My 1997 Berlinetta at my local track.

I am creating this page to help guide others through their own F355 engine out major service because I have not found a clear step-by-step procedure anywhere else online.

I will attempt to cover each and every aspect of the procedure however there may be some slight variances depending on the year and trim level of your particular F355.  The car covered here is a 1995 Berlinetta 6-speed manual.

This service is being performed utilizing a four-post lift.  A two-post will have fewer steps at the beginning and end but otherwise the procedure is the same. 

I will say this now, replace each piece of hardware once you remove the item it held in place.  You will spend a few minutes doing this as you go or a few hours later when trying to figure out what bolt goes where.  Magnetic trays and plastic bags are helpful but there is no guesswork when you reinstal your hardware after removal.



Evacuating the AC System

Assuming you've already obtained the service kit (Ricambi America is a great resourse for OEM and aftermarket parts for your Ferrari) begin by performing a freon evacuation.  Any local garage should be able to perform this service for you, generally they will give you a credit for the amount of freon removed and charge you a labor fee.  To save money on this fee I suggest taking the time to remove the cover panel in the front compartment to allow easy access to the fittings on the AC system.  A phillips screwdriver is the only tool required to remove this panel. 

Partially remove the seal around the outer edge of the trunk by gently pulling upwards.  You need to expose the pinch seam from the headlight area up around the base of the windshield and down towards the other headlight. 

Remove the four screws securing the trim ring to the HVAC inlet and remove the trim piece.

Remove the screws holding the three metal strips that secure the trunk lining. 

Open the covers on either side of the trunk recess and remove the two screws on each side holding the liner.

The liner should come free with some tweaking but be careful not to cause any creasing, it is somewhat fragile.

Now you are ready to evacuate the freon.



Preparing the Car For Engine Removal

Position the car on the lift, be sure to secure the car by chocking one or both of the front tires.

Switch off battery power using the factory disconnect located under the passenger side access panel in the trunk.

 

Remove both engine bay trim panels.  There are three screws/bolts for each.  Remove the airboxes, you can keep the lids on for now.  There are three 10mm nuts for each. two on the outer side and one on the inner.  A telescoping pen magnet is a great help in retrieving the nuts and washers here.  Also remove the three rear nuts/washers and loosen the two front nuts/washers for the muffler heat shield.  Remove the heatshield by lifting at the rear then pull the shield towards the rear of the car, the front is slotted.

Driver side trim panel, airbox and muffler heatshield.

 

 

Disconnect the two power wires in the engine bay, the middle and forward.  They are located on the passenger side under the plastic terminal cover.

 

 

Remove the nut/washer securing the air intake elbow to the fender liner, each side of the car.





 

 

 

Begin disconnectiong the electrical connections in the engine bay.  There aren't very many and they are easily accessible. 

 

2X rear engine bay plugs

2X aft shocktower plugs

1X aft shocktower driver side plug

2X O2 sensor plugs (4X on '96-99 cars)

2X rear shock actuator plugs

Left to right; 2X main plug not shown, 2X aft shocktower plug, 2X O2 sensor plug, 1X driver side plug just above, top middle is 2X shock actuators, far upper right is 2X coil pack plug (already removed).

Driver side main connector, same on passenger side.

Driver side shock actuator plug, same on passenger side.



 

 

 

Underneath the Car

 

Place the gearshift in 4th gear before raising the car.  This will make it easy to disconnect the shift shaft under the car.

 

 

 

Raise the lift to a comfortable working height to access the underbody panels.  Remove the hardware affixing the underbody to the subframe/chassis.  Start with the rear diffusers and work forward.  The foward panel will remain in place, just go far enough to uncover the shift linkage.

View from underneath with all necessary panels removed.

 

Remove the 10mm head bolt/nut from the shift linkage. 

Remove this bolt.

 

Grabbing the linkage near the gearbox shift the transmission into 3rd gear (straight back).   This will allow the shift shaft to be removed from the car once disconnected from the rear coupling.

This is the orientation of the shift shaft coupler when the transmission is in 3rd gear.

 

You should now have a gap at the front of the shift shaft linkage.

 

 

 

Using two 19mm wrenches, break the forward jam nut free but do not turn it more than a half rotation or so.  This will make it easier to adjust during reassembly (asuming your shifting action is smooth now). 

 

 

 

Unthread the shift shaft and then slide it towards the front of the car and remove.



 

 

Grab two bottle jacks and place them under the rear subframe.  Jack up the car untill the rear tires just clear the runways.  Be sure to break the torque on your wheelbolts first unless you are using an impact.



 

 

 

 

 

Remove the rear wheels to gain access to the rear bumper bolts and inner fender liner fasteners.  Remove the screws holding the fender liners, front and back pieces then the center portion.  Take care with the forward pieces as they are fagile due to the louvers.

 

Unplug the license plate light connector (passenger side) and the rear marker lights (one each side).

 

Remove the two 10mm bolts for the lower muffler heatshield on the lower lip of the bumper.

 

Remove the two 13mm nuts/washers/plates on the outer portion of the bumper on each side. 

 

Loosen but don't remove two 17mm nuts/washers on the inner bumper mounts.  Grab your wife/kid/neighbor to help with the rear bumper removal unless you feel confident tackling it alone.  It can be done it just helps to have a second set of hands, less stressful that way.  It's a good idea to apply painters tape to the lower portion of the quarter panel to prevent the corners of the bumper from scratching the paint if you slip.

 

Remove the remaining 10mm hardware for the lower muffler heatshield, remove heatshield.