After doing some searching on the Internet I came across the following site http://www.prosport-ferrari.co.uk/. It offers mainly spares for 360’s but in fact has new (and used) thermocouples for 355’s. Interestingly, I only came across this site when I was searching for a picture of the 360 thermocouple as I wanted to check that these were not installed in the 355 as was previously mentioned. Just goes to show you that it comes down to what terms you use in the search.

Given that I am not local to these people I asked about the total cost of shipping out to Australia. I received a reply that the total cost, including shipping, would be 85 UK Pounds. That turns out to be about AU$137! That was FAR cheaper than anything else I had found, so it was time to order. A few emails to Mike at ProSport- Ferrari and one very short phone call to provide credit card details and the part was ordered. Very simple and easy.

The expectation was that I would receive an email confirmation that the part had shipped but that hasn’t been forthcoming, which concerned me a little. The required amount has been deducted from the credit card so now it would seem that the only thing to do is wait. It has been almost 7 days since the order was placed so hopefully something should materialise after about 10 days. I have no reason to doubt these guys but it would certainly reduce my concerns if they at least sent an email letting me know that that the shipment was on the way. I also checked out their shop on E-Bay and there was plenty of good feedback and nothing negative, but guys if you ever read this, a simple email would go a long way! Aside from that these guys look like a good option for parts when further items are required.

The car got a short run again this weekend just to keep it ticking over. The ‘1-4 Slow Down’ light came on almost immediately after staring the car and did initially try and cut the cylinder bank. However, after a few minutes the light continued its random dance of going on and off while driving. After 15 minutes or so it was back again hopefully ready for a thermocouple replacement which will once and for all rid the car of the dreaded ‘1-4 Slow Down’ light. Please

Turns out that picking up a thermocouple for a 355 isn’t that straight forward. They aren’t as common as parts for other cars unsurprisingly. A contact referred me to Forza Automative who indicated they have a number of used thermocouples available. After checking a few other contacts this seemed to be the best option.
So early Saturday morning I dropped by Forza in hope that I could purchase a replacement and change it out this weekend. When we had a look at the thermocouples that were available the nut that locks one end into the catalytic converter was too small. It seems like these used thermocouples were from another model. Damm.
It was in fact lucky that I checked the size of this nut beforehand. It is about 14mm in size (or fits a 9/16 spanner), if you ever needed to know.

The only option now appears to be to purchase one from US. This one seems to fit the bill – 157501 Thermocouple.

Looking at this though, two things appear wrong. Firstly the bolt at the end that connects into the thermocouple to the catalytic converter seems small (like the parts at Forza) and secondly the length seems too short.

Looking at a thermcouple that is on Ebay (above) you at least see that the length of the thermocouple is much longer. Still also appears that the bolt on these appears smaller that what is on the car but that may be an optical illusion after staring at picture of them on the Internet for so long!
Looking at the connection to the car noticed a significant amount of thread still unused. Could it possibly be that the faulty thermocouple was from a 360 rather than a 355? That might explain why the nut was larger perhaps? However, after checking the thermocouple on the other side of the car it would appear that theory doesn’t hold any water as it is exactly the same as shown below.

So the only real option now is to order a new thermocouple from the US and see what arrives.

According to the parts diagram (above) item 35 is replacement part 157501 – Thermocouple, which is what is needed so…. Hi ho, Hi ho it’s off to the Internet with credit card in hand we go.

Here’s another example of a new thermocouple I found on the Internet

This seems to check all the boxes that it is the correct part given the bolt looks to be in the right proportion, the length is right and the part number (157501) is on the bag. Phew.
The car had a brief run to keep it active but continued to experience the “1-4 Slow Down” warning on the dash after about 10 minutes of driving. The light continued to flash intermittently but luckily the engine never went into limp mode. Hopefully, the replacement part can be ordered and delivered before the next potential run.
All this has taught another unseen lesson of owning a car like this. Parts for exotic cars are rare. Parts for old exotic cars are even rarer. You need to find a good source for obtaining replacement components and you will probably have to live with the fact that they will take a while to obtain as they aren’t exactly off the shelf items.
The other things that you learn is that the information you pick up from those who already have, work with, are involved with these sort of cars is invaluable. You have to of course sort the wheat from the chaff, even in this field, but those people are certainly out there and seeking them out is going to be the best investment you ever make when it comes to owning these sorts of cars.

Over the past few trips the “1-4 Slow Down” warning light has flashed occasionally on the dash. This is the same warning light for the cylinder bank that the ECU unit was changed a while back. About 20 minutes into the drive today the “1-4 Slow Down” warning light began to flash again. It kept doing so intermittently for the next few kilometres until the car went into “limp mode”. Oh great, not again.

Remembering that by turning the car off and on “limp mode” can be reset. Question is, will the car restart if it is turned off? It should, and at worst simply remain in “limp mode”, but you never know do you. After deciding to be brave and pull over, attempted to turn car off and on again. It started (phew) and “limp mode” was gone (hooray), however after a short distance again the “1-4 Slow Down” warning light had returned. Time to head back. On the return trip the “1-4 Slow Down” warning light continued to flash more than it had ever done in the past but luckily the car did not go into “limp mode” but you can certainly feel the electronic control unit attempting to shut down one of the cylinder banks. Luckily, it didn’t do that permanently, just had to put up with some stuttering.

The initial reaction to these sorts of problems (especially continued problems like this) is always emotional and extreme. The trick is simply to get over it (things could be FAR worse) and work out what needs to be done to get it fixed.

After a quick email to Sal DiMauro from Racing Red it would seem that the most likely culprit is the thermocouple that runs from the catalytic converter to the ECU unit (F highlighted in the image below. The problem one is the one on the right).

So the recommendation is that this will need to be changed. A check around the Internet seems to indicate that these thermocouples are around $200 so that shouldn’t be too bad.

A quick look under the car shows where the thermocouple connects to the catalytic converter, so it isn’t too hard to reach at all and all seems to be in order. All the connections are solid so it isn’t as though anything is loose. The connection at the other end of the thermocouple to the ECU is currently underneath a shield but undoing all that probably won’t make much difference as the connection to the ECU is solid. So, looks like it is time for a new thermocouple.

Interestingly, comparisons to the good thermocouple on the left hand side seems to indicate that the problem one, on the right, is more ‘worn’. It certainly doesn’t appear to be the of the same vintage. There is also a small clamp half way up the body that holds the thermocouple in place and prevent it flapping around. At least there is on the left but not on the right hand side. There is no clamp or nut holding preventing the problem right hand thermocouple from flapping around. These two fact seem to indicate that the problem thermocouple has been changed or ‘fiddled’ with at some stage. Interesting.

So now the hunt is on for a new thermocouple. Sigh.

It turns out there is an alternative to replacing a faulty exhaust valve with one from Ferrari. Capristo make an alternative which is detailed here. It acts in the opposite way to the standard one that comes with the car. Instead of using the vacuum to open the bypass valve it uses the vacuum to open the valve. The kit apparently comes with all the parts and can be slotted into the existing connections without any problems. The other interesting feature is that if it fails, it fails in the open position, rather than the closed position as with the original valve.

An Australian supplier and price can be found here.

If you look at the Capristo vale you see that it has an improved heat sync around the diaphragm that controls the actuator arm. However, there is an interesting option that comes with the unit. You can actually get a remote that can be wired up that allows yo to manually open the valve on command. By pressing the remote, even at low revs, the bypass valve opens and you get an ‘enhanced’ sound from the exhaust.

The unit is not cheap (around A$1,000) and there is plenty of debate around the forums as to whether having the exhaust valve always open or close impacts the car in any way. There is plenty to digest on this matter and it will get posted up here once it is analysed in more depth. We are still not at the stage of replacement yet as it hasn’t been determined yet whether the existing exhaust valve on the car is damaged or whether it is the electrics. More on that research soon, however an interesting option to consider if the existing vale requires replacement.

The above shot shows the current state of the exhaust by-pass valve, which is located at the rear middle of the engine. At the bottom of the image you will notice a small metal pipe. That pipe should be connected to a rubber tube.

The exhaust by pass valve is highlighted in the above diagram (item N).

On closer inspection you can also see the tube that is suppose to run from the valve down to solenoid valve (S in the previous diagram) at the rear right of the car.
When the car was inspected the rubber pipe was reconnected but that still failed to make the exhaust by pass valve operate. The prognosis from the mechanic was:
“Replacing the missing pipe will not make the exhaust by pass valve work alone, I tried a pipe on there and it still did not operate.”
So what did that mean? Again, the response from the mechanic:
“With the exhaust by pass valve, it is currently closed at all times, whilst this will not damage the car it will limit the overall perform at high revs (albeit not to a noticeable degree) It also keeps the exhaust quiet all the time.Seeing as the valve still did not operate when I put a pipe on it, I can only assume it is the operating solenoid or wiring to the same, not a massive cost either way.”
So it would seem that the issue does not lie with the actual exhaust by pass valve, although there is no guarantee of that but that would be the most logical place to start fault finding.
Ok, so what does this exhaust by pass valve do anyway?

Here’s an image found on eBay of the complete unit.

Basically what happens is that a vacuum is created through the small metal pipe to at the top of the unit (on the left in the above image). That then causes the rod to retract (move to the left in the above image). That then opens the valve in the exhaust system. Ok, now what difference does having the valve open and closed make? Well from – http://www.the355.com/mambo/content/view/18/27/
“The bypass valve opens up at higher RPM, allowing the exhaust gases to take a more direct route to the tail pipes, thus increasing power and noise.This means your 355 is quiet around town but when you open it up it screams somewhat.”
Ah ha. So with it closed (as it always is if the valve fails to operate for any reason), then it doesn’t sound as good and doesn’t have quite as much power. That makes sense as the sound has always been ‘more subdued’ that expected. Now we know.
So how does the bypass valve actually operate? A vacuum is created at the inlet manifolds of the engine, this vacuum is used to feed a vacuum reservoir (item P in previous diagram) that stabilizes the pressure of the vacuum which then feeds a solenoid (item S in previous diagram) to control when a vacuum is present. The solenoid is opened and closed by the ECU and when closed there is no vacuum and when open there is vacuum to the valve. The solenoid has two pipes: one from the reservoir and the other goes to the diaphragm on the bypass valve – when the engine goes over 3500 RPM then the ECU supplies 12 volts to the solenoid which opens and that in-turn lets the vacuum get to the diaphragm moving the actuator and opening the butterfly valve in the exhaust.
Ok, so it seems there could one of three problems here:
1. The valve is physically jammed or mechanically broken and not able to open
2. The solenoid is not getting power from the ECU to open and close.
3. There is a leak in the vacuum feed.
Thus, the first most logical step to perform is to determine whether the exhaust by pass valve opens and closes. The actuator arm should therefore be able to move up and down freely. If that is good the would need to create a vacuum through the pipe to see if the valve will open. Now initially the mechanic said they connected the pipe and didn’t get the valve to open but that could still seem to be a problem with the valve or the vacuum. So the only way to know is create a separate vacuum and see whether the actuator rod on the exhaust by pass valve operates. If that is all good, then the problem is further back (as mechanic initially suggested) and more investigation would be required (and another posting!).
So we have a plan.

There is a lot to be said for being able to experience a drive without distractions. One of the hardest things to do with this car is to keep it below 60 kph on public roads. In other cars you can set the cruise control and be pretty safe in the knowledge that you are not going to exceed the speed limit (although you still do have to keep an eye on things going downhill). Travelling winding roads at such low speed really makes the car feel throttled and wasted. Unfortunately, a warning light appear very, very briefly on the dash during this low speed section. It was too quick for me to really see what it was but I believe it was the “5/8 Slow Down” warning light, which probably indicates that the temperature ECU on the other side of the engine to the one that was just changed is also not 100%. This isn’t a real surprise and luckily, now that it has happened before, what the results and costs will be are at least a known entity. Still, fingers crossed it was only a once off (although that seems unlikely). The issue should have been logged on the car’s computer and hopefully it will behave itself until it goes in for the next service.
Problem is that many other people also feel constrained doing 60 kph and become very ‘keen’ to get past you. Not a huge worry as there was dual carriage way ahead. The speed at which my follower took off after trailing behind me for a ways only made me shake my head and wish him all the best when explaining that excessive speed to the police officer who will inevitably pull him over. As much as you want to go faster than the limit, there ain’t no hiding in a red car like this!
Another thing that you do experience driving along is recognition from other ‘petrol heads’ out for the morning in their vehicles or bikes. Today’s arrangement includes an Aston Martin DB9 and a Lamborghini Murciélago.

Now the Lambo ended up following a ways and finished up in the next lane at the first set of lights after coming back onto the main road. It was a targa, with the roof currently off. There was a wave of acknowledgment from the driver as the cars moved away from the lights. What was amusing was that wave of acknowledgment came from a hand that was encased in a ski glove. Sure it was a bit nippy but if you need to rug up that much, wouldn’t the drive me more enjoyable with roof on? Each to their own I suppose. If you pay that much for a car like that then you can do whatever you dam well like one would think!
We both rejoined the freeway for the final blast back to civilization and by blast, that is exactly what the Lambo did after it cleared the entry ramp. In a flash it was gone, tearing up the freeway. Hmmmm…another potential high profile offender for the boys in blue. Not today, thank you for this car as it settled up to the speed limit for the final run back.
The challenge is now to find a bit of challenging tarmac that isn’t quite as limiting as the earlier section from today. Google maps here we come.

Turned the car over and sat anxiously watching the dash to see if any warning lights would come on during the warm up phase. Nope, good to go Mr Sulu. Engage. (and yes I know they are from different generations of Star Trek. This blog is about cars not Star Trek so please read on).

Pulled into the petrol station to fill up. Remembered to open the fuel cap before switching the car off. Filled up, paid and was back on the road. I think I’m beginning to get the hang of this.

Cruised along the freeway at speed and turned off to take the windy road back. When driving through corners with gusto it is amazing at how well the car grips. No doubt, having a low centre of gravity, wide tyres  and firm suspension all helps but there is something more here.

While accelerating back onto the freeway was finally starting to get the ‘whiff of enjoyment’ one comes to expected with the car. There is still some way to go to achieve complete enjoyment and probably the next project is to get the exhaust by pass valve repaired so engine makes a better noise at high revs but that doesn’t prevent having the enjoyment of driving the car.

It was a good feeling to switch the motor off not having seen a warning light or having an ‘incident’ (self induced normally). It also didn’t hurt that a few people took some shots of the car, from their cars, as it cantered down the freeway. I certainly get the impression that the car likes the attention and maybe this is what it had been missing with the previously owner? Have not fear oh red one, as long as you start and keep running you can look forward to many driving “exposé”s and fuel infusions.

One of the other things you need to remember about these sort of cars is that generally they don’t have a spare. Yup, that’s right, no spare. Not even one of the ‘dicky’ space savers. If you get a flat then you are suppose to use the puncture repair spray that comes with the tool kit. The idea is that you use this to fill the tyre and it allows you to limp to somewhere to get the puncture repaired. Now Sal from Racing Red, said doing so ruins the tyre, which is certainly understandable, but sometimes a ruined tyre is a lot better than not being able to get back home. With this in mind it was probably time to have a look at the tyre repair ‘kit’.

This kit is normally found in the car’s tool kit which is located in the trunk at the front of the car (remember the engine is in the back). So I opened up the kit and found the repair canister.

Problem is the expiry date is Dec 96! So, will need to add one of these tyre repairs kits to ever growing shopping list. Wonder whether this old one is worth anything on EBay? Every dollar helps you know.

After having the Catalytic Thermocouple control unit changes yesterday today was a big day to see whether the car could be taken out without any issues manifesting themselves. Alas, it wasn’t to be.

A few minutes into the warm up of the vehicle the suspension warning light came on. This is the first time that this has appeared. Here’s what it means:

If any of the suspensions system’s electrical components malfunctions, the ECU lights the suspension malfunction warning light and regulates the shock absorbers to a fixed safety setting.

If one of the actuators malfunctions, the ECU may be unable to control it. This may cause the shock absorber regulated by that actuator to function continuously in one fixed setting. Even under these conditions the vehicle remain safe to drive. The ECU stores an error code for the malfunction in its internal memory.

If the suspension malfunction light comes on while the car is moving, stop that car, turn the ignition to “Stop” and then back to “On”. If the warning light does not comes on again, the malfunction was temporary (e.g. bad contact) and the system will operate normally.

So, I turned the engine off and back on and happily the light did not reappear. So that will be something recorded for the next time the cars computer gets read (hopefully a long while into the future).

The plan was to take the same course as last week to get a comparison of the vehicle with the new part. Maybe imagination and wishful thinking were playing games  but the car certainly seemed to have much better performance and power. Pulling off the freeway, the return trip via the more ‘scenic route’ was the most enjoyable it has been so far in the car. Although still not quite 100% the vehicle performed so much better and was far more responsive through the twists and turns. It is finally beginning to show what this car is all about.

Life is now a lot happier than it was last week with a car that functioning far closer to its potential. This is mainly thanks to Sal DiMauro from Racing Red whom the vehicle will continue to visit when it needs works form now on. However, there is still the is hope that one day, from turn over to shut down, the car will complete the journey without an unexpected warning or issue. Hope springs eternal eh? Or maybe that is delusional? Time will tell, but I think the car just needs some extra loving care to make it feel needed and then it will all be good. Fingers crosses that this loving care doesn’t mean too much of a bank overdraft!

The car hadn’t been driven since last week when it went into “limp mode”. Making contact with a few Ferrari mechanics confirmed my suspicions that it was probably a faulty thermocouple or thermocouple control unit that was the culprit. The problem was that there was a chance that the engine would not come out of limp mode even after it had seen switched off. Even if it did, given all the incidents that had occurred it was almost dead certain that it would reoccur. So the options seem to be to either switch off the battery (which is would remove power the memory of the car and remove the fault) or get it fixed. I chose the later.

Luckily, Sal DiMauro from Racing Red was able to make a house call to visit the sick patient. It seems that you can easily enough diagnose the issues but to do so you need the right equipment. This means a computer, interface box and software to read the diagnostics form the vehicle. Once that was hooked it was evident that issue lay with the thermocouple control unit.

There are two of these units, one on each side of the vehicle. They provide the interface from the thermocouple that monitors the catalytic converter temperature.

With the problem diagnosed all that was needed was to replace the unit.

The above shots show the new thermocouple control unit in place. The part is 179278 and can be found here – http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=208023

The photo shows that the unit is held in place by a cable tie, this is not standard. Normally the unit is held in place by two screws through the body and is mounted underneath the Motronic control unit. Having the unit held in place by a cable tie seems to indicate that vehicle had been experiencing issues previously and was left this way so that swapping the units between engine banks would be easier in an effort to isolate the issue. At this stage it was determined to leave the configuration in place and resolve this at the next major service.

The new unit has a green epoxy base, the faulty unit did not.

With a new unit in place it is hoped that the “1/4 slow down” fault will not reappear. A HUGE thank you to Sal from Red Racing for attending to the issues on site.

Took the vehicle out again today with plans for a similar run as last week when the non starting issues emerged. That ended up being a user error so it would be interesting to see what happened today.

Pull over, open the filler cap, fuelled without issue. Started feeling good that perhaps this would be the first day without “issues” but that euphoria was soon dashed. A matter of moments after getting back onto the road the “1/4 Slow Down” light started to flicker again. Surely not? It seemed to follow it usual sequence of flickering, going on and then disappearing from the dash. However, this time the power did not return and the car suffered dramatic power loss as it went into “limp mode”. My understanding is that in this mode cylinders 1-4 get shut down to prevent the catalytic convert from overheating. That leaves you running on only cylinders 5-8.

That 50% loss of power makes a big difference to the performance of the car and you need to adjust the way you drive it accordingly. My thoughts were the issue would resolve itself as it had in past but unfortunately I was wrong. The loss of power continued driving along the freeway. Ok, time to turn around and head back home with my tail between my legs again.

After parking the vehicle I checked the engine to see if there were any signs of overheating, especially around the catalytic converters but there was none. That doesn’t mean they aren’t the problem but you get the feeling that it is a faulty thermocouple sensor. I suppose I could have stopped the car, turned the engine off, waited a little while and then fired it back up to see if the car would come out of limp mode but my biggest fear was not being able to get it home again so continuing on seemed the best option.

Oh what fun!