Can some one tell me what item 11 in the below picture does? Ricambi calls it a "filter," as opposed to the the "air filter," item 2... I does not look like it does anything other than maybe preventing engine compartment air from entering through the very small holes at the forward end of the bottom of the air box (this is impossible at speed because the airflow from the front mounted intakes will pressurize the airboxes)... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Dean, I think filter you indicated works with the shield to prevent water ingestion into the intake manifold when driving in heavy rain. The small holes you mentioned are drains. Barry
It keeps mice out of the air filter - seriously, when I changed the filters on my 456, there was a dead (for a long time) mouse in each airbox, and the filters were dated 1997 - good servicing huh! I think the pad also is meant to reduce intake noise, it is noiser without the pads.
I took them out and noticed it was noisier as well. I may replace mine with some high temperature, flame retardant, low density foam. I was surprised at the cost to repalce the original material- $148 EACH through ricambi for some cheesy plastic-filament wadding... I don't know about the rain though. From mine, it looks like any liquid coming down the intake tract would drop onto the "filter" at the bottom. Were it not installed, there is quite a bit of volume in the airbox for the water to drop into and make its escape through the two drain holes. Seems like the car could benefit from some addtional airbox volume anyhow.
Dean, I have a 550 and the design of my airbox is a bit different than the 456. It's deeper and there is a drain at the lower aspect. About three years ago I saw a 456 brought into Classic Coach which had driven through some deep standing water which overwhelmed the shields and air filters. That engine needed a lot of work. The low air intakes make the 456 quite vulnerable. Barry
Note it is still present on the 550 but eliminated on the 575M by a redesign with a much bigger airbox. Taz Terry Phillips Image Unavailable, Please Login
Terry, I bet if you dig back far enough, you'll find an AD (or whatever Ferrari's equivalent is) for the 456 specifying these shields. The position of the air intake on the 550s and 575Ms snd the geometry of the plumbing and airboxes make these cars less susceptible to water ingestion. Barry
Barry- I have most of the tech bulletins for the 575M, but only workshop manuals for the 456, 456M, and 550. You could be right on the water. The flow path of intake on the 456 would tend to force water upwards more than on the 550/575M. Retention of those shields for the 550 may have just been "We did it that way last time, Luigi." or it may have had a silencing affect. Taz Terry Phillips
Terry, Off topic, I know, but let me relate a little story about ingestion and an Airworthiness Directive for the aircraft I did my primary flight training in, the Piper Cherokee. In 1991, a cardiologist friend of mine was out taking a lesson in the Cherokee when it lost power. The instructor took over control of the aircraft and lined up on a pasture for an emergency landing, but winds from a squall line in the area blew them into some trees. They were OK, fortunately. The aircraft was destroyed. NTSB investigation found that the bolts securing the lens retaining ring of the landing light in the cowl had loosened and the rubber gasket had been sucked into the air intake which resulted in loss of engine power. The AD was for redesign of the gasket and retrofit. The original gasket had indentations in its perimeter for the securing bolts. The redesigned gasket had holes for the bolts which precluded displacement should the bolts loosen. The Cherokee had been in production for close to 30 years when this incident occured. The cardiologist never took another lesson. Barry
Barry- For us it was TO Change for Technical Order Change. A lot of work keeping fighter TOs updated and current. Taz Terry Phillips
I've always wondered what that was too. A filter for the filter?! Since I dont drive in the rain maybe I should remove them?
The 575 looks more a consequence of the hood scoop than the thought of rain coming in. Water entry may be an issue with the 456 cars when encountering a deep standing water, but rain coming through the front intakes can't be the cause of engine damage. It might injest some of the water, but this has been done for years intentionally in water injected vehicles with no detriment provided the flow is low enough to not cause hydraulic lock. It seems more likely the lower "filter" is a kind of prefilter that allows debris to land on it and not get embedded in the paper element, prolonging its life. Mine were both packed with sand, bugs, etc - and were wet; I do drive mine in the rain. I took the filters out as they were pretty well knackered - I drive mine daily so I should have some data pretty quick...
I changed my air filters last week on the 04 575 and there was a screen below the actual air filters that is not shown on your parts diagram Terry. As someone posted previously, it appeared to be a catch all for bigger stuff. I vacuumed it out as some leaf debris and dead bugs were down there, but I did not pay too close attention, then saw this thread. A couple years ago, when in the shop of the dealer, we had the car up for inspection and the tech was showing me around. He mentioned there was a water catch process in there, but I did not inspect it too closely.
Dean, I checked with Classic Coach to refresh my memory regarding that 456. It had been driven through rather deep water (in an area known for flooding) on its way over there for routine service and there was direct entry of water into both air intakes. Rain should not be a factor. The "shields" are indeed pre-filters to protect the air filters from gross debris and are routinely cleaned as you described. According to my tech, they're installed on all 456, 550 and 575 models. I'm curious as to the accuracy of the 575 airbox diagram posted. Barry
Wayne, Barry- Interesting. Let me look in the tech bulletins and see if there was an update. The 612 and Enzo use the same air filter as the 575M and neither of those shows the screens, either. Not considered a service part any longer? Clean and replace? Only option appears to be to buy an entire airbox assembly for ~$1000, not feasible. There is a tech bulletin update to the parts catalog, but it shows no differences from the original air intake box and uses the same parts number. In general, the 575M air intake system is much simpler than that on the 550 and would seem to take better avantage of ram air effect. Top 550, middle 575M, bottom tech bulletin 575M. Taz Terry Phillips Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just go to the garage and pop it off, it take 2 minutes. You will see a metallic screen filter below the actual air filter that is attached to the box itself. It is not visible in the WSM section on changing the filters. I have discovered that not everything printed in those documents you post are correct for my car. The workshop manual often gives incorrect information about minor things. Nothing world shattering or major, but the WSM is off even on basic things like how many screws hold in the undertray. I had the car up on a lift the other day with a guy and we discovered some discrepancies between the manual and what was actually going on. It might be because of updates made along the way of production.
Wayne- Mine is in the shop right now having the Superamerica instrument panel and new dash installed. Is there also a foam piece or just the metal screen? Taz Terry Phillips
Wayne- Thanks. I guess that is why it is not a service part and is considered part of the lower airbox assembly. Still seems strange they would not show it with a note it was not available separately from the airbox assembly. The WSM shows it in the bottom of the airbox, but says nothing about removing and cleaning below the screen. Should ask Brian Crall if they remove the screen and vaccum when they replace the air filters. He or Dave Helms. You can definitely see the evolution of parts like the airboxes looking at 456 to 550 to 575M to 612. Taz Terry Phillips
Terry That's what they do at Classic Coach. I was there today and asked. It is indeed a pre-filter and installed on all 456s, 550s and 575Ms according to my tech. Barry
Barry- Thanks for the information. Only the pre-575M cars have a foam element susceptible to wear, which is probably why they show them as service items in the parts catalog for those models. All should be treated the same and removed and cleaned underneath, apparently. Pays to have a good shop you can trust. Mine will be due soon. Anybody have experience with BMC filters on the late model V12s? Taz Terry Phillips
I have BMCs on both my 2003 456M Gt-A + my 2005 575M. Do I like them, yes. Are they worth $125 each, probably not. If they can be sourced for cheaper than $99 each, then I would say do it. Otherwise ... money to burn finds a match.
Tifoso- Thanks. $125 each including shipping looks about right (retail $110.64) http://www.bmcairfilter.com/VisModel.asp Ferrari filter $56.67 each. Only have to be changed every 15,000 miles, no time requirement. http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=208388 Are they worth twice the price? $125 extra is not much if they improve performance. I paid more than the cost of two BMCs for my first oil change with genuine Shell oil with the little horses on the containers before I figured out Quaker State Q Synthetic was the same oil at 1/3 the cost and Valvoline 5W-40 synthetic at similar price is at least as good. Taz Terry Phillips
The BMC filters have to be maintained following their "Instructions for Regeneration" so don't forget the washing and oiling kit ($18.95). They state a 25,000 kilometer maintenance schedule. With vehicles that are not driven frequently, it's best to clean and oil the filters annually. http://www.bmcairfilter.com/infoWAKins.asp
