My Ghibli II isn't feeling very well.
Can you help? Please! |
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Any owner having a problem with their Maserati can send me details and I will publish these, together
with any subsequent advice I receive, on this page.
Just drop me a line at maserati123@btopenworld.com |
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Rob in the UK writes: |
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"Can anyone please help me?
I have an Italian market 1992 Maserati Ghibli (2.0 V6, 6 speed Gearbox).
The gear stick sometimes jumps out of 1st gear with a violent ‘clonk’ – it doesn’t happen all the time but really spoils the car. My mechanic is doing some research on the internals for the box to make sure he can fix it before we remove it. We believe it is a standard Getrag 6 speed box with Maserati Modified internals. We need help finding out what they have modified and how to get replacement parts.
And if anyone can shed any light on why she is doing it, it would be much appreciated.
Regards
Rob" |
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Reply from Andy Heywood:- |
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The Ghibli six speed gearbox is indeed a Getrag unit. The Maserati Parts manual does not show any parts available for the box and there are no special tools available for it's overhaul. Therefore, I would suggest that there are no Maserati modifications to the box as these parts would normally be shown separately.
The gearbox is usually very strong and the only experience that I have had of it failing was in a Ghibli Open Cup racer which had led a particularly hard life. The simple option at the time was to fit a secondhand box and one was obtained easily from Italy. It is worth noting that the box is also that fitted to Quattroporte (with a slight modification to the mountings).
The only other information that I have is that I have been told that it is identical to that fitted in BMW M3, but as I try never to get involved with BMWs, I don't know if this is true.
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Reply from Theo Kyriacou:- |
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This might seem like a very silly solution but please read on! My 1987
Biturbo Coupe had a similar problem. It would jump out of 1st gear (with a
loud noise) when the car was cold. Usually first few first gear drive-offs
on cold winter days. Slight hand pressure on the gearstick used to solve the
problem.
The real solution was very simple. The problem was caused by the rubber
gaiter. There is a hard rubber gaiter (under the leather gaiter) held
tightly in place by a screwed metal bezel. When the car was cold, the rubber
gaiter would not compress enough to allow first gear to engage properly. The
spring action of the rubber used to push out first gear. By loosening the
metal bezel and forcing it as far back as possible (1st gear is 'on a
dogleg' in my Biturbo) the problem was solved.
Incidentally, a few mechanics had quoted me several hundred pounds to repair
my gearbox! |
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Rob in the UK replies: |
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Enrico
Spurred on by the responses from Theo Kyriacou (Bi-turbo) and your friend (Ghibli) I followed their instructions myself and so far it has worked. I’ve done 150 1st gear starts and it hasn’t popped out of first gear yet. This was in the garage but I’ll do many more real starts to make sure. I’ve laid out the procedure below for anyone else – mine is an Italian Market (LHD) Ghibli, 1992, owned by the MD of the Maserati dealership in Cuneo, Northern Italy:
Untie the leather straps that tie up the leather gaiter around the gear lever knob.
Pull down the leather gaiter to expose the aluminium ring that holds the gear knob in place. Three small Allen screws hold this in place. Undo these and remove the gear knob.
Gently prise up the front of the panel surrounding the gear knob (just below the seat reclining buttons) - it is held in place with a metal clip.
From behind the panel, pull of the switches for the windows and the seat back reclining. The adjustable suspension lead does not have to be touched as this is a long cable.
Lift the panel over the gear knob and place in the footwell - adjustable suspension cable still in place.
Remove the noise deadening foam.
Using a 10mm socket, undo the four bolts holding the metal plate in place.
Push the rubber gaiter down through the metal plate so the plate can be removed. Try not to let the gaiter become separated from the base of the gear shaft (beneath the metal plate) as this is very fiddly to get back on and takes ages (I know!) – there is no need for it to come off.
Cut out a section of the foam in the upper half of the circle (around where 1st gear is) as this can cause the gear stick to jump out. I took off about one centimetre.
File down the upper half of the circle of the metal plate - I took off about 2mm. Remove any burrs so you don’t damage the gaiter.
Refit the metal plate and fit the rubber gaiter in place by pushing up through the (newly enlarged) hole. Forcing the plate as far forward as possible (i.e. in the direction of 1st gear).
Tighten up the bolts. I left mine a bit slack to make sure there would be some play in the plate whilst maintaining a waterproof seal to stop water getting into the cabin. I will tighten it up fully in a few weeks when I’m sure I’ve cured the problem, in case I have to file some more off.
Reassemble the rest of the parts.
Drive and smile!
Thank you very much for the help Enrico, it would have cost me hundreds of pounds to get the box out and inspected and that wouldn’t have solved the problem. I’ll let you know how the road tests go!
Please let me know if I can help you out in the future, or if you wish to send any queries regarding the above to me so I can e-mail directly to anyone else who has this problem.
I do have one final query. The check engine light comes on at random (accelerating, decelerating, in town, stationary) for just a few seconds at a time but is very irritating. I’ve replaced the Lambda sensor (I was told this would sort it) but it still happens. Any ideas?
Thanks and all the best for the future with your excellent website. If I can help in any way, please shout!
Cheers,
Rob. |
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Gareth in England writes: |
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"I was wondering whether you could answer a small query regarding my 1997 Ghibli GT,
The car basically runs fine however when the engine is revved from tickover the auxilliary air valve and the boost control solenoid can be heard "chattering" .
This is accompanied by a slight hesitant spot until the engine revs higher.
A test probe confirms that both components have a constant 12volt feed and it is the negative side that is causing the momentary "drop out".
Another point which may be related is that when first turning on the ignition the auxilliary air valve ticks for about 5 seconds before settling, is this normal in your experience." |
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Reply from Andy Heywood:- |
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There is nothing wrong
with this car! All these symptoms are normal.
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