355 Oil Change Procedure

This thread should help

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=319567&highlight=355+oil+change

 

Also, once you have the oil back in the engine, it is a good thing to prime the system prior to firing off the engine. Prior to start, do not engage the electronic lock out via the key fob. Crank the engine (be sure you have the car in neutral) for 20 seconds or till you see movement on oil pressure gauge. Stop cranking at that point and then turn ignition off and engage the electronic lock out from the key fob. Some have said this does not work. Have used this technique for years with my 99 F-1. Have fun in your garage.

 

Very interesting idea. I've never seen this technique mentioned before. Any Professional Techs want to comment?

 

My '97 will not crank without disarming via the key fob.


Rob

 

Is it necessary to raise the car on a lift to perform an oil change? It seems difficult to reach the drain plugs with a standard jack. I'd like to do the work myself but don't own a lift. Thanks

 

On a 348 (which "shouldn't" be much different than the 355 with respect to the oil change), you do not need a lift, a jack will do.

 

I just did my 355 for the first time. I dumped in some Royal Purple 5w-40 (synthetic). Then you need an oil filter. (that's super easy to replace) You are stuck with the Ferrari one. Get it from Ricambi. He will include the 2 plugs and seals. I used ramps to get the ass end up in the air. Much better than jacking! Make sure you get em wide enough for them big wide tires. Now get underneath the machine. You got 2 plugs. One under the engine block and the other is on the bottom of the sump tank. That will be a little tricky getting to. The engine plug is an allen. I forget the exact size. It's metric.The sump plug is a nut. So it'll take a socket. Drain while the oil is warm. There's a lot of posts about this. But it's worth the adventure. I got a hair bath of mobil 1. So beware of that sump tank drain. Have fun.

 

Unless you are super fat and can't fit under the machine.

 

I just did my 95 355 today. Redline 10w40.
The above procedure along with my348.com is a great resource.
Thanks to Notoboy for posting the jacking points.
THough taking down the plastic shroud is a pita on jackstands.
Next time, I'll raise it higher.
I skipped doing the gear oil this time as;
1) Wasn't sure of the fill & dip stick positions on the car.
2) Thankfully, i wont have to drop the shrouds again for the trans oil.
maybe next weekend.

Doing a 308 is way easier.

 

I have my 355 powered P4 replica up on two motorcycle lifts (1100 lb capacity) so that I can get my old ass under there. There are 2 plugs in the oil pan. One horizontal Allen and one vertical hex. The hex is messed but looking at the pan for sale on eBay it looks like if I pull the Allen plug I will get all the oil.
The hex head plug situated vertically on the bottom of the pan is not what you are referring to as the sump plug is it?
Isn't the sump plug on the sump tank directly?

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

There are two plugs for the engine oil which need to be removed.

1) one under the oil tank
2) one horizontally located on the forward edge of the sump.

Here's a detailed procedure for the engine oil change by Dave Lelonek

https://www.dropbox.com/t/WezX7wu33vpUOEMI

There are also videos, but I can't find them at the moment.

 

OK, thanks.
I think my problem is terminology. I have been thinking that what you refer to as the tank was the sump and what you refer to as the sump was the oil pan. This is my first "dry sump" system so I was using my old terminology.
So, the horizontal, Allen head, plug is the only engine plug that needs to be removed?
My "tank" is not stock and does not have a drain plug so I think that I will need to disconnect the suction line at the "sump" to drain the tank.
My car does not have a electrical disconnect that will allow me to "prime " the engine before firing it up so I will have to come up with another way like maybe unplugging each injector. Any suggestions?
Thanks again

 

Correct.

The suction line will be taking oil from your “oil pan” and putting it into the top of your oil tank. Wouldn’t you need to remove the hose at the bottom of your oil tank to drain the tank?
Note that the standard F355 oil system has a lot of oil. Make sure your drain pan has sufficient capacity.

I’m not sure what you mean by “prime”. Pressurising the fuel rails?

I’ve forgotten what kind of engine management system you have. Motronic 2.7 with two ECUs, 5.2 with one ECU… or custom? The 5.2 will turn on the single pump for 2 seconds when you turn on the ignition for the first time, putting pressure in the rails. That’s all the car needs. My car starts first time with this even if it has been sitting for a few months. If your car car has been sitting a little longer, you may want to crank the engine without supplying fuel (= low rpms to get the oil circulating in the engine before going to higher/idle rpms)

If your car has fuel pump relays, you can always jump the relays if you want to make sure your fuel rail is properly primed.

I’m just not sure what you want to do and why. Putting unmetered fuel into the cylinders via the injector holes seems to be unnecessary. You don’t want pooled fuel in your cylinders. If you wanted to put something in your cylinders, such as oil, the spark plug holes would seem to be more accessible (at least on the standard F355)

 

Sorry, I was speaking of priming the oil system after an oil change by preventing the engine from firing and loading the engine bearing before receiving oil. Along those lines, does the oil filter need to fill every you start the car since it installs up side down and doesn't seem to have an anti siphon valve to keep oil in the filter.

 

Pulling the fuel pump relays or fuses should prevent ignition. How long has your car been immobile? Was it your intention to squirt some oil into the cyclinders .. and are your spark plug ports harder to access than your fuel injector ports (because of your coil-next-to-plug setup)?

I'd better let the experts comment on this, but I've read, generally, that it's not necessary to prefill a filter on passenger vehicle, only on large trucks. I can't say there is normally much oil in the filter after the engine has been switched off for a while and that Ferrari deemed a vertical filter to be ok.

 

My ECU needed to be changed out for several reasons, before I acquired the car, I suppose. It has a PROEFI system out of a relatively small company in Arizona where the car was finished after being worked on for 7 years in the UK. (MY ARRANGEMENT HAS NO MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR FOR EXAMPLE).
I have no desire to squirt any fuel through the injector ports or anything though the spark plug holes.