F1 pump or relay?

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ChrisNico

Member
Messages
171
Hi everyone,

Time flies and I’ve now owned La Contessa (2005 QP) for 15 months! She has been a joy to own and drive, but as expected, she finally let me down.

The dashboard showed “transmission failure” before I was stuck in first gear, and she stalled as I slowed down for a junction. Clearly the clutch wasn’t disengaging.

I noticed the pump wasn’t working when opening the door, though as I was awaiting the tow truck, after about 30 minutes, the pump kicked in, she started and I managed to get home.

So, is this a sign of imminent pump failure or do I merely replace the relay?

Thank you in advance for your expertise :)

~Chris
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,769
Sounds like a relay issue to me.

You need to get the cycle time measured really, though.

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ChrisNico

Member
Messages
171
CatmanV2 said:
Sounds like a relay issue to me.

You need to get the cycle time measured really, though.

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Click to expand...

Thank you Catman! I guess I should just replace the relay and drive around the block for an hour just in case it’s the pump, heheh!!

~C
 
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ChrisNico

Member
Messages
171
I Suspect it's the pump itself that's at fault, because mine has the newer 50 Amp relay. Is there an up to date thread with the latest equivalent parts for the F1 pump/relay? I found a 2010 one, but thought there might be a more recent thread? It should be covered under my Autoguard warranty - it only covers me up to £750/claim, but with the cheaper Alfa pump, it should cover the cost of parts and labour :)

~Chris
 
conaero

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,630
You should be able to get the relay and Alfa pump for £250, its a days labour max and some fluid so I would say your more than covered with the claim.

The Alfa pump is exactly the same as the Maserati one. The only option you have is to fit the bigger uprated Ferrari pump but there is no need really.
 
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ChrisNico

Member
Messages
171
Conaero said:
You should be able to get the relay and Alfa pump for £250, its a days labour max and some fluid so I would say your more than covered with the claim.

The Alfa pump is exactly the same as the Maserati one. The only option you have is to fit the bigger uprated Ferrari pump but there is no need really.
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Thanks for the info. Much appreciated!

~Chris
 
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ChrisNico

Member
Messages
171
Hi all,

I received the replacement relay and just drove for 50 minutes around a slow ‘ramp infested’ road so I would purposely use the gears extensively. The car behaved flawlessly. Bearing in mind that before the relay replacement, it broke down within about 10 minutes, I’m confident that the relay was the issue.

Thanks again to the combined knowledge of this forum, I appear to have saved a large chunk of change :)

Cheers everyone!

And for those that haven’t read about the solid state relay replacement with a lifetime warranty, that should extend the life of the F1 pump, check this out. It seems like a no brainer to me.
https://www.scuding.com/Shop/en/ecu-solutions/101-smart-emt-relay-ecu.html

~Chris
 
D Walker

D Walker

Member
Messages
9,827
Did you fit the solid state one yourself, I’ve read the thread before on fiffing it.
 
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ChrisNico

Member
Messages
171
I haven’t bought the solid state one yet. Just a £10 Alfa one for now to verify that was the problem. But I think the solid state one makes so much sense.

~C
 
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ChrisH

Junior Member
Messages
89
Just reading the Scuding website... sounds compelling and anything that might help clutch life / performance sounds like a good thing. Is this something the forum has experience with? Anyone actually running one?
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,769
No one can come up with a plausible reason why it would extend clutch life, or indeed, performance

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ChrisNico

Member
Messages
171
There’s no reason for it to improve performance, but to have a reliable system that minimises the chance of a breakdown and extends the life of the pump, £160 seems like very good value.

~C
 
conaero

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,630
Just be aware, when the relay blows it fries the pump. Hopefully you might get away with it but be prepared.
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,769
ChrisNico said:
There’s no reason for it to improve performance, but to have a reliable system that minimises the chance of a breakdown and extends the life of the pump, £160 seems like very good value.

~C
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Possibly yes. Although that's 16 yearly changes of a £10 relay. And it's really not that hard to tell if your pump is running too long. IMO. YMMV

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ChrisNico

Member
Messages
171
CatmanV2 said:
Possibly yes. Although that's 16 yearly changes of a £10 relay. And it's really not that hard to tell if your pump is running too long. IMO. YMMV

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Sure, but it’s peace of mind, and if the solid state relay does extend the life of the pump...

Cheers,

~C
 
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