good information; be creative and you'll find lots of stuff.

I'll try to help out more here when I have time.

 

348s:

-The various sensors of the Bosch Motronic Injection system are prone to failure, which will result in "Check Engine" lights or even "Slow-Down" lights. Either of these lights is usually not a cause for alarm; usually it is a bad sensor or a loose/dirty connection.
-catalytic converters (prone to break-up, overheating, and/or melting)
-air conditioning/heating unit troubles
-alternator troubles--the Delco alternator, which was replaced by the Nippondenso unit during production, gets overtaxed and is prone to failure, causing a host of issues. I have the better alternator and I trickle charge my car every night and have never had a battery or alternator problem.

In addition, there were various factory service campaigns issued for the 348. These included a campaign to reduce oil leakage; a switch to a single-plate clutch; an updated alternator; and a few other things. I will try to get the complete list for you.

F355s:

-exhaust manifolds (prone to cracking)
-headers (prone to cracking)
-valve guides (prone to excessive wear, which could damage a cylinder or cylinders)
-catlytic converters (same problem as 348s)
NOTE: Failure of any of the above can result in an expensive $$$ engine rebuild.
-shock absorbers
-peeling/shrinking leather on dashboard
-"Check Engine" lights, although these are less of an issue on the F355 than on the 348

With either car, PERFORM A LEAK-DOWN test on the engine. Don't settle for a compression test; do a leak-down test. Each cylinder should have no more than 10% leakage. This test will tell you the strength of each cylinder, and it will indicate whether the engine is generally in good or poor shape.

With either, make sure no oil is leaking from the cam seals, and make sure the clutch and/or flywheel don't have grease all over them.

Note that these remarks pertain to fixed roof berlinetta 348s and F355s. Targa cars and Spiders have additional issues of their own!

 

Boy, did you hit that nail on the head. The first 3 months I had my 348ts, I panicked every time the "Check Engine" light came on. Then I figured out that the darn things go on and off like the wind. So, I fixed the problem permanently with a 2.5 inch piece of electrical tape. Looks stock too! I'm contemplating putting my "solution" on ebay for other Ferrari owners. Maybe I'll get rich from the proceeds and go buy...I dunno...a F355 spider or something!

 

You guys have hit most of the common ones for 355's, here a couple more I have seen when perusing service records:

1) Catalytic converter ECU's failing (there are supposedly three of them)

2) Not only shocks fail, but also the electronic actuator on top.

3) On spiders, if you let the fluid run low (needs to be check every other year, and topped up, though the owner's manual gives no advice on a true service interval) one or more of the hydraulic rams can fail. $800 each, plus labor.

4) On F1 cars, the gear selector LED can fail.

 

You love that electrical tape fix, don't you!