slapping sound when cold started.

1881 Views 16 Replies 5 Participants Last post by j brosseau, May 2, 2003

j brosseau

Discussion Starter · Jan 19, 2003

i just picked up our(me and my father) 79' 308 gts. anyway this morning i went to start her up and when i started the car there was a loud slapping or tinging sound coming from the side of the motor where the timing covers are. im not saying it was the timing cover is was near there. anyway i shut her right down and got on the phone with the dealer who sold me the car. he told me that the car had done that since they got it (8 months) and once the car was warm it just went away. so i started the car again and let her idle for a few minutes and it did indeed just fade away. once it stoped the motor hummed beautifully. so i was going to the ferrari dealer in seattle to get a oil filter anyway so i asked the guy there and he said it could be a valve out of wack or something in the valvetrain that is out of tolerence and once the car warms up goes into tolerence. i was wondering if anyone has had problems with the UFI oil filters letting the oil out of the filter and in turn "dry" starting the motor? could it be bad/old oil that needs changing? please help a new ferrari owner out. thanx, joe

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Pete04222

· #2 · Jan 19, 2003

Joe,
Haven't had that problem with mine. How many miles on your car? It could be the valves need adjustment.

I'd go ahead and change the oil. I put 20W/50 in mine and a quart of Lucas oil stabilizer.

j brosseau

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 19, 2003

i was going to change the oil today hopefull it might help. the car has 64 thousand and change. i bought a case of castrol gtx 20-50 and some oil stabilizer. hope it helps. also where does the speedometer cable connect to the tranny? it works sometimes and then does not. thanx,joe

Pete04222

· #4 · Jan 19, 2003

I had the same problem with mine. It is not a cable driven speedo, it is electric and the problem is the impulse generator. In my research I found that it is a fairly common problem. When you take off the right rear wheel you are pretty much looking right at it. It is in a poor location as far as being exposed to dirt, water and oil.

I got mine from Dennis McCann Ferrari Parts
http://www.allferrariparts.com/

I did some shopping around and he was the cheapest. It is part number 124146 and cost me $96 last June.

j brosseau

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 19, 2003

awsome!! if i cant get it to work i will order one up. also i have the car in the air and am looking for the oil drain plug. which one is it?? i have built a few 350 chevys and a rx-7 turbo but i dont want to drain the tranny by mistake. i need a owners manual in a big way. i am looking at a couple allen head bolts and one hex bolt which drains the oil?? thanx,joe

j brosseau

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 19, 2003

got it taken care of. swapped out the oil. there was only about 5-6 qts in the car. so i put in 8.5qts as per the ferrari dealers specs. oil psi was better and it was smoother and had some more grunt. put about 30 miles on the car after the oil change and all is well.

Pete04222

· #7 · Jan 22, 2003

j brosseau said:
awsome!! if i cant get it to work i will order one up.

Make sure your Dad pays for half of it! :green:

Glad to hear the oil change did the trick. You said you put 30 miles on it after the oil change. Don't you have, like, snow on the ground? We are buried here. Ferrari's parked in the garage till spring.

j brosseau

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 22, 2003

well i never said it took care of it. i started the car right after the oil change and it made the sound until warm. but the fact that there was only 5 or so qts in the pan and the oil was black and like water. the weekend was nice and dry and in the mid 50's. but the rain has shown its ugly face again. mid january in seattle means cold and snowy but this year has been pretty mild and we have been getting a week here and there when it is sunny and nice. nice enough th break out the hayabusa(motorcycle) and get in some riding. i drove the car as much as i could this weekend knowing the rain was coming. if the winter has been this mild the summer is gonna be really nice.

Magoo

· #9 · Feb 18, 2003

I doubt if the oil was the problem. If it does it under cold conditions it probably is the cold stiff timing belts which will make that sound when cold. Not to worry. Just my thought on the problem.

Andrew

· #10 · Feb 18, 2003

Magoo said:
I doubt if the oil was the problem. If it does it under cold conditions it probably is the cold stiff timing belts which will make that sound when cold. Not to worry. Just my thought on the problem.

Magoo,
Glad to see your back and healthy. The place wasn't the same without you.

j brosseau

Discussion Starter · #11 · Feb 19, 2003

so this is common if the belts are cold?

Magoo

· #12 · Feb 19, 2003

Thanks Andrew. Yes J.B. The timing belts will make a slapping sound when cold at times. Also a word to the wise. Check to see when the timing belts were replaced. They could be getting old and hard. I wouldn't worry about valves or any major problems. JMO.

j brosseau

Discussion Starter · #13 · Feb 19, 2003

thanks. once winter lets up a bit here in seattle i plan swapping all the belts and hoses. etc. just because they said it was fixed or replaced does not mean it really was. if i had to sell a car i could make a fake record book. i guess im a bit paronoid. maybe not.

F355 Challenge

· #14 · Feb 22, 2003

J.B.,

It's cold here in New Jersey too. I get a similar but softer sound from the belts which also disappears as the engine warms up. My belts are 2 1/2 years old. The previous owner told me to expect this. As usual, Magoo's advice is always reassuring.

Barry

F355 Challenge

· #15 · Feb 22, 2003

Magoo,

I'm happy to see you back.

Barry

Pete04222

· #16 · May 1, 2003

Hey Joe,
Did you ever get this sorted out? Is it still doing it?

j brosseau

Discussion Starter · #17 · May 2, 2003

on warm days notta peep from the engine bay other than the motor churning. so i guess it was outside temp. related. in the winter we average from 30-45 degrees out. and my garage is not heated so i may have a small heater put in or i will run a small heat duct off the house into the garage.

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