MASERATI GHIBLI M.Y.94 2.8-LITRE

"Hello Enrico,

I recently bought a Ghibli II 2.8l Swiss version from June 2004, I’m only the third owner and live in France. In good shape with 115,000 Km, however I do have some questions:

1. Active suspension intermittently blinking red light:

Every 30 seconds or so the red light blinks rapidly for 2 to 3 seconds; the previous owner told me this was normal and shows the system is working. The documentation says malfunction is when the red light stays on, which is not the case. I don’t seem to feel much difference when going from 1-4 hardness in the suspension. In your blog you wrote:

"Usually, when a shock is faulty, the red light comes on permanently. Because yours is intermittent, and because it seems to be coming on in a timed sequence, this would suggest that the unit is in diagnostic mode."

Can you please show exactly how this diagnostic mode works, and where exactly the cable is that needs to be unplugged? Do you have a more detailed description of the diagnostic mode?

2. Maybe linked to 2, but when I changed the car radio, and noticed that inside the radio compartment there was one unplugged wiring consisting of a yellow and black wire with a white plastic clip (not related to radio) that is not connected to anything. Do you know what that is and what it’s for?

3. My battery is around 13v or one notch lower when the engine is running, sometimes above, but when the car is not used, when I start in the morning it’s only slightly higher than 11 V. Is that normal? Also the clock which is connected to the battery sometimes stops – I suspect this may be when voltage is too low. If this is not normal, can you recommend a procedure for detecting where there might be a current leaking? The battery was changed 3 years ago, but the car was not used often. I use it every day now. Can you provide some guidelines how to check for the power leaks or short circuit (or is there a typical one to check that is known and that may be the probable cause?)

4. The trunk holds open, but when I close it, it falls down. Does this mean I need to replace the pistons that slows down closing, and can I use any standard part? Also it doesn’t lock in properly when closed. Although it holds, you can push it up and down half a centimetre. The previous owner already had to replace the magnetic holder / opener.

5. Oil pressure: is on 2.5 when idling and 5 when running under pressure, however once engine is really in running temperature, then oil pressure at idling can be a notch lower than 2.5, and pressure between 3-4000 RPM a notch lower than 5. Oil level is ok – is that fine?

7. Handbreak (yes again): Yes mine holds approximately on the very last click. I always read you can tighten the wire, but nowhere does it say how to access it to tighten it. Do you have to take out the central compartment behind the hand break lever to access? Is that wiring something a layman can replace alone (like on a bicycle?)

8. Air conditioning: A. is there a way to fix the squeeking / chirping sound of the ventilator when it runs? B. It works well, however it’s always running the compressor even if I’m in Auto and then press Econ. Only when I press Stop and then Econ does it stay without cooling compressor. But then I can only set fan speed on one or two but not the third speed. Looks like the electronics is slightly malfunctioning – or is there something disconnected or that I can fix easily?

9. I would like to make a contribution to the community on the Car radio power plug color-coding, because the color coding on my Ghibli had red and orange inverted:

Maserati original:

Red: Switched power. Modern plug same Orange: costant power; modern plug: for dimmer light Blue: trigger antenna; modern plug same Yellow: for dimmer light; modern plug: constant power Black: ground

Only for information: the modern plug also has a blue white wire which is for amp on off.

Special Note: I got an Alpine radio, and it didn’t turn on until I discovered with the radio shop that orange and yellow were inverted. The constant power line only serves for the car radio memory, and must also be connected even if you only want the radio to turn on when you turn the starter key. Unfortunatly I can’t see the original color coding for the speakers because the plug is too deep inside the compartment with extension wires added to them that all have the same colors.

Do you have a copy of the Ghibli II repair manual CD, would you be able to share/send it to me?

Many thanks for your help.

Zhdan."