Another Variator question

perleman

New Member
Messages
26
Does machining the cam caps stop the fault from occuring in the 1st place - should I do it premptively to save the expense of replacing the variators?
As my understanding is that doing the cam caps doesn't require all the labour of re-timing the engine so it would be a significantly cheaper job to just do that before the rattle starts?
I called Shilltech to discuss this but the chap was unable to advise me...
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,543
Seems unlikely that you'll have to do anything other than the full mod, and then the full labour.

C
 

Michael

Member
Messages
340
From memory, the chap at Shilltech just does the whole job at £1.5k ish as doing part jobs ended up being not really worth the bother.
 

perleman

New Member
Messages
26
From memory, the chap at Shilltech just does the whole job at £1.5k ish as doing part jobs ended up being not really worth the bother.

The way he explained it to me was that the £1.5k is just for the cam caps machining work which doesn't involve replacing variators or retiming the engine
If the variator rattle issue is caused by damage to the variators due to oil starvation on shutdown on engines that don't have the oil non return valve, surely having this mod done before the variators get damaged will stop it happening?

Becuase once the variators are damaged and need replacing that's when the engine needs retiming and that's where the big labour charge comes in?

Or have I misundestood this?
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,543
I think the issue has been mis-understood but would rather Voicey or similar commented than I led everyone astray!

C
 

Keano

Member
Messages
287
I had the rattle at 31K and Shiltech replaced the Variator Solenoids, fitted new non return valves, machined the Cam Caps, seals etc. and not had any problem since. The Variators were not replaced and my view is that if they are not broken then keep the money in a slush fund as they may never fail and if the problem does arise then £1500 will fix it. I suspect Maserati would recommend it all gets changed as this is how they treat other issues with no regard for the cost unless it was warranty cost that they had to pick up. Someone else suggested you should drive it in sport and manual as this will also keep it all oiled up but its also more fun :)
 

Ryandoc

Member
Messages
1,839
I know it's been mentioned on here before but what's the tell tale sign you may have variator issues, isn't there a VIN number range ?

My car is 2009 and running great but be good to know if I'm a potential for suffering it at some point
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
It's not a job that is sensible to complete in halves. If you only do the half fix, and then have to do the rest later down the line (as is likely and has been encountered by some on this forum) the total cost is way more. The better value is to fix it properly. But there is no benefit in doing this prematurely. Wait until you need to do it, saving your pennies up in the meantime, then tackle the job properly. From people such as Autoshield up North and Emblem down South it's about £2.5k plus Vat.

A while back I chatted to Dickie about this and if I remember correctly he said he wouldn't take on a car that had not had a full fix, as a half fix was simply a problem waiting to come and bite him in the wallet. When he sells a car from the effected engine range he ensures the full fix has been done, and documented, by a respected specialist or MD.
 

Michael

Member
Messages
340
It would be great if someone from Shiltech would take advantage of their sponsorship/advertising on this forum and tell us all what they charge and what fix you get.
 

StuartW

Member
Messages
9,306
My GTS had the variator issue before I bought it. I had a 4 figure invoice for some variator work at Giallo but it did not specify what was done. Less than a year later there was a second invoice, also for over £1k for further variator work so as Ewan says above - if you're going to get the job done, wait until it needs to be done and then get it all done properly to cure it once & for all
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,113
To be fair it sounds a lot but it is a lot of time consuming technical work.
I'm sure some of you on here earn more than that a week and trust me us technicians don't and I have worked in some impressive places over the years.
I don't need to remind you how much the parts cost.
My thoughts for you all.
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
To be fair it sounds a lot but it is a lot of time consuming technical work.
I'm sure some of you on here earn more than that a week and trust me us technicians don't and I have worked in some impressive places over the years.
I don't need to remind you how much the parts cost.
My thoughts for you all.
I wouldn't mind earning that much a week. In my dreams
 

perleman

New Member
Messages
26
To be fair it sounds a lot but it is a lot of time consuming technical work.
I'm sure some of you on here earn more than that a week and trust me us technicians don't and I have worked in some impressive places over the years.
I don't need to remind you how much the parts cost.
My thoughts for you all.

I wish I earned that in a week!
£3k is manageable though, moreso than the £12k Porsche 997 rebuild cost that I stared down the barrel of a gun at for 4 years
 

perleman

New Member
Messages
26
Update on this, got the rattle for the 1st time ever last week, car was very cold and had been sitting for a week

The bloke @ Shiltech recommended just taking the cam covers off, machining them to put in a non-return valve and reassembling for £900 including VAT
To be honest as the full fix is more like £3500 it is worth a go

As it has only rattled the one time he thought the variators probably aren't damaged & in need of replacement which is the big job as involves re-timing the engine

He said they have only had one job where the rattle persisted after doing this job and that was straight away after doing the machining work so maybe the rattle had been going on longer than the owner said when booking it in.

I was going to take it tomorrow but weather looks too bad so weds it is. Will report back. I would rather spend £900 to try and nip it in the bud than wait for it to progress and be guaranteed to have to spend £3.5k down the line
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
Update on this, got the rattle for the 1st time ever last week, car was very cold and had been sitting for a week

The bloke @ Shiltech recommended just taking the cam covers off, machining them to put in a non-return valve and reassembling for £900 including VAT
To be honest as the full fix is more like £3500 it is worth a go

As it has only rattled the one time he thought the variators probably aren't damaged & in need of replacement which is the big job as involves re-timing the engine

He said they have only had one job where the rattle persisted after doing this job and that was straight away after doing the machining work so maybe the rattle had been going on longer than the owner said when booking it in.

I was going to take it tomorrow but weather looks too bad so weds it is. Will report back. I would rather spend £900 to try and nip it in the bud than wait for it to progress and be guaranteed to have to spend £3.5k down the line

What car is it, wet sump QP/GT or dry sump 4200/GS?

I would say if its the latter, then sure, go for the fix but if its the wet sump then you may be wasting money.

I have heard of garages only replacing the one variator which saves a bit as its always the one furthest from the oil pump that goes.
 

perleman

New Member
Messages
26
Hi it is a Granturismo
Why do you think it would be a waste?
Even if it does need the full job doing in the future - I won't have wasted the cost of the machining, the valves. And Shiltech seem a bit cheaper than the other indis too