So it is probably the time to start understanding more about the make up of the Ferrari F355 in greater detail, so to me the most logical place to start is with the starter motor. Interestingly, this has proved to be far more challenging than I expected.
A look through the workshop manual only displays the engine from the left hand side like so:
The starter motor is actually on the right hand side towards the back which I have highlighted below:
As you can see you don’t get a very good idea of what it looks like.
I then tried to do a search for ‘Ferrari 355 engine’ but again seemed to come up short with anything that provided a good idea of what the starter motor actually looks like.
This is the best that I could come up with and have circled the starter motor for you.
Next stop was to see what the individual part itself looks like. That was easy enough as you can see below.
A search on the Ricambi site pulled up the schematic and the part number (155166) which is item 26 below.
So the large nut on the housing connects directly to the positive terminal on the top right hand of the engine bay. Will have to check that out next time I’m in there.
Now, I appreciate that a starter motor starts the car but how does it actually do that? A bit more searching turned up this really cool video that explains it all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx3xniNw7XM
So the starter motor must sit near the flywheel. Returning to the workshop manual I found this diagram in the Clutch – Gearbox section.
So here you can see (highlighted) the rear of the housing into which the starter motor fits and the teeth in the flywheel that it connects to.
The only other useful diagram I found was the gearbox longitudinal section shown above. In it you can see the outline of the starter motor (highlighted).
So now I know where to look next time I’m in the engine bay and I’ll get some shots and post them up as there doesn’t seem to be many around for the Ferrari F355. I am also much more knowledgeable about exactly how the starter motor functions (you just gotta love YouTube haven’t you?).
Here’s another good video that explains more about starter motors in general.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITFW2PkqXWw
I get the impression that the Ferrari F355 starter motor is like the last one mentioned in the video.
Finally, here’s a a great video that show you how to diagnose starter motor issues.
Bath time
One of the last jobs needed to be performed on the car for this year was to give it a good wash. Once again, what seems like a simple tasks turns out to be rather complex with a car like this.
The reason why is where the car is garaged there is no wash bay. The next most convenient location for it to be washed has an impassable entrance for the car, given how low it is. Consideration has been made of taking it to a commercial establishment but none of these as yet has garnered confidence in their ability to take ‘special care’ (a phobia no doubt). Therefore, the car needs to go on short trip where it can be cleaned.
The actual cleaning of the car takes a little longer it seems than a normal car given all the ducts and the engine cover. Doing it panel by panel also takes slightly longer as well. Interestingly, there is video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K26_z-YhNjE
Where you see a 355 being cleaned with a high pressure spray, including INSIDE the engine bay. Don’t know as yet whether I’d be confident to attempt this but it certainly would speed up the cleaning process. Something to think about anyway.
As luck would have it, just as the cleaning was complete it started to rain. Damm. Luckily it continued to rain lightly until the car was returned where it could be wiped down one last time under cover, which wasn’t too bad after all.
Hopefully that is the last major task for the year. It has been serviced, insured, registered, reshod, and finally cleaned inside and out. It has now been tucked in and put to bed for the rest of week like the good little car it is.
The adventure continues.
Love the F355 