Granturismo S MCS - some “Italian†gremlins with my new baby!

Baracus

New Member
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17
Granturismo S MC Shift - some “Italian†gremlins with my new baby!

This is my first post after lurking for some time ;)

Recently joined the world of Maserati ownership - a 2009 GTS MC-Shift in Grigio Touring, with a facelift nose. Absolutely love it, completely awesome car that's a pure delight every time I jump in it!!

However, I've had a couple of ongoing issues that not even my nearest Main Dealer (Carrs Ferrari/Maserati in Exeter) has an answer for, so I'm hoping some of you knowledgable folks may be able to give some suggestions please :)

I've searched the web high and low, and can't find anything that matches my exact symptoms so maybe it's just me (not unlikely!)?

1) Mystery 5 short beeps. They come from the dash after about 1 to 1.5 hours of driving. Only started happening after Carrs replaced the resistor for the rad fan recently (which may have required unplugging battery?). There is NO text on the dash, no warnings, just 5 short beeps. Temps are normal, no other strangeness going on as far as I can hear or feel.

Nearest answer I could see is that the Tracker has lost signal. I do have a tracker but it's not enabled and as I say, hasn't done it in the 7 or so weeks I've had the car before the last lot of work done on it last weekend.

I can't see any pattern to when it happens other than after “some time†of driving. Once it happened cruising on dual carriageway. Other time was in stop start traffic going to an event so was slow driving and hill starts for about 45 mins.

2) Fuel needle calibration. Maybe 3% of the time after I turn the engine on, the fuel needle reads as if I have 25% extra (I wish!). This can happen twice in a row (I mean after switching off, next time I drive it's still +25%), but usually resets itself the next time I switch on. It can happen when tank is totally full (reading 25% OVER maximum) or mid way - no pattern here either! Can't see ANYTHING about this. Is it a mechanical problem or electronic? Where could I look to fix it? I hope we don't have to go INSIDE the tank!

3) Parking sensor “Parking Help Unavailableâ€. Again this only started after the last lot of work - been fine for the previous 7 weeks. And it comes and goes, but last couple of days when I put her in Reverse this warning comes up in Text and sometimes the sensors seem to be detecting particles of dust in the air or something!

I have read quite a lot about this on forums to be fair, but not sure what exactly is the best course of action to find the culprit. The fact that it sometimes works suggests it's not a hardware failure.

This only started happening after parking in a field at the event I mentioned above. But I checked and they are clean so no idea why this has intermittently decided to start happening.

4) Alloys. On another note, just the other day I was forced to pull towards the kerb to avoid someone passing widely around some parked cars and I went a bit too far left - really gutted, kerbed all the spokes on the front left Neptune wheel :(

The alloys needed doing anyway as some of the rim (edges) were a bit rough but I could have lived with it. But now I can't, it's really bad. Problem is the “best place†relatively local to me (= SWWR, South West Wheel Repairs, so I'm told) is booked up for full refurbs until October so I'm looking to get a temporary fix on just the front left until then. Any suggestions for this?

Ideally a service that could come to my home and just patch it up / colour match as best they can, with a view to doing a full strip down on all 4 with South West Wheels in a couple of months.

5) Finally - anyone know of any good independent service specialist in East Cornwall / West Devon area, so I don't “need†to use MD's? Also anyone trusted to do some small bodywork touchups would be useful!

Sorry for the wall of text - wanted to be as clear as possible if anyone CAN help me! :)

Thanks in advance!

Looking forward to hanging out with you in here for many years to come! :)

Best regards,
Mark
 

Doohickey

Velociraptor
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2,496
Welcome along - nice looking car.

I think 3 is probably that one or more of the parking sensors is on the blink, a common problem with these cars. There is a thread on here somewhere about how to tell.

With 4, for a temp sort out you could try Chipsaway. It won't last forever but will tidy them up until you get the wheels done properly.

On 5, FTech in Exeter come highly recommended by the locals.

Not sure on the other 2 but if in doubt do a battery reset. It's amazing what ailments can be cured!
 

conaero

Forum Owner
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34,593
Ftech!

Let the guys at Ftech have a look I am sure they will be able to sort.

Welcome to the fold.
 

outrun

Member
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5,017
Nice car.

As David says, do a battery reset first and see what happens. It's amazing how many weird ailments this cures.
 

safrane

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16,747
FTech can also arrange for the people who do Carrs of Exeter (Ferrari dealers) vehie to do any paint/dints etc.
 

allandwf

Member
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10,958
Mu Becker, ( in a 3200,) used to emit beeps for various things, when upgraded to a newer model it stopped. Maybe your infotainment system?
 

Contigo

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If one parking sensor is duff you will get the help unavailable message. You can listen to them with a stethoscope clicking on and off. It will be obvious which one it is. Front ones are easy to change, rear not as easy.
 

spkennyuk

Member
Messages
5,930
The fuel gauge showing more fuel than is actually in the tank sounds like the sender unit.

If you have a sloped drive or have to park on a kerb then the sender will think there is more fuel in the tank than there is. Once you are on the flat then it will show the correct reading after a minute or two.

The sender unit is essentialy a small float on an arm and a disc that screw into the tank. The more the arm moves up with the float the higher the fuel level shown on the dash.

The sender unit float is usually to one side of the tank so if the car is on a slope the fuel is also sloped in the tank and will show a higher or lower reading than is accurate.

Same principal as a toilet ball cock but it send a signal to your fuel guage to show the level it is floating at.

If your getting the rogue readings when the car is parked level before you start it. It would point to the sender unit being at fault.

Thats where i would be checking first.
 

spkennyuk

Member
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5,930
Im assuming its the same on your car as most other cars. The sender unit screws in to the top of the tank and usually has 3 or 4 cut out lugs to remove it using an appropriate tool.
 

spkennyuk

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5,930
Having said all that. Its a Maserati. They have probably attached the sender unit to the fuel pump and sell it as a complete unit. Then a £40 part becomes a £££'s part.
 

Contigo

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18,376
Of course you could just press the MODE button on your ICE until you get the trip computer menu and then move the Right control knob until it moves to the car symbol (not 1 or 2) and then see what the range shows. The is more accurate than any fuel gauge :D

I assume it doesn't use the gauge to read this in which case ignore the above as the range will also be well off :D
 

spkennyuk

Member
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5,930
Of course you could just press the MODE button on your ICE until you get the trip computer menu and then move the Right control knob until it moves to the car symbol (not 1 or 2) and then see what the range shows. The is more accurate than any fuel gauge :D

I assume it doesn't use the gauge to read this in which case ignore the above as the range will also be well off :D


As far as i know it takes the info from the sender unit. Thats why on most cars the trip computer range will drop from say 25 miles to zero miles range in just a couple of miles. Once the sender float hit the lower limit of its range it cant calculate whats left below it even though you still have 1 to 2 gallons left in the tank.
 

Baracus

New Member
Messages
17
Thanks for the tips and welcome, everyone!

I'll definitely check out Ftech - they are literally just around the corner from Carrs so it's still a bit of a trek for me but worth it. Might feel a bit of a traitor going away from Carrs (they have been very good for the 2 times I've used them) but not sure how much I can save at an Indie.

Is a battery reset something I can do just by following this guide? http://www.sportsmaserati.com/showthread.php/206-Battery-reset-procedure

@AllanDWF - hmm it could be the Infotainment I guess. But nothing comes up on screen. I caught it the other day doing a Hard Disk Check but had to switch off before it had completed. Hope it's not Microsoft based or that could be the end! :) Who needs music in these cars, anyway! :)

The HD check was quite a long time after the first time '5 beeps' happened though, so I doubt it's related.

Pretty sure it's not aliens though! :D

Fuel gauge reads wrong even from parking on flat, so it's nothing to do with the angle of car at start-up. Seems completely random. Not too bothered as I always know how much I have in the tank (well, certainly I'm not 25% out in my head) but I'll see if Ftech can solve it at some point without too much expense.

@Catman, are you saying the replacement parts (if needed) ARE the whole shebang?

For sure the Trip Computer "range" is taken from the same place as the gauge because when it sorts itself out the expected range suddenly drops.

For the sensors, guess I need to mug a doctor to get a stethoscope, hehe. I read that you can hear them click just with plain old ears so gonna try that this weekend first.

For my wheel, I got this guy coming on Tuesday: http://www.westcountrywheels.co.uk

He reckons he can match colour close enough but I'm a bit nervous to be honest as he can't just blend the damaged areas, says he will respray the whole face for just that single wheel. Bad idea?

Cheers chaps ;)
Mark
 

spkennyuk

Member
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5,930
If you can"t hear the parking sensor by ear. You can make your own stethoscope with a funnel and a cardboard tube or two funnels and a piece of tube. As daft as it sounds it will work. Even an empty glass will do the trick.
 

Baracus

New Member
Messages
17
If you can"t hear the parking sensor by ear. You can make your own stethoscope with a funnel and a cardboard tube or two funnels and a piece of tube. As daft as it sounds it will work. Even an empty glass will do the trick.

Cool! Heath Robinson solution :)
Wonder what my neighbours will think if they see me :)
 

spkennyuk

Member
Messages
5,930
The easiest way of me explaining the fuel sender and fuel gauge circuit is : The gauge itself if supplied with a 12 volt feed would show as being full.

The sender unit / float acts as a rheostat and put a variable resistance in the circuit. The lower the float drops the more resistance it puts on the circuit voltage to lower the fuel gauge level. If the float is at the top level then there is no resistance so the gauge shows as being full.

Whats odd with the symptoms you describe is that the voltage seems to be going up to show a higher reading.

If the wiring connector had corrosion then you could expect the fuel gauge to show a lower fuel level because of the additional resistance in the circuit or show empty.

If its showing a higher level than actual then it suggests either the float of the sender unit is sticking and then jolting free at some point. The sender / rheostat side of the circuit is breaking down so likely to fail at some point. The only other explaination i can think of is there is a current bleed occurring and the sender signal wire is receiving an additional voltage from somewhere that is spoofing the fuel gauge to show a higher level so 3 volts extra (25%) on occasion from somewhere.

The sender unit to fuel gauge is basically three wires. A 12 volt feed. An earth and the sender/rheostat signal wire that provides the resistance in the circuit.

If somebody has a wiring diagram then the gauge itself can be tested by having the 12v and ground intact and removing the sender feed. If the gauge shows full then the gauge is working as it should.

Depending on the connections to the tank you may need to unplug a multi plug and make some manual connections or pull the sender feed from the multi plug.

Tbh. I would live with it unless it starts doing it all the time.