There is a lot of debate over the frequency that the timing belts should be renewed on a Ferrari. For the record, Ferrari mandate new timing belts every three years for all V8 models (not applicable to cars with the F136 chain driven engine). I have lost count of the times I have heard the … More Ferrari 360 Timing Belts
A modern Ferrari is a complicated machine, requiring a multitude of electronic controls to keep everything working as it should. In order to do any sort of work on these cars, a diagnostic tool that connects to the various control units throughout the car is an essential piece of kit. These tools start at £5,000 … More Ferrari EOBD Diagnostics
This is a post I have been meaning to write up for quite while now and I must apologise to the gentleman who took the time to provide the information for the delay in publication. Before I go into the details I should state that I am merely relaying anecdotal evidence provided to me. This … More Ferrari F430 Manifold Warranty Claim
The semi automatic F1 system was first introduced by Ferrari back in 1998 on the 355 and was carried through onto the 360, 575, F430, 612 and 599. The system is very similar to the Maserati Cambiocorsa or Duoselect and the Alfa Romeo Selespeed systems so much of what is written here will also apply … More Ferrari F1 Clutch Operation
Part of my recent annual service was to read the error codes stored in the Motronics. Although I had read the codes a month prior (and found that all was well) it was worth doing again and I’m glad I did – we found a random misfire code on the left bank. Intake manifold gaskets on both … More Ferrari F430 Intake Manifold Removal
I decided that it would be a good idea to fit a unit so that I could control the exhaust bypass valves on my car independently of the Motronics. The main reason I wanted to do this was so I could force open the valves when sat in heavy traffic (I live in London and it … More Ferrari 360 & F430 Exhaust Valve Control Unit
The 360 was offered with the option of a “Racing” exhaust system, the code was EXA1 and it cost an additional £3,113.75. This exhaust system was subsequently fitted to the Challenge Stradale and gives the trademark “bark” when accelerating hard. Very few 360s were fitted with this option, however a number of franchised dealers in … More Ferrari 360 Racing Exhaust
I received the dreaded “Slow Down” message on the dash in my F430 the other day so thought I would document some notes about the system and the method I used to fixed my error. First of all it should be noted there are two Slow Down messages that can occur in the F430 – … More Ferrari F430 Slow Down
The Ferrari F430 has a major flaw with the exhaust manifold design. The manifolds (or headers) are susceptible to failure by cracking at the welds. Since they are covered with insulation and a heat shield, it is not that easy to detect – if a failure is not detected and rectified early enough then severe engine damage … More Ferrari F430 Exhaust Manifold Change
I decided to swap out the spark plugs in my new (to me) F430. The car had spent the entire winter being moved between my house and one a few doors down (due to building work). It had only been driven when the car over fuels on start up so I wanted to get fresh … More Ferrari F430 Spark Plug Change
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