Hello folks, So now it's time for me to start sorting out my Eurospec 3.2 Heres a list of some items that I sure could use some guidance on, thanks ahead for any suggestions on how to go about fixing some of these parts: 1-engine lid foam insulation - falling apart in pieces, needs to be removed and replaced. Where can I find the proper original replacement foam? 2-engine insulation liner along the trunk wall - same issue - crumbling and needs replacement- where to find such parts? 3-for paint correction-- what paint system did Ferrari use in the mid 80's (1986 Euro models to be exact)? Is this as simple as clay bar, buffing and adding some coating? Should the detailing tech have some other specific process to correct the paint on these mid- 80s Ferraris? 4-what do you all do to freshen up 30+ year old Connolly leather? My rear seats are very nice, but the front ones have some aging, have gotten a little stiff, and have some scratches. 5-do you all use Techron to keep the injectors nice and clean? How about a very rich mixture upon startup? For cold starts, I get a very rich smelling noxious (haha!) odor that takes a few minutes to dissipate. I noticed my 3.2 needs a good 7-8 minutes to warm up. Do we have O2 sensors or some other feedback system that could be causing the mixture to be too rich during cold start? 6-Finally does any of you have a Eurospec Mondial or 308/328 and if so did they skip the cats totally or are they just smaller than the US models? Thanks, Vince
You will have to shop around for the insulation as not available last time i tried to find some. Regarding the paint, my local bodyshop just matched the paint with a modern water based one and its fine. Injectors depend on the age, mine had 25000 miles and still going fine, redex once a year was my way. No cat on uk cars- look on Eurospares site and it shows the US exhaust and the non cat system
Switch to non-ethanol fuel and some of that "stink" will go away. For my '88 3.2 with a gutted cat, it made a huge difference. The burning alcohol gave the exhaust an acrid smell. BTW, you don't need 93+ octane premium in our cars, 89-90 US octane ethanol free is usually fine, that is what I run with excellent performance. That is spec obtainable in the US, especially near the coast or areas of high boat activity. Search here for info on your warm up regulator and some have suggested unplugging the electrical connection to the "9th injector" that adds extra fuel into the right side of the plenum on starting/warm up cycle. But....all of these older cars with no cats "stink" to a certain degree compared to more recent vehicles with modern cats and computerized fuel delivery systems. Alden
I use LiquidLeather (UK) for cleaning and conditioning of leather interior and also use it on my leather furniture at home. They also do colour for repairs IIRC.
1. Try Bob's Foam Factory in Fremont, Ca. 1x4x28" 2# Char Ester. This is probably too long, but I think they cut the first one too short for me. Cut to size with a hack saw to get a clean edge. Use 3M high temp double stick tape - Home Depot. 2. Try Rock's Automotive Restoration http://www.rocksauto.ca/parts.html 3. If the paint is original be very careful with it. Do not let a detail shop work on it with a buffing machine. They could easily go through the paint. Only polish by hand. Try to get a wax buildup on the paint. I like the carnauba waxes. Don't let the car sit in the sun. Don't wash the car in direct sunlight. Only wash by hand. 4. Meguire's Gold leather treatment. Use this regularly to keep the leather from drying out. 5. Techron is excellent You still have to make sure that the fuel is fresh. If the fuel has sat for more than 6 months, dump it out. Fuel varnish wreaks havoc on the K-Jetronic system. The unburned fuel smell at startup is likely a fault in the ignition system, such as faulty spark plugs, or FAULTY SPARK PLUG WIRES. 6. I believe that the EU models did not have cats. US Models have a complex injection control module that operates a frequency valve connected to the fuel distributor. This system uses an O2 sensor to form a feedback loop. Motors without the frequency valve operate in open loop.
Based on another thread, the closest foam to OEM that seems readily available is Aerocel by Aeroflex.https://www.aeroflexusa.com/products/#sheet Another alternative that is not stock is to get a hood pad for a Porche 944 from Pelican Parts, and cut to size. It is a more brownish waffle finish, but has good flame retardant properties. Aircraft Spruce (a small plane supplier) also has some non stock insulating foam that will do the job. Regarding the trunk wall, do you mean in the "trunk" of the engine bay area? There is no insulation on the actual trunk walls, just carpet, there is an insulation pad on the trunk bottom, to help wiuth the fact the muffler is right under there. The paint, assuming it is original, is a single pack paint, ie. no clear coating. Typical swirl remover compounds and orbital buffing will correct the paint if it needs it. Griots garage has a good system of compounds, and you work with the lightest compound that does the job. Make sure you or the detailer tape off the seams, as some compounds will take the paint right off especially on the edges and creases of body panels. As for leather many swear by Leatherique, but some have had damage from the product, probably because some leathers have been recoated and a new owner may not be aware of that. So test on leather first in some obscure part of the seat. I have used leatherique successfully. Other products I have tried like the Zaino Lether conditioner, has a great new lether like smell. I also uniquely use a product made by a little company called Claphams https://claphams.com/product/leather-dressing/ which is wax based and seems to cover up leather flaws better than anything else I use. So I would do Letherique first, do some Zaino on the seat backs to giv some nice leather smell, and finish with the Claphams as a protective coating. But that's just me, there are many other leather stories on Fchat and elsewhere. Redline makes a good fuel injection cleaner product. Some also put in a bit of Marvel Mystery Oil. Use alcohol free fule if possible, the hoses and injection parts were not designed for alcohol fuels. Depending on your market it is probably Shell Nitro premium that is reliably alcohol free. There is a fuel mixture adjustment, but be careful adjusting, really small turns have an outsized impact. Really best done by a shop with an exhaust gas analyzer. But a rich startup probably has other causes, perhaps the auxiliary cold start injector would be worth looking at. If your car is Euro, it probably has no cat (unless it is Swiss, my 1988 3.2 is a Swiss model, and some late model Euro have the cat as well). The Ricambi parts site has good exploded diagrams that help you understand the various systems in the car. Here is the exhaust diagram for a Euro 3.2 https://www.ricambiamerica.com/car-diagrams/ferrari/v6-v8/mondial-group/mondial-3-2/exhaust-system-not-for-us-and-sa-version.html
Hey Alden I'm surprised to hear about your take on the octane I would think the 93 would result in a little more pep. I'm going to see if any local stations carry non ethanol and perhaps I'll try it. I'm going to look for the "9th injector" going into the plenum and talk to my mechanic about it. When I start the car I usually need to crank it for about 10 seconds and then it fires up. It seems to take a few seconds for all the cylinders to get firing, but remember I have not done anything yet to the engine- it's like it was when I got the car. So adjusting might be in my future. Vince
Thanks for all the bits, some answered above. I'll have my mechanic pull the plugs first and inspect them, as well as the injectors. And have him check the aux cold start injector. I agree not sure I want to mess with mixture yet. My 3.2 does start, maybe not smoothly, but once warmed up drives fantastic. I'm going to try Techron first this weekend. I hear a LOT about not using the ethanol fuels so I'm going to make an effort to find a local station with E-free fuel. BUT, my hunch is some cylinders might not be getting spark early on. It all could be normal too!! Because I never had a car with no cats, and so maybe it's normal and I just have to accept that. We'll see! Vince
Re: Octane - our engines are not high compression, this would be the only reason to use premium, you get no extra "pep" burning higher octane fuel than required. Don't buy into the gas company marketing. Any non-eth fuel is going to be superior to one with eth, and it was just approved by congress to go from 10% to 15% ethanol, even worse mileage, but higher octane, go figure. Re: Your cold start problems - my 3.2 was doing exactly the same thing a couple of months ago, I posted a thread about it in the Mondial section. (https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/starts-stalls-after-1-second-then-starts-and-runs-well-after-a-few-few-tries.600861/#post-146625237, see my post #8) I replaced the relay and fuse to the cold start injector circuit and now she fires right up and idles like a kitten purring. Alden
