Ferrari 355 Oil Change Procedure

By:

Dave Lelonek

(Dave Rocks)

July 21, 2014

Created based on model year 1998 (355 F1 GTS), other model years may apply.

Disclaimer:
This document was created to assist others and has been created based on the procedure I
use and have proven successful. Others may use different procedures or variations to this
method.

Use at your own risk.

This document is not copyright protected, please feel free to use and share with others.

If you would like to add to or comment on this document, please email me at:

dave.lelonek@amtny.com

Prices quoted in this document are from the time of creation - please realize they may not be
accurate at later dates.

Nomenclature Error: The owner's manual has the sump and tank reversed. Please note the
sump is the oil pan below the motor and the tank is the remote tank external to the motor.

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1.0 Reference Data taken from the Ferrari 1998 F1 Owners Manual:

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2.0 Tools Required:

 Low profile floor jack and jack stands or a car lift (2-post, 4-post, scissors lift)

 8mm Socket, 1/4" drive (for under tray nuts)

 Philips head screw driver (for under tray screws)

 12mm male hex key, 3/8" or 1/2" Drive (for oil tank drain plug, "A")
[Not the easiest to find, check Harbor Freight Tools]

 22mm socket, 3/8" or 1/2" Drive (for oil sump drain plug, "B")

 1/4" and 3/8" or 1/2" ratchet with extensions, respective with above sockets

 3/8" Drive Torque Wrench (Capable of at least a range of 20-50 FT Lbs)

 Waste oil drain pan

 Oil filter wrench

 Shop rags / towels

 Oil Funnel (optional)

Note: I decided to purchase the Hill Engineering oil filter wrench from Ricambi. $86.00.

http://ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=261231

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3.0 Materials Required:

3.1 Oil:

Capacity: 9.5 Liters which equals 10 quarts.

The owners manual specifies Shell Helix Ultra, SAE 5W-40. This is not always easy to find in
the US.

An equivalent and Ferrari approved oil is: Pennzoil Ultra Euro (Synthetic), SAE 5W-40, P/N:
550022576. It can be bought from Amazon.com ($39.09 per 6 quarts) or other online
resources.

NOTE: Many users state some oil foams - This oil DOES NOT FOAM!

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3.1 Oil Change Kit: (Via Ricambi America)

P/N: 355OCK $52.00

http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?cPath=75&products_id=261227

This kit contains the following parts as shown below: (quantity 1 each)

197654 Oil Filter

178959 Oil sump plug
10261860 Oil sump plug crush washer
10300771 Oil tank plug (Hill Engineering equivalent)
10257060 Oil tank plug crush washer

1 pair of rubber gloves

197654

178959 10300771

10257060
10261860

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Optional Individual Parts:

I recommend the Ricambi Kit, however, if you choose, parts may be ordered individually.

Note: Tank and Sump drain plugs do not require replacement each oil change. Filter and crush
washers should be replaced each oil change.

3.2 Oil Filter: (Purflux)

P/N: 197654

http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=49 $43.48

3.3 Oil Sump Drain Plug "A":

P/N: 178959

http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=207946 $13.68

3.4 Oil Sump Drain Plug Gasket (Copper crush washer):

P/N: 10261860

http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=72 $0.90

3.5 Oil Tank Drain Plug "B":

P/N: 10300771

http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=211817 $17.00

Note: If purchased thru Ricambi, a Hill Engineering equivalent will be sent.

3.6 Oil Tank Drain Plug Gasket (Copper crush washer):

P/N: 10257060

http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=194 $0.90

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4.0 Procedure: (allow 2.5 hours at a comfortable pace)

4.1:

 Start engine and run to heat oil. It's very important to perform the oil change with hot oil as
contaminants and particles will become emulsified within the hot oil and come out of the
engine during the oil change.

 Allow engine oil to exceed 158º F. If you don't have an oil temperature gauge, allow the
engine to idle for 15-20 minutes. If you have a Non-F1 model, you will have an oil
temperature gauge (F1 models do not have this gauge)

4.2:

 Using a floor jack and jack stands (or car lift), raise the car to a comfortable working height.

4.3:

 Remove the rear under tray (P/N: 64841400) as shown below:

Remove (8) 8mm nuts and (8) Philips head screws

Tray lip is under L & R

diffuser panels - remove
nuts

Rear Under Tray

1 nut under lift arm not shown

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Under tray removed:

Rear of car

Sump drain plug "A" location

Tank drain plug "B" location

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4.4:

 Remove Sump drain plug "A" and associated copper crush washer: (12mm male hex key)

Sump drain plug "A"

NOTE: Have waste oil pan ready - oil will come out very rapidly!

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4.5:

 Remove Tank drain plug "B" and associated copper crush washer: (22mm socket)

Tank drain plug "B"

Caution! Be prepared for Niagara Falls of HOT oil! Loosen the plug and use your finger
or socket to spin it out of the last thread - do it fast and let the plug and tools drop in the
waste oil pan to avoid any burns.

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4.6:

Allow oil to drain from both Tank and Sump for 30 minutes to get as much out as possible.

Be patient! Allowing as much oil to drain will assure that the filter will not contain any oil upon
removal.

If you are fortunate and have a car lift, I recommend getting a large waste oil container like the
one I have as shown here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VZQYKQ/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

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4.7: (optional)

While waiting for oil to drain, it's a good idea to wash the under tray previously removed.

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4.8:

Reinstall Sump drain plug and associated copper crush washer. Be sure to always replace the
copper crush washer. Ferrari of Atlanta provided me the torque specification of 50nm (38.8 ft-
lbs).

Sump drain plug "A"

4.9:

Reinstall Tank drain plug and associated copper crush washer. Be sure to always replace the
copper crush washer. Ferrari of Atlanta provided me the torque specification of 25nm (18.4 ft-
lbs).

Tank drain plug "B"

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4.10:

Using shop towels / rags, wipe of any oil on the bottom of the tank, sump and associated parts
that may have become soiled.

4.11:

Reinstall the rear under tray. Hand tighten the nuts and screws.

4.12:

Lower the car to the ground.

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4.13:

Remove the oil filter. (Oil filter wrench)

If you allowed the oil to drain for 30 minutes, the oil filter will contain no oil and will make for a
very clean removal.

Oil filter

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4.14:

Using a clean shop rag, wipe any debris from the oil filter gasket seating area:

Clean this area thoroughly

4.15:

Using fresh oil, smear a light coat of oil over the entire oil filter gasket:

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4.16:

Install new oil filter. The manual specifies "hand tight". However, the filter provided by Ricambi
comes with a label as shown and states to torque to 25nm (18.43 FT-Lbs). That label
corresponds with the Ferrari technical bulletin 1068 (October 2002)

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Ferrari_1998_355_Oil-Change-Procedure_REV003.doc Page 19 of 23 Dave Lelonek
4.17:

Fill oil. The capacity is 10 quarts. Start off by adding 8 quarts: (You may use a funnel if you
prefer, however, it's not necessary)

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4.18:

After adding 8 quarts of oil, start the engine. It's a good idea to cover your driver's seat with a
seat cover or shop towel if you have been laying around the garage floor:

It's not necessary to put the oil fill cap on yet.

Watch the oil pressure gauge and be sure the pressure rises shortly after engine starting
(approx 1-3 seconds). It should read approximately 65 PSI.

Check the oil level via the dip stick, it should read "MIN".

4.19:

Allow the engine to idle and come up to temperature (Approximately 5 minutes)

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4.20:

Add oil until the level is mid way between "MIN" and "MAX". When the proper level is reached,
replace filler cap and hand tighten.

Caution! If the filler cap is on while the car is warming up, the cap will become
extremely hot!

The system should require approximately 9 quarts of oil. Although the capacity is 10, not all oil
can be drained from the system and approximately 1 quart will remain un-drained.

Notes:

 Some recommend disconnecting the Tank oil lines, however, I do not recommend this
since those connections are not designed for multiple removal cycles.

 The owner's manual specifies to check the oil immediately after shutting the engine off.
This procedure is very difficult to obtain accurate, consistent readings since the time to go
from the cockpit to the oil tank will vary each time. This is a dry-sump system and their is no
harm whatsoever in checking the oil while the engine is at idle. Later model Ferrari's such
as the 430 state to check the engine oil at idle.

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 Document Revision
Record
Revision Revision Date By (First,
Number (MM/DD/YYYY) Description Last)
Added torque specification for oil filter and
001 07/23/2014 drain plugs D. Lelonek
Added Torque wrench to list of tools
002 03/19/2015 needed D. Lelonek
003 11/18/2015 Corrected Sump and Tank Nomenclature D. Lelonek

Ferrari_1998_355_Oil-Change-Procedure_REV003.doc Page 23 of 23 Dave Lelonek