Recent content by MRichards

Mine ran like a dog when going slow then picked up normally. Plugs needed changing. Service book says replace plugs every 20,000 which seems ridiculous since they are quality NGK. I think the plugs had done at least 50,000 km. and appeared to be in perfect condition. These temperamental Italians...

Quite happy to share my credentials with George whether he's a computer artifact or a real person. I have an Honours degree in Chemistry & was one of three who founded a branch of the international testing laboratory then known as Caleb Brett in Melbourne Australia. Our lab. started off...

I was amused to read that George is a fan of Porsches and thinks we would be persuaded likewise. Here is an equally amusing clip from a newspaper article published in the late 90's. I think the author was a fan of the Boxster, the comment about the Volvo is particularly amusing but soooo true. I...

I worked for 30 years in the petroleum industry as a lab manager and have first hand experience of used oil analysis. What our fellow doesn't understand is that a once-only analysis of the oil is meaningless. The metals content etc. can be of any values. The tests are done at oil change...

I bought these buttons on eBay from some chap in Croatia who specialised in odd keys etc., so they are available

Their website advises that 3200GT 3 pin adapter is not available & you have the option to be notified when it becomes available.

Eurospares sold me a used sensor which works.

Got a new blank red key from Remote Fob Centre in Leicester which isn't a replica of the Maserati key but it is red and comes with the correct SP16 blade. 8 quid on eBay. A very clever chap extracted the code from my immobilisr ECU, which isn't the correct code, but he had a program which alters...

That's why he wears the Cone of Shame.

The strange beast is a Y2000 3200GT. First problem some time ago was a persistent CEL sending it into limp mode which couldn't be cleared and three weeks of searching failed to identify a cause. Quite by accident we found fault codes for a worn clutch & a couple of other minor items stored in a...

Mine had this annoying habit until I cleared all the fault codes with SD3. I'm only guessing but it seems to me that if you allow lots of fault codes to accumulate the condition gets worse. I now clear codes regularly. Can this weird habit be blamed on Digitech who did the electronics ?

I think I can see three wires attached to the body on the RHS, so probably not a cable conversion.

"Or am I confusing knocking and pre-ignition?" Yes, you are. The knocking sound is caused by pre-ignition. The fuel with the correct Motor Octane number will ensure that pre-ignition does not occur. I don't know what the primitive ECU's in the 3200 do to avoid pre-ignition but assume the...

The knock sensors detect the noise, described as a "knock" when the fuel preignites before the pistons reach TDC. The noise is like someone hitting the engine with a little hammer. So it doesn't matter where you put the sensor on the engine as metal transmits sound very well. These days,with...

FWIW the Lotus community is solidly against buying the Chinese versions of Lotus now they have gone electric. The Eletre is seen as some sort of arcane joke. The new Emeya is just a badge engineered Geely. Once again Lotus is drip-feeding/teasing the market with newsletter releases about an...