FINALLY got to drive my Testarossa again

As I was putting the pieces back together on the TR I lost track of time as usual, and just kept working and working. After a measily 6 hours of toiling the car was on it's feet and whole again! So I couldn't resist the urge to drive it. It's freezing outside but a clear sky, and nobody is around on a weeknight, perfect to slip out to a gas station and fill her up! It runs much smoother than it did before, and for some reason it shifts better too! I think it's because the engine is running and idling better than before...but have no facts to back this up. I still have some throttle linkage issues to work out as it felt kinda spongy, and it's running a bit rich, but felt very smooth and strong. Suddenly life is good for me again! I'm so happy the ol'e girl has a voice again!

Very cool.

6 hours eh? Time flies when you're having fun. Sounds like a great time!

Cheers

Jeff,

Glad to hear the TR is back on the road, as I'm sure you were probably going through Ferrari "withdrawl" by now...It's been pretty cool here, as well, with temps in the 40-50s. The BB may not have the best AC, but the heater sure does work well!

Looks like another good day for driving...

Enjoy!

Regards,
David

Gonna clean her up a bit tonight...I'll be working into the wee hours of the morning I'm sure. Meeting some buddies for breakfast tomorrow at Bob Evan's and I wanna take "Enzo" so I have to spruce him up a bit. I had almost forgotten how tight the car is, no rattles or squeaks, for what some consider a very flexible car (Ferrari-wise) it feels much more solid than any Vette I ever had. Still having a bit of an idle and throttle problem. I'm gonna read through a book on Bosch Fuel Injection I bought that explains things so that even I can understand them - mostly. Tomorrow is going to be chilly but sunny. The furnace in the TR works very well, but I will probably drive with the window down to hear the "music". I must still buy a couple of vacuum gages to dial in motor a bit. I imagine you could use one and keep swapping it back and forth, but it would take a lot more time. I drove the car uptown to the local auto parts store that I bugged to death to show them I wasn't just blowing smoke. The whole crew came out and looked at the very dirty car and had tons of questions, I enjoyed that very much. Life is good again.

Jeff:

It sounds like you are having some fun and enjoying the 'fruits' of your labor!

I've been driving my 348 alot lately because in AZ we are just getting to the great weather....but listening to you wax about the TR....hmmm...I guess I'll get my TR out too. My auto parts shop loves it when I go down for some oil or whatever!

Have fun

Ciao....Dino

Hey Jeff,

WAY TA GO BUDDY !!!!!!!!! {}

I'll bet you're ecsatic about seeing all your hard work back on the road again!!

CONGRATS AGAIN for a Job Well Done!!!

Best Regards, JRV

Thank You JRV !!!!

It does feel good to finally drive it again. Today was very cold but very sunny. I got groceries in it, then went to the auto parts store for misc. stuff, and then just drove in the country for a bit. There is something odd however, sometimes but not all the time, when starting it will puff smoke. I'm not too concerned about it...but it also does this under hard acceleration...but only once in a while (maybe 1 out of 6 times). It's not a lot of smoke, but just a slight haze...so little that I really can't tell if it's just due to running rich or if it's oil burning. I did "beat" on her a bit this afternoon and after 3 hard runs it seemed to clean up. Are these common occurances for TRs? I would think a good tune would cure this?

Jeff - my Testarossa and Boxer both provide blue smoke, on occasion, at start-up. Not when accelerating. My R90/6 BMW motorcycle does the same, as did my 356C Porsche. I am convinced, despite disputation to the contrary, that the horizontal opposed configuration lends itself to oil accumulation during rest with initial blue smoke on start-up as a result.

For what it is worth.

Jim S.

Jeff: I am glad that everything worked out OK. You stated in your e-mail that you have driven the car 200 miles, with no leaks.......remember, Ferraris don't start leaking till they reach 500 miles!!!!!!!hahaha

You may want to have someone drive behind you to get the full extend of any smoke. Mine blows a little smoke, but only at start up, and when it has sit for several days.

Did you do a leak-down test when the engine was out? That is my next step.

Oil smoke on start-up from a flat motor after sitting awhile? It sure would seem that our friend "Gravity" would have something to do with a small amount of oil residing in the combustion chamber...

Normal, in my opinion, as well...

David