Hi Guys, I am new here at the forum. My best bud just imported an F 355 Spider from Germany (originally from the US). The car has super low mileage (25.000 km/ 15.6 miles) because it was stored in a museum for years. Starting up It is nearing winter here now and when cold the car (drivetrain) acts like a *****. My Alfa Romeo's also did and do that but this is a bit more extreme (rougher shifting and lack of decisiveness of the gearbox). Any advice how to handle the 'cold' miles to protect the mechanics? Detailing The car is in mint condition, but because of registration sat in rain and the new brake pads dusted the wheels and paint. How do you guys clean/detail this car without damaging the paint. Especially the top of the engine bay. Sport button We discovered the sport button doesn't work. What can we expect if it works? The suspension is unexpectedly comfortable. Thanks in advance, Bob
Does the SPORT light illuminate, Bob? Some folks have difficulty detecting changes. The system is “adaptive” and should respond to more aggressive driving. The system usually tells you with warning lights if it has broken electronically, so perhaps it’s a mechanical issue. Have the shock absorbers been checked? What brand of fluid is there in the gearbox? The Ferrari-recommended fluid appears to be the best, but is becoming harder to find and comes in large, expensive containers. Others recommend Redline NS with a small quantity of Redline friction modifier, but each person seems to make their own decision on what is best I assume the gearbox is being allowed to warm up sufficiently?
Also, I've read that sagging engine mounts can cause gearchange problems. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/145869208/ When was the last time the F1 system had a service?
Thanks for your reply, much appreciated! No, the SPORT light does not illuminate. And I do not think the shock absorbers have been checked, but judging on their performance (in 'comfort') they perform well. I also have to check the fluid that is in the gearbox. I know that they did not do anything to it so maybe we need to change that. I am religious about warming up engines and gearboxes, even if I drive a 30 year old Toyota Starlet ;-). But judging from your answer I get that it should not behave like it is now. Hesitent to select a gear in auto when cold?
Thanks!! The engine came out and I imagine they checked the mounts but will ask them. It might be that it never had a service. The car was stored for 10 years and doesn't have many miles. Either way, we cannot find it in the car history. The gearbox works fine btw after a few kilometres. My experience with every Italian car is that they are all moody at and after a cold start. But good I posted here.
Interesting. The SPORT light circuit is one circuit I'm not sure of. On the non-F1 car, the suspension switch is connected directly to the light (an earth for the circuit is provided by the Bilstein suspension ECU). Perhaps the F1 owners can tell me if the SPORT light illuminates breifly on startup (as a part of a lamp check). The problem could simply be a blown bulb. You will need to remove the instrument pod to change the bulb (relatively easy on the F355) How much maintenance do you intend doing yourself? Irrespective, the quickest solution may be to get a technician to plug a Ferrari (SD1) diagnostic tool into the Bilstein suspension ECU in the passenger footwell. For info, it's unlikely to be a power issue. The Bilstein ECU has direct battery power (no fuse) and ignition power which uses a fuse which powers so many other things (including all your instruments), you would quickly know you had a blown fuse. Do you have a Fiorano F1? (very last year of production with special features)
Of course, the SPORT switch may be faulty. You can interchange the plugs on the back of the switches (for faultfinding) as long the switch has the same action (two distinct positions or "momentary" ). Be careful of the fragile plastic switchplate and I would advise not to try to fix the switch yourself. There are lots of small pieces, springs, etc, inside them. Identify/mark the wiring harnesses before interchanging them. Many have the similar coloured wires on them.
Chose to put it in auto because I thought the car (computer) knows best how to handle the cold engine. Can it do damage or does it wear faster in Auto?
The light doesn't illuminate on startup. Maintenence, for now, will be done by a professional. So thank you for the suggestion for a diagnostic tool plugged in. However, I wonder if that is an easy way to determine the fault. My experience with these diagnostics is below par. But maybe that is just my choosing bad experts. It is no Fiorano, it was already very hard to get this spec ;-)
At this point, we don't even know if there is a (serious) fault. There could simply be a blown light bulb (with too much expectation of Sport mode). 10~15 minutes at a reputable Ferrari service centre will tell you what you need to know. To make it easier for the Ferrari technician, you could lower the passenger footplate to give him access to the diagnostic plug. Sometimes the footplate gets stuck on the wiring, so you need to remove the footplate completely (two bolts on the lower edge). If you're not near a service centre or it's raining/snowing (and don't want to get your car more dirty), then you'll have to do some minor faultfinding yourself (as suggested). The Bilstein ECU will tell you if you have any electronic problems by putting on the suspension warning light. If it's not an electronic problem, then the investigation will have to move to mechanical components (shocks, springs, etc). To see of the ECU is alive before taking the car to a service centre, you could disconnect one of the orange suspension actuators (on top of the shock absorbers) in the engine bay and start the car. This should illuminate the suspension warning light permanently (until you reconnect the actuator). Regarding the SPORT light bulb. You could loosen the instrument binnacle and get access to the connector on the left hand side, I could tell you how to do checks on the bulb using the wiring. All you need is a multimeter and a #2 phillips screwdriver (and some masking tape and rags to protect the leather).
There are two diagnostic plugs in this area. One for the suspension and one for the airbag. The airbag system wiring has bright yellow sheathing on the wiring (for safety reasons, I guess.
The light could be burn out. Once the car is warmed up use manual mode and do a full throttle shift from 1 to 2 at about 8000 rpm in normal mode Then repeat with sport mode switched on. It will be obvious if sport mode works if I recall correctly auto disengages sport mode
