End float

[beau]

Well it's more buy from a enthusiast who runs it on 10w40 mineral oil instead of the 5w30 semi synthetic they recommends which is too thin and being synthetic doesn't burn off the tips causing carbon, they are a tricky car to maintain, but once done correctly they are pretty **** good! A compression test before buying is essential to showing you the engine condition

This was my one, what else could I of bought for £400 with fsh and 48,000 miles? Lol

 

[dem maser]

£400?!

 

[safrane]

Beau...£400...do you nick 'em?... :0)

That's a great way to 'motor'... spend less than a weekend away costs.

 

[beau]

Yep £400 lol, and it was immaculate





The joys of being on Facebook car selling pages, there was a 56 plate grande punto 1.4 active sport on for £300 yesterday

 

[safrane]

See there are a few on e-bay at that price for spares or repair...hot start issue?...take it that is an engine rebuild issue?

 

[beau]

See there are a few on e-bay at that price for spares or repair...hot start issue?...take it that is an engine rebuild issue?

Yeah you have to be very careful! Do not rush in and buy one, I was lucky! And then even if it does start hot and cold (that's the main issue with them if they don't they usually need a rebuild) but there are ways of hiding the issue! Ie by fitting a faster starter motor !

 

[dem maser]

well done....

 

[Andyk]

Thats an amazing price for what is a great car. Drove one when they came out and enjoyed it...A bit quiet though..

 

[Contigo]

Be very wary as most of them that say "Won't start when hot" or "Changed coil packs and starter motor to help with warm start issues" means that you will need an engine rebuild because of wear to the tips.

Engine rebuild is a grand and a half done properly.

I will assume that yours was a Lo Power car (192ps) for £400 quid as anything else at that age and miles is ridiculous for a 231ps (Hi-power) car Beau.


I ran one for 50k miles from new when they first came out, great car but so flawed in many ways including their awful economy and also their thirst for oil!

I would have one if it was a low miler, had a compression test done on it and had also been serviced by a specialist rotary company like Heywood or Roteknics.

 

[Nick B]

Can't say I was too impressed with some of that buying guide, sensationalism and scare mongering, and an advert for a certain garage. Was rather biased I thought.

I read that buying guide on the eve of my purchase and I have to admit it scared me, I had already ready up on the end float issue here but the magazine really made me think twice.
I had my flight booked for the next day and a £500 deposit paid... I was seriously considering pulling out but decided not to in the end after speaking to Phil Kyle

Glad I didn't

 

[allandwf]

Glad you didn't either. I've had mine 3 years now, and it's been great. Close on 3000 mile round Centenery trip, with just a leaky hose to mention, even if it threw a wobbly tomorrow it would all have been worth it. Smiles per mile it's paid for itself twice over.

 

[alfatwo]

Except for a run around the block and a few tips from David Askew,I bought mine sold as seen...and that was three years ago
Servicing, cambelt and a few bits and bobs other than that the old banger's been a joy.I love it!

There lots of nonsence talked about these old cars regarding costs nowadays,suppose it was completely different 14 years ago when they were new and just out of warrenty,things must have been terrible having just spent nearly 65K!

Dave

 

[Contigo]

But they weren't! At the time the 3200 came out Maserati gave the offer to all customers of fixed price servicing at around £600 so most cars were very much serviced at the correct time and many which showed signs of end float had like mine a large dealer contribution towards the repair.

 

[alfatwo]

Strange that Phil,so I wonder why some cars had problems and some didn't..
do you think Ferrari/Fiat altered the engine build spec on the later cars

Dave

 

[Contigo]

Potentially yes, although to what extent it helped i'm not sure as there are a few 02 cars which suffered too.

 

[highlander]

Except for a run around the block and a few tips from David Askew,I bought mine sold as seen...and that was three years ago
Servicing, cambelt and a few bits and bobs other than that the old banger's been a joy.I love it!

There lots of nonsence talked about these old cars regarding costs nowadays,suppose it was completely different 14 years ago when they were new and just out of warrenty,things must have been terrible having just spent nearly 65K!

Dave

There were so many things not done right with them when first made which only added to the maser "reliability" woe story - throttle peddle, end float, wireless etc but.....the "good" ones with all the woes fixed have to be the best value and best kept secret supercars available on the market today.........I know I'm a happy bunny!

 

[Massa in Perth]

What is involved in checking end float. I will get my mechanic to check it next service but would like an idea of what needs doing, and therefore how much it will hurt the wallet.. Thanks.

 

[conaero]

You mount a dial guage to the crank in front of the front pulley and turn the engine over by hand while using a pry bar on the front pulley at the same time. You then ping the pry bar out and the dial gauge will record the movement. Well that's how Meridien did mine.

This calculates the fore and aft movement or "slop" of the crank.

You can also get someone to pump the clutch whilst off and watch for movement of the front pully or again, put a dial gauge on it to get an accurate reading.

David Askew told me that....if the end float is bad you can literally see the front pulley move when operating the clutch.

 

[Massa in Perth]

Thanks, doesn't sound too painful!

 

[Rex B]

Strange that Phil,so I wonder why some cars had problems and some didn't..
do you think Ferrari/Fiat altered the engine build spec on the later cars

Dave

I think the production run came to an end before people became aware of there was a problem with some engines. Mine is a 2000 car engine number 1015 and is still OK at 61k miles so I will just keep doing regular oil changes, checking it each year and enjoying the torque when the turbo's kick in.

Rex B

Rex B