"SLOW DOWN" light?

Clyde, i had the Slow down also last saturday.
I started the car, rev about 1300 rpm, 3 -5 seconds after starting the rev went down to 1100 rpm, then the light slow down.

I thought, the noise of the exhaust was a little bit different to normal (i belive, i'm not 100 % sure), all 12 cyl fired, the typical white smoke from cold engines came only at the left side, but the right bank fired.

I drove out of the garage, let the car run for about 10 minutes, then i stopped the engine and shutted off the battery switch.
After restarting the engine the slow down didn't come once again.

Car runs fine after that, no light, full power.

Perhaps she is a little bit jealous about the 599 GTB.


Daniel

 

Mhhhhh

But my car was absolutly cold, so it cannot be a temp problem.
(Max 8-10 sec. after starting)

I will look if the light will come once again.


Daniel

 

Understand

So it could be a sensor fault or a connection problem.

Daniel

 

The cats can actually overheat and catch fire. Alternatively, the cat ECUs may need to be replaced. There are two. They can cause a false slow down light. This is probably more common than an actual catalyst overheating. However, if you have a misfire and unburned fuel is being sent out the exhaust and into the cat, it can heat up and cause a fire. These misfires can be subtle and therefore missed by a lay person. The diagnosis is achieved by measuring the actual cat temp.

My own car had had a SLOW DOWN light and replacing the cat ECUs fixed the problem.

Scott

 

Sorry Clyde, not jealous of any 599 except possibly a GTO.

Ask some of the experts here about cat ECUs for the Maranello.

 

I wonder if there shouldn't be a sticky thread for this known issue.

 

There's a number of threads where this has come up. Good search parameters are "Slowdown ECU" or "SDECU" or "Cat ECU". FatBillyBob started a particularly useful one a few years ago that explains how the system works, etc.

And you're right, there probably should be a sticky thread to catch all the past and future known issues with the 550's and their cousins, but I'm sure it would soon drift OT with people diverting it into yet another forum for asking about the frequency of changing cam belts, etc. and other well worn topics that seem to keep coming up.

 

I used to, and still do, have this SAME problem, over heat or catalytic convert icon with heat waves coming out of it. And, Slow Down.

This is so similar to my own experience so, not sure if this is relevant to this thread at all as my 599GTO is an entirely different car, however, still a Ferrari.

SOLUTION FOR THE 599GTO: For my case, after taking it into the dealer with results of "a clear bill of health" and talking to him and then reading the manual, the solution was to allow the car to complete all its "Check OK" and "engine light off" procedures so the initialization of all the ECUs settle before moving the car. With more ECUs or computers in our modern cars, this initialization phase becomes increasingly more important to adhere to. Though the 575M is only one generation earlier, it still has a lot of ECUs. Hopefully, your solution is as easy as waiting for all the ECUs to initialize.

BACKGROUND: I used to just jump in my car, start it, put it in gear and go slowly until the engine warmed up. After driving a short distance, when I came to the first slowdown, stop sign or stop light, the engine would die. At other times, the car would run, but with 12 cylinders and tons of hp, things are pretty smooth to begin with, so I just barely felt the car was not running well, and then, I got the "Slow Down" and "catalytic converter over heat icon" light on, different sequences at different times.

TRAIL and ERROR: In each of these cases, I pulled over, knowing something was wrong, stopped the car, turned the engine off, and then restarted it. However, this time, waiting for the car to settle in, not realizing the "Check OK" and "engine light" completed they cycle and turned off. When I drove away, all was okay and the car ran perfect as always. Now I know, in hindsight, all I had to do is not be so anxious, and let all the initialization procedures complete and for all the initialization health lights "Check OK", etc. to turn off.

I hope your solution is as easy as this.

ccferrari

 

Clyde- Hang on to your 575 for another year and you can trade it even for a good 599.

 

Clyde- Believe it. Canada may not have caught up yet, but they will. One of two 575Ms in US E-Bay $149K or best offer (other $129K) and three 599s for $148K, $155K, $157K or best offer.

 

Clyde, take your time, there are actually 84 599's listed in mobile.de, prices are, according to their milage sometimes far below the actually offered 575's, and there are only half of them (quantity wise) listed....

For sure you'll find your 599 in the next years, also in Canada.


Saluti,

Jürgen

 

Having just checked the offered cars in Germany, you can actually buy 599 with a milage between 20/50.000 km's between 90-120.000 €, try to find a matching 575/550 for that money.


Saluti,

Jürgen

 

Clyde- Yup, it makes sense. The Maranellos are prettier, older, and much more traditional than the 599. More like a GTB/4 (either one) even though the Maranellos weigh about the same as the much larger 599.
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Clyde- No, I am nowhere rich enough to own a 599 and a Maranello. Plus the Maranello is a 550 with Barchetta wheels. Cannot even afford my 575M. But then I could not afford the Dino, Daytona, or 308 GTS, either.