Todd's 2003 Spyder GT (re)build thread

[DLax69]

It's alive!!!

 

[damnawivdaplan]

hopefully can see the light at the end of the tunnel

 

[philw696]

Return of the Spyder!

Took delivery of the Spyder today from my local Indy shop. New engine, resurfaced flywheel, new clutch, and a compadre on ML swapped me the obnoxiously loud Quicksilver pipes for stock mufflers so I can start the car without making enemies.

Here are a few pics of the engine from the tear down, just confirming it was indeed an oil pump seizing up.

Found a few other bits and bobs to fix when I bring it back in after break in.
- rear wheel bearings
- the well known ball joint boots
- solenoid valve in the vapor recovery system

All in all…. Not too terrible. Now I just have to put 500 miles on this beast on the twisty back roads of Washington!

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Any more pictures of the seized pump as when I stripped mine the oil pumps look indestructible but the water pump that's the weak link ?

 

[todd.the.submariner]

I don’t have any more pics right now but also heard from the mechanic that it was the water pump side that causes the failure.

Will see if I can get more info - the mechanic wasn’t at the shop when I picked her up


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[philw696]

I don’t have any more pics right now but also heard from the mechanic that it was the water pump side that causes the failure.

Will see if I can get more info - the mechanic wasn’t at the shop when I picked her up


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Yeah my oil pump was like new at 90,000 miles but the water pump had been weeping and the effect was the splines on the drive shaft had rusted and worn away then slipping and no oil pressure.

 

[todd.the.submariner]

She’s back! Picked her up from the shop last week, and have been taking long and winding roads out of town to get through the break in period.
Ridiculous to have to replace an engine, but now I have a 2003 GT Spyder with less than 500 miles on the engine and clutch.
Next, apparently, rear wheel bearings and ball joint covers. Noise from the rear axles are pretty severe.

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[zagatoes30]

Looking good, hopefully positive from here on in

 

[2b1ask1]

Looks fantastic, hope your luck has changed and many trouble free years of ownership ahead.

 

[Church of Noise]

Excellent news, enjoy it!

 

[DLax69]

Woo hoo!

 

[todd.the.submariner]

Looks fantastic, hope your luck has changed and many trouble free years of ownership ahead.

From your keyboard to the ears of the gods of Modena! I have no doubt I’ll be working through challenges with this car until one of us expires, but that’s half the fun ok, maybe a quarter of the fun.


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[DLax69]

From your keyboard to the ears of the gods of Modena! I have no doubt I’ll be working through challenges with this car until one of us expires, but that’s half the fun ok, maybe a quarter of the fun.


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A third?

 

[Ebenezer]

Shiny!
Eb

 

[todd.the.submariner]

Yes! Unnaturally shiny!
And now we know if anyone transplants a 2006 engine into a 2003 car, you need to swap out the engine wiring harness, AC compressor and thermostat housing.


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[DLax69]

The thermostat housing is a good idea, anyway...!

 

[todd.the.submariner]

The thermostat housing is a good idea, anyway...!

I think someone here has some scar tissue dedicated to a thermostat housing


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[todd.the.submariner]

Shifting issues. Previous owner told me he had issues (and many of them documented here and on ML). Well, found the problem.

The car was a beast to get into R, 1st and 2nd, but not all the time. Turns out it was a plastic sleeve inside the shift lever, the end of which was chewed up. This is the sleeve that is being pulled up when you pull to shift into R.

Indy shop figured it out, but the US parts places list the part as NLA, vendor no longer manufactures, so, they did what every shop should be able to do, they 3D scanned and printed one, then reinforced the R side with a small metal plate. Told me it’s considered a temporary fix, so I’m on the hunt for a few spares. One for me, one for whomever needs it next!

Reference this article for the part.

Pics of the original broken part below

Need help finding Part# 980001110

www.maseratilife.com

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[DLax69]

Shifting issues. Previous owner told me he had issues (and many of them documented here and on ML). Well, found the problem.

The car was a beast to get into R, 1st and 2nd, but not all the time. Turns out it was a plastic sleeve inside the shift lever, the end of which was chewed up. This is the sleeve that is being pulled up when you pull to shift into R.

Indy shop figured it out, but the US parts places list the part as NLA, vendor no longer manufactures, so, they did what every shop should be able to do, they 3D scanned and printed one, then reinforced the R side with a small metal plate. Told me it’s considered a temporary fix, so I’m on the hunt for a few spares. One for me, one for whomever needs it next!

Reference this article for the part.

Pics of the original broken part below

Need help finding Part# 980001110

www.maseratilife.com

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Dang it, Bob.

 

[todd.the.submariner]

Question for the group on this shifter sleeve pictures above in this thread.

I understand this part is needed to provide the reverse gear lockout feature, but does this part also act as a shifter guide for other gears? With my temporary 3D printed part inserted, I still have difficulty getting in to first and second gears. Is this the sleeve or a linkage issue?

Regarding the part above, Eurospares confirmed that the factory has completely discontinued this part and they have no used spares either, so I’m going to enlist the help of Lambertius down in Oz to distribute a 3D printing solution we can all easily order online.

Before I do that though, want to clear up my question above to make sure my 3D printing file isn’t going to cause everyone who orders it to have challenges with first and second gears.

Any experts on the GT shifting mechanisms out there who can chime in?


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[Andy4200]

Hi,
I currently have my gearstick apart to refurb the gearknob.
Looking at the sleeve, it really only appears to be for the reverse lockout.

Would some pictures help or perhaps a film clip of the gearstick going through the different gears?

Andy.