[GPGardin]

I have a question about the interior air.

Is there supposed to be an air filter under the bonnet? It looks like there should be something between the air intake and the blower fan blades but in my car there is nothing.

I have looked in the owners manual ( downloaded from the 348 site ) but cannot find anything there or from F-car parts suppliers.

Secondly, am I missing something about the oil filter? Is this really a very specialized part? I would have thought that it was the same as something else and way cheaper than the $50 that I have been seeing or is it a platinum coated filter?

Thanks for your help.

Greg

P.S. i have way more stupid questions but one post a day will be my limit.

 

[Saint Bastage]

According to my receipt from ferrari of New England in January 2008, the Ferrari part number is 197654. It is decribed as "Oil filter w/ bypass valve". I was charged $27.07. Is it special, I doubt it, but for $27 who cares. I would ask why they are charging $50. Thats not standard pricing. Let me know if you need a copy of this receipt as evidence.

 

[Red Racer]

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever (I can't stress the never enough!) use anything else than the exact part number for an oil filter!!! period.

I know they all look the same, and do the same thing, but they all have certain parameters of operation, function, and efectivness based on engine size, type, and design. They seem so simple: a can with some filter element in it that picks up particles of metal and carbon.

The fact is that every oil lubrication system is dynamically different. The most common difference is the checkvalve spring rate. Some have checkvalves in the filter, some are in the engine block, and some are in the remote mount. The check valve AND the perforation size and surface area of the media are specifically tuned to the volume and flow rate of that exact oil system. They range from low-volume-high-pressure to high-pressure-low-volume and everything inbetween. The media's perforation size also has a great effect on the dynamics of the filter and how it correspond to the system. Some are just part of many filters and are just a extra clean-up stage. My diesel pickup has no less than 5 oil filters, all operating under different parameters.

The most common misconception is that the smaller the particle the filter can catch the better it is. So, people put on an oil filter with some claim of catching particles down to 0.5 microns and other mumbo-jumbo like that, or how large the surface area is. In the real world if you go to small in the perforations, even with a large surface area of media(which can conjest the filter in other ways entirely due to expansion), the filter can't handle the increased flow of oil during bursts of increased RPM, due to the viscosity of the oil, which in turn pushes the check valve open, and at which point you filter is not working on any level as it sends unfiltered oil on down the line. Another thing about smaller perforations is the fact that they can get blocked up easier and faster, which again, decreases oil pressure and shortens the life of the filter. As you can see that is very counterproductive, and particles smaller than 1 micron would have to be made of diamond to do any damage to your engine, and we all know it takes alot longer than one oil change for carbon to turn into a diamond--lol

That is just one of many examples of how an oil filter can effect the oil system. It is a highly tuned component of an engine, and it just may be the most important, especially in over-bucket valvetrains. I'm sure Ferrari engineers spend a fair amount of time developing each and every filter for its corresponding engine.

 

[Night Life]

Ciao

Nice write up very informative good job..

 

[Dmitri]

If we had contributor points on this board, this post would definitely be worthy.