Shout out to Rifledriver!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank an "independent" for getting me back on the road after several months of frustration and never ending part$$ replacement.

I will not be naming names but my issues were F1 related (not the Bernie type, the wonderful transmission). When I first got the car about 5 years I spent almost $10K to resolve a shifting issue. First gear would drop out when I came to a full stop (a brand new clutch had been installed as part of the PPI), relays, pumps were replaced and actuator rebuilt but the issue was never fully identified or truly addressed - see my several posts about slipping clutch after 20-30 minutes of hard driving. Ultimately the tranny started misbehaving after a trip at COTA…in March. TCU error code indicated a speed sensor problem and clutch wear at 100% (weird since my prior reading was 7% wear barely 18 months before with less than 1500 miles driven).

Anyway, since I always felt that the F1 and the clutch didn’t quite feel right I decided on a fresh clutch, flywheel, sensors, throw out bearing etc…. Hill Engineering was the primary source and selected a known source for a kevlar clutch and stage 2 pressure plate (PM for the source). After a couple of weeks the parts went in just in time for my next track day so I thought. But I get “the call” on Thursday, speed sensor is not good and needs to be replaced (other sensors were replaced). Fortunately Ferrari of Seattle has one and they overnight. Disappointedly the problem is not resolved After further diagnosis the suggestion is made to replace the TCU…not exactly thrilled with that pro$pect, I relented and located a fresh ECU (July by now), TCU is programmed and the car works great….for one day… problem not resolved. I am WTF, I am almost $10K into this experiment and my car still doesn’t run. The guys working on it are not exactly the Jiffy Lube crowd, they have several decades of aggregated knowledge on Ferraris, Lambos, and MB, most have worked at the top indie shops and one has his own shop. After 3 days of troubleshooting they throw the towel and tell me they can't figure out the problem.

At this time I am about as happy as the time I got the subpoena from the DOJ asking to produce all our records that had the word “whatever” (…not exactly that word but close). The only ray of hope is that there is a new guy in town… Since, I have already spent almost $800 in towing charges since the beginning of the saga moving the car around (no kidding), I decided to make it an even $1k and send him the car to sort out.

Most of you know him as the sometime sharp-tongued RifleDriver, AKA Brian Crall- or now Hill Country Ferrari Service. BTW, good luck finding that on the web - you need a secret handshake to locate him - Brian isn’t much into marketing, more about fixing cars apparently.

Anyway I get call from Brian within a couple of hours of the car being dropped off, he sounds somewhat perplexed asking why they haven’t figured out the problem…certainly I am not in the joking mood, but there again Brian is not much of a jokester so he must be serious…One of the sensors is not registering that the clutch is disengaged and we need to take things apart again..YEAH that’s awesome (sarcasm emoji) !!!…After a few days I get another called and asked to come over to see the “patient”. Diagnosis, Hill Engineering flywheel needs to be re-machined because it is out of spec, Kelvar clutch is part of the problem as it lacks progressive take up and the pressure plate “fingers” have different engagement movement than the stock (may work fine for manual transmission but messes with the F1 TCU that is looking for a specific drag vs. rpm drop- based on TO bearing movement)so that POS Kevlar Clutch needs to go and replaced with stock, …to make thing even worst, apparently the original TCU was never set up properly…

Fast forward couple of weeks, the car is ready and I finally get to drive it again, Brian has done a full examination and gives the car a clean bill of health. Cost is similar to clutch replacement…not cheap but at least I know it’s been down by one of the best in the US.

So what’s the take away? The most obvious for me - I should have converted that POS F1 to manual when I first got the car, I would be about $20K richer and far more happy (F1 is good on the track, but it’s fragile, frustrating, and slow….) and I would have a unique car – manual 360CS who else has one?? (Trev360?). More importantly, rely on trusted experts when you are dealing with electromechanical systems (especial if you don’t have the SD2/3 or don't know how to use it). This coming from a guy that has done several engines out (348 and TR), rebuilt several engines including a 308/288 Norwood twin turbo, has several restoration projects (a couple of SMs with Maserati engines - speak of complexity) and mechanical engineering degree to boot.

In sum, if you are local to greater Austin, take advantage in having one of the most knowledgeable individual in the US in your backyard!

Thanks Brian for getting me back on track (no pun intended)

 

Brian summed it up correctly. First I did not personally throw parts at it, I relied on the best shop and their expertise available at the time, and in their defense (sort of) the F1 platform at the time was still relatively new. When another F1 problem emerged Brian wasn't in Austin yet and opted to seek out other experts and had a rather unpleasant result.

As I have posted on several occasion I have enjoyed the F1 for the track and have driven it far harder than the majority of F1 owners with probably 60-70% of my miles on track so any weaknesses or incorrect setting will become accentuated. If I just putzed around to C & C and really never pushed the ca,r probably would not have noticed it.

That said, the CS F1 is somewhat antiquated by today's standards, and I long for a 6 speed manual for it's simplicity and engagement; my comment was mostly tongue and cheek and now I realize that doesn't always translate over the net especially when someone is looking to make a pointed remark. So to that point... yes spending money and going through the frustration to keep my car running was very much self imposed as staring at it in my garage and waxing it isn't really my thing