words from the front

[Yale]

Art asked after my trip down to Tom's Md event, how things went with the car. Michael Greenspan asked me why I didn't answer that. I know everyone who has read my travails expects me to have a flatbed at ready for every venture forth but in this case I guess I felt it was fairly un-eventful except for the woman making a u-turn on the N.J. turnpike!!! three cars in front of us almost causing a major multiple car crash. And the passing of some incredible looking crab shacks that Michael's son, Josh, didn't want to stop at though he would have "if they had been in Vietnam," (where he had just visited). And driving though local roads till we came to the small town of Port Deposit, Md. where all the buildings seemed to be made up of granite.

But now dear Tom Yang reader, we come to the point where my car feels like it has let you down, functioning perfectly and all as it is not want to do. So I drove out to see the parents a couple of weeks ago. Driving on small New Jersey roads for part of the trip, when I noticed my oil pressure never moving above 25% and for the most part sitting lower then that especially in hard turns (when it went to 0!?). When I got to the house I checked my dipstick and saw the level below min. Damn, the car has never really used oil and I change it every 1000 miles so there isn't that much time to burn through a lot of it. I looked under the car and saw no wet spots but we drove over to a K-Mart and got a gallon of 20-40 and put that all in! The dipstick then read 1/2 full.

When it was time to go home I said my good byes and got in and turned the key. The electric fuel pump chattered. Then pumped the gas and turned the key further. Nothing. No sound at all from the newly rebuilt stater. I asked my parents to help me rock the car back and forth which we did. Still nothing. Lights work, interior lights don't dim when the key is turned. One fuse was out, the third one down on the left, (the stater is the second one down), I replaced that but it didn't help. Called Tom for his long distance advice and AAA for a flat bed. Tom suggested using a wire to the battery and the starter fuse to see if that would jump it. It took a while to find a wire as the area may parents are in was flooded twice in one year washing away all those loose-wires-that-we-may-need-to-use-later-so-we-will save-it sorts of things that clutter up our lives. Nothing but a spark.

Tow truck driver came and looked under the car and suggested he hook the tow chain up to the front sway bar. I made a note to ask Michael Greenspan if I could buy a set of those tow hooks he made from Tom Yang's design. I asked the driver if we could try a push start, (didn't want to ask my octogenarian parents to help on that front). We backed the car out of the drive, I turned the key and it started fine.

Next week I went over to the shared NYC apartment building garage where I keep the car and noted what looked to be a few pounds of cat litter under the car and then drove over to Bryan Vignale's, he quickly found an oil leak which he fixed. Car of course showed no signs of not starting.

This weekend I went to take the car out and once again, after the fuel pump chatter, no start. Grabbed my stuff to go back home, thought I would give it another go and it started fine. I asked Bryan should I carry a wire to try to jump the started from the fuse, he said that wouldn't work and that it could be the ignition lock, which he tells me is not fused and which was replaced at some point with one that does not push in to start, or that something could be wrong with the rebuilt solenoid. So that's my report. No flatbeds so far.

Best,

Yale

[mark]

Hey Yale:

Good to know the status. I guess you could play it safe and just buy a flatbed for your 330. Perhaps Tom Y. would like to drive the flat bed and you and 3 friends could motor in style, without putting miles on the car... You would gaze out upon a superior vista, populated by lowly Toyota Prius's, Porsche Cayenne's and BMW SUV's all scurrying around for fear of being spat upon.

I suspect that it's your ignition switch. I had a similar problem and was lucky enough to find an inexpensive replacement keyed cylinder, which solved the problem. Another alternative is to put a conceealed starter button in line, just like a GTO.... Seriously though, the wires that feed into the back of the switch are very basic. You can remove the starter solonoid wire and touch it to the power wire and it will be just like the movie, [color=#FF4000]gone in 60 seconds[/color].

Cheers

Mark

[Yale]

Maybe i should just leave the key there making people think you need one and have some loose wires hidden somewhere else? Funny to think a thief WITH the key wouldn't be able to steal the car.

[250GT]

Hey Yale:

Good to know the status. I guess you could play it safe and just buy a flatbed for your 330. Perhaps Tom Y. would like to drive the flat bed and you and 3 friends could motor in style, without putting miles on the car... You would gaze out upon a superior vista, populated by lowly Toyota Prius's, Porsche Cayenne's and BMW SUV's all scurrying around for fear of being spat upon.

I suspect that it's your ignition switch. I had a similar problem and was lucky enough to find an inexpensive replacement keyed cylinder, which solved the problem. Another alternative is to put a conceealed starter button in line, just like a GTO.... Seriously though, the wires that feed into the back of the switch are very basic. You can remove the starter solonoid wire and touch it to the power wire and it will be just like the movie, gone in 60 seconds.

Cheers

Mark

Hi Yale ,
Mine intercontinantal diagnose is the same.
the Ceam switch is IMO the most sensible part on all old ferraris
Because the brass/cupper finger in the middle get burned by longer starting
Now there is no pressure any more on the contactwheel.
all the other electric funtions work on left and right finger.
If you would use youre old keys you must take off the bakelte backside only 2 scews.
there is pressure on it!
You can change these fingers and wheel seperate
Ther are diff. conectors on back side possible
see pics.
Good luck by syearching.
If you use the Japan high torque starter it will not burn any more!
because after 2 sec. the V12 runs.
But the Seatle electric boys can give you also info how to do (K&K): Kevin and Kerry

C.