HOW MUCH TO REBUILD A 348 GEARBOX IF WORN

Talk to a specialist to reassure yourself - try either Geoff @ Shiltech near Loughborough 01509 210630 or Robin @ Damax Brackley 01280 851004

Also there are several 348 owners on the UK section

Good luck

 

If the mileage is genuine I would be surprised if it was the syncros, especially if you are having problems with all the gears. Is the clutch "dragging" ie. when you depress the clutch pedal and try selecting a gear do you feel the car wanting to move forward before the gear is fully engaged?

There is some adjustment on the cables and from memory they was a bit of problem with gear selection caused by the cables - bit of a specialist job, you need a hoist and a lot of experience, i would have them checked out before ripping out the gearbox.
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Take it to a known specialist/dealer who has the right experience to do the car.

Try to avoid self diagnosis, explain the symptoms you are aware of, get the shop to see what they think, and if they are honest they will not try to sell you a gearbox rebuild until a few basic checks and adjustments have been done.

You may need to spend half a day trying things, but this will pay off in the long run.

 

Try this.

1. Put it in 3rd (if this doesn't work, forget it)
2. start moving forward a _little_
3. try 1st immediately

Sometimes I need to do this depending on outside temps,
until it is fully warmed (as long as 20-30 min)

 

If it's ALL gears I'd be suspicious of the clutch not fully releasing. If this is the case, the longer you drive it like this the more you will damage the gearbox, so get it checked.

A couple of things to try:

If it's a lot easier to put into a gear with engine off than when running, I'd suspect clutch (esp when warm).

Start car & let warm-up a bit. Note idle speed/sound. Put into gear (any will do). Keeping clutch depressed, does engine sound/speed drop? Taking handbrake off, does car want to creep a little? Repeat with rear jacked-up - with clutch pressed do rear wheels want to spin & can't be stopped by hand? If any of these are YES then the clutch isn't fully disengaging.

 

1 - they are well known specialists
2 - talk to them first - see what they say
3 - ferraris do not crumble in the rain !

 

See MW picture check #31 is in the detent for the end of the cables. See all the dots on MW's pic make sure that hardware is one tight. Make sure the bell crank is not binding on the metal cover plate. make sure the rubber boot has not rottend out and sticks in the bellcrank or cable house. make sure you don't have any pennys in the shifter gate and the shifter is positive not loose. If all this passes sounds like shift cable alignment or clutch not releasing. It is very hard to get all the air out of the throwout bearing in the 348. Bleed your clutch two man style with rear of car on jackstands so that the rear is 12-18" off the ground. You can also adjust the flywheel so that you have more travel off the pressure plate id the bleed is o.k. and you can diagnose a dragging clutch.

 

As your not the first owner its very likely that your car will have been driven in the rain, sleet, snow, fog, over pavements, on the track and all maner of normal car driving things, get over it!! your car wont fall apart if you drive it in the rain.

 

Lee

the reason I replied like that is very simple

last year I sold a 3 owner Testarossa, the second and third owners had really looked after the car and it was in very very good shape when it went ot its fourth owner, shortly afterwards I met the first owner, when I told hime how the 2nd and 3rd guys had treated the car he laughed and pointed to his filthy dirty 550 and explained that he treated all his cars the same way!,

lifes too short not to drive a car because it's raining (especialy in the UK) your cars galvanised so why not just use it, oh and if the geabox is Fu%ked after less than 30k its probabley been clocked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I've had my 348 for 15 years. I have seen this problem several times. It has been related to the clutch on 2 occasions, and the cables once. I doubt that you will have to do a gearbox rebuild.

More than likely it the clutch, or the cutch release mechanism, or the hydraulics. Best of luck.........cheers

 

I have the same problem with my 348. Second gear is hit or miss when the car is moving, regardless if it is warmed up. But I can engage 2nd easily when I stop at the traffic light. The other gears seem ok. Sometimes difficult changing down into 1st. I'm tried emtying oil and see if any metal particles, none found.

 

mine's done 36k. now i only change into 2nd when i stop at traffic lights. someone's suggested it's a syncro problem.

 

I've posted my experience on another going-on thread reagarding gear shift here. Like you, I initially almost freaked out about replacing the gearbox but it turns out that Ferrari seems to really build strong ones that hardly needs rebuildling unless you or someone before you raced & wrecked it. 348 has a well known problem on this but you'll live with it. Adjusting the cables helps a great deal & you need 2 persons to do it better. Find a patient mechanic who will understand & help you on this before embarking on others. It is very sensitive & takes many hours, even days to get it right. Using the correct gear oil affects as well. Good luck!

 

In the USA figure 12-15K USD! That's why I rebuilt my own. SF is partly correct. These cars are very subject to how the linkage is set-up. Sometimes you can even hit a speedbump and crush the cable so that it effects only one gear change. This needs to be inspected very carefully sometimes out of the car. Also, the shifter itself can haev sticky points or areas where is grinds on the gate. I rebuilt my own box and I race it and it shifts like butter but I do "heel toe" . I use mobil 1 in the GB. IMO racing helps these boxes not hurts them and they are robust...don't ask me how I know this...

 

I'm having 2 syncros replaced. Does anyone have any idea how many hours of labour should it take up and the cost of new syncros?

 

I think all bearings + lockrings = about 1000 bucks
synchros= about 350 each that's just parts several years ago