Faulty / broken light stalk / switch

 A little while ago I was aproached on tips to repair a faulty light stalk / switch (400i phase 2)

Unfortunately or fortunately I don't have any experience with this, nor any leading tips. I nevertheless made an attempt and found this company: http://www.unobtaniumsupply.com/

And this item:

https://www.classicferrariparts.co.uk/shop/1976-89-ferrari-400-412-vitaloni-turn-signal-indicator-stalk-119317/

apparently 119317 is also used in a Ferrari Mondial - so likely much cheaper and easier to source hopefully

Meanwhile he also came up with this company: http://www.oddparts.net/

Judging by the provided photo's and explanations they seem to be very knowledgeable in this area.
Adding it here just for the records.

Top tech tip - Oil return house replacement

And another top tech tip:

The oil return hose, the one that runs from the oil pressure valve/oil pump to the oil sump, literally crumbled when it was being moved.

They are exposed to the elements as well as very high temp engine oil. I strongly recommend everyone replace theirs as a preventive meausure.

Tech top tip of the week : Ferrari 412 - replacement of the water pump jointer hose

This might be an item that is overlooked or neglected. Clearly this item is pending when and if the waterpump needs to be replaced/overhauled. This is much pending on the usage obviously so it might be the hose is pretty old and potentially has become fragile over time. The good news is, this item can be replaced without removing the engine. So definitely an item to have checked.

Tech top tip of the week : Ferrari 412 - vacuum hose microplex

This week I received the following update from someone who ran into this issue. On this blog there is not much tech advice but I just noticed I have this bloglabel called "fixit" (on the right side of the blog). So if you have anything useful to share for the community I'm happy to add it here and label it accordingly so you can look it up. Else I would suggest to post it on Ferrarichat. 

Check if the vacuum hose is connected to the microplex
This is usually forgotten
Most people don't even know
In my case the tube was just hanging in the engine compartment
The vacuum tube is connected to the cam cover and adjust the ignition timing (advance/retard)

Ferrari 400 starter motor problem - alternative solution

Finally a more technical blog. A discussion was kicked off on Facebook by someone who complained about the starter motor. Well, more about the hassle to get it replaced. Apparently it does make a difference if you have a carb version or injection. With carbs it's even more of a hassle. Also you need to enhance your wrench to reach the screws.

Interestingly a few weeks earlier another owner reported he had changed his starter motor too. But then quite a few other owners popped up in this thread. And just a week before that  I was approached by someone directly who had trouble with his starter motor when the engine was warm, meaning turning over slower and thus more difficult to start up. And he had his starter completely refurbished and the problem still manifested.

Although I don't know the exact cause for this issue, the fix for this issue is simply to get it replaced for a new modern one. Which isn't to expensive, more compact and more powerful (and half the weight).

So far I have never run into this issue myself but now I know what to do if so.

Hereby the Facebook posting with all remarks:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/8727831092/permalink/10158237887271093/

Apparently the preferred option is the LMS029 by WOSP in the UK: 

http://www.wosperformance.co.uk/

Attention: one of the owners reported the following:

I went with the WOSP LMS029 after trying a Hi-Torque that didn't fit. There are a few variances of the LMS029 though as they changed the design after I bought mine & they didn't fit as well. WOSP have rectified this with the latest LMS029. Something to be carefull of if buying cheap old stock.


Another owner reported the following:

 had my starter motor replaced with a WOSP on my 365 the mechanic bent a spanner in 3 places and did not need to remove the carbs or exhaust manifolds . But the WOSP starter motor was catching on the flywheel when engaging. It was found that the Wosp unit needed to be serviced with grease so you may want to do this prior to instalagion

Oil in Coolant - fix / repair - preventative maintenance.

I thought this was a very interesting item to highlight. Clearly a lot of tips and tricks can be found in FChat. I wish there was some kind of knowledge database or Wiki that keeps track of items like this:

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/oil-in-coolant.376670/

In this case it's very nicely written up with supporting photo's and details about the parts and a homemade tool to take the item out.

Perhaps I should make a start now. Just like the compatibility items and parts resources this can come in quite handy. For now I will label blogs like this: "fixit" and will make it available on the sidebar.

In case you don't suffer this specific problem you still might want to consider it a fairly cheap preventative maintenance job.