Re: 222SE idling.

"This is curious. Idling at 2,000rpm is not correct on the UK spec car without catalytic converter, yet you say that you have the electronic shocks which on a 222SE (or indeed E) you should not have. This would suggest that what you have is either a 222SR to UK spec (which has small headlights one round, one oblong per side) or you have a car originally destined for another market.

If you have a 'cat' car, then the ECUs on these are programmed to set a fast idle speed when cold to warm the catalysts quickly. This should settle to a normal 1000rpm as soon as the engine is at normal running temperature.

If you do not have a cat, you have a problem! Most likely causes are a faulty fuel injection sensor for air temp or water temp.

Regarding the A/C, if you cannot get any air through then you probably have a vent flap problem. There is a vacuum pump in the right hand inner wing which should run with the ignition on and this creates a vacuum which is then used to operate all the flaps. Check the pump works, then start looking for an air leak."

"Hi,

I am a usual visitor of your web, I think its the most active!

I am a Maserati 222SE owner, 2800cc, 1990, Engine model: AM-473.

The problem is as follows:

The starter motor (Valeo) is broken (it is burnt). Valeo has not another one starter motor avaliable, but although I have not yet spoken with Maserati, I wish to ask you several questions:

-Do all the Biturbos have the same starter motor type?

-What other types or marks of starter motor would be compatible with mine?

I would thank a fast answer due I am desperate.

Another question... Hoy do I find the number of the car's engine?

Thank you very much.

Yours sincerely,

J."

Re: 222SE starter motor.

"Hi J.,

The starter motor for all Biturbos has been superceded by the Ghibli one but this is a straightforward fit. This motor does not fit any other car however to my knowledge. You should be able to buy one from Maserati and they are not that expensive.

The engine number on all Biturbo is on the back of the block (bell housing). Very difficult to see with the engine in place but easier when you have removed the inlet manifold and pipework to get to the starter motor!

Andy."

"Hello Enrico,

First of all, great site with lots of useful information.

Maybe you can help me with this specific problem.

The water pump on my 222 seems to be leaking, do you know if it can be replaced with a 2.5l carb. water pump? Are the water pumps on injection and carb. models the same?

I think I once read there were 3 different types of pumps but I am not sure anymore.

As the tensioner is also connected to the water pump, there may also be some differences there.

Do you have any suggestion on how to repair the pump if it cannot be swapped with a carb. model?

many thanks for your quick response.

Marc."

Re: 222 water pump.

"Hi Henry, The water pumps are not all the same but the supercessions mean that you can fit a later one on an earlier car and vice versa apart from - the first two litres had a different impellor etc but this is irrelevant to Marc. What you saw in the parts book refers to the diameter of the shaft in the centre of the pump which was increased to combat failures of the pump. The tensioner on all three valve cars should be the same and he should have no problem swapping his original over on to the new pump. What he should not attempt to do is to repair the pump as this is very difficult to achieve without breaking anything (need to make special tools to pull the impellor off) and also, because the impellor is an interference fit on the shaft, it is possible that it could fail/spin if it has been removed and pressed on to another shaft. TOO RISKY!

Cheers and Felice Anno Nuovo,

Andy."

"I have sent you a mail on my boost problems with my 222 4v. This is part II.

1) I have had a problem with the boost. The car usually does not want to boost to full for more than one second. Then it drops to around 0,3-0,4 bar. Yesterday, I removed the connnection to the knock sensor and cleaned the contacts (there was a lot of white corrosion/oxidisation). I put it back, but the problem didn't stop. When I drive the car with the plug disconnected, it will run with the needle almost to the first yellow position. I think this is a little bit too low. Can that have something to do with the disconnection of the knock sensor? Is this a "drive home" mode or something?

2) Check control light quite often. Very often when I take my foot off the accelerator. What is the problem?

3) Sometimes, the water temperature gauge shows different readings. On occasions it goes up to 128°, even if the engine is operating at stable operating temperature. If I hit the dash gently, it sometimes falls to normal 90° readings. I have tried to remove the instrument panel, but I can't find the problem. I think the sensor on the engine is OK. What should I do???

Best Regards,

Erik, Norway."

"Hi Enrico,

My 222SE 2.8-litre fuel-injected has a very high idle of 2800 rpm hot and cold. What could be wrong with the car and where should I start looking?

Stuart."

Re: High revving 222 SE.

I presume that no-one has been messing about with the car recently?

That being so, first check the obvious: Is the throttle actually returning to its stop? Yes, then with the engine running, pull the electrical connector off the idle control valve on top of the plenum chamber. If the idle speed drops to below normal, this was the valve needs replacing. If no then you need professional help!!!

Andy."

"Hi Enrico,

Thanks for passing along the information.

Does the speedometer go directly from the sensor on the transmission to the gauge on the instrument panel? I had high hopes for cleaning the terminals on the sensor because the rubber protector is torn open and everything was pretty dirty. But no luck, the thing is still intermittent.

I don't see any drawing or schematic in the Service Manual showing the speedometer cable. For that matter, what is the sensor (how does it work)? Does it matter which terminal is connected to which wire? Of course I forgot to note which went where until they were disconnected. But the speedo has worked a couple of times since cleaning and reconnecting, so either it doesn't matter or I got lucky.

How much trouble is it to take out the instrument cluster? Need to remove the steering column? Need any special tools? The car has a quite nice interior, and I don't want to mess it up.

I finally figured out that one of the fans was not working. There was enough air blowing around from the other one that I thought they were both on. I'm assuming that they always work together - if one is on, they both should be? I'm not losing much coolant, so I'm hoping that it is not a head gasket problem.

I purchased a Workshop Manual on CD from "Matthew L." and many of the photos in the CD aren't very clear, but probably weren't in the paper version either. As I have learned for the speedometer cable and fan wiring - both not mentioned except for a re-routing note for the fan cables - this manual is not all that complete.

In spite of these little problems, I drove the car all weekend, and it is quite a fun machine. No regrets so far!

Alan."

"Hello,

I am very recently a first-time Maserati owner: 1989 Biturbo 222E, 96,000 km, full and timely service history, 100,000 km service/maintenance done.

Although generally everything seems fine with the car (and definitely lots of fun!), there are a few things I am wondering about:

1. The oil pressure gauge is pegged off-scale while the car is in gear. At idle, it drops to just under full-scale. There is the proper level of oil according to the dipstick. The oil is (allegedly) 5W-50 and looks clean and new. Is this behavior cause for concern?

2. The speedometer frequently dies (about once in every three times that I am driving the car). It seems to occur when changing gears. Except for one instance, it remains dead until the next time I start the engine, then it works normally. Is this a sensor problem? Contact problem? (I don't have manuals yet ... ordered but not yet received.)

3. On two occasions, the cooling system temperature warning light has come on, within 5 to 10 minutes of starting the car. The first time after a few minutes of stop-and-go in a traffic jam, the second time while going up a long, fairly steep hill in town (so about 50 km/h with a couple of stops for traffic lights. The water temperature gauge was between 90°C and the next higher indicator line, and both days were hot (about 32°C), but not extremely so. The coolant level is fine, the fans are working and the radiator fins are clean i.e. not clogged with insects, dirt etc. The garage where I bought the car is trying to tell me that this is normal behavior for this car. Is the cooling system really that poor, or should I start checking for air pockets, thermostat function, etc.? Thanks for any advice,

Alan."

Re: 222E

1. The oil pressure readings you describe are normal.



2. Speedo problems as you describe are common. Usually a bad electrical connection, either at the terminals on to the gearbox sensor, or on to the back of the instrument. Both should be cleaned and tested before you need to replace parts as 99% of the time, this is the cure.

3. You definitely have a problem with the cooling system. The gauge should not go any further than 90 degrees and the fans should always be enough to hold the temperature down, no matter how hot the day. Air pockets are unusual but you should attempt to bleed the system to be sure. A faulty engine thermostat could also be the cause. Otherwise, you may have a head gasket problem.

Regards,

Andy."

"Hello,

On my 222E I would like to fit dump valves, so can you please tell me what PSI my turbos produce and if there are any factory dump recirculation valves already fitted and if so, how many?

Thanks Daren."

Re: 222 Dump valves?

There are no dump valves fitted as standard on the 222E. Maserati did not use them until the Ghibli Cup/GT.

I am not sure of the standard PSI on the turbos but I believe around 0.9 Bar.

Hope this helps,

Andy."

"Hello,

On my 222E I would like to fit dump valves, so can you please tell me what PSI my turbos produce and if there are any factory dump recirculation valves already fitted and if so, how many?

Thanks Daren."

Re: 222 Dump valves?

There are no dump valves fitted as standard on the 222E. Maserati did not use them until the Ghibli Cup/GT.

I am not sure of the standard PSI on the turbos but I believe around 0.9 Bar.

Hope this helps,

Andy."

"Hello Enrico!

I have recently bought a 222 4v. It runs smooth, but when pushing it, the boost pressure drops from around 0,8 bar to 0,4 bar in the same time as the accelerator is depressed. When this occures, I can hear a rapid "tic, tic, tic" - sound from somewhere inside the dashboard and the poweroutput is much reduced. In first and second gear, it uses to work quite well with a quite nice acceleration. I presume this has something to do with the fast reving of the engine (a result of little resistance for the engine), because at top end in second gear, I hear this tic, tic-sound. One time out of 20, it works at 0.8 bar the way up to the rev-limiter. What unit make this special sound? Is it the knock-sensor which makes the problem? It must certainly have something to do with the signals to the electronic waste-gate actuator on the torpedo. BUT WHAT?

I thank you very much for your help!!!

Erik, Norway.

I believe I am not the only one with this problem!?!"

Re: 222 4v. Lack of boost.

The noise you can hear is probably coming from the boost solenoid valve. This is a plastic valve (brown in colour) which on your car is usually mounted on the bulkhead in the engine bay. It has an electrical connection on the top and three rubber hoses connecting to it around the base. What this does is equalise the point at which the wastegates open between the two turbos. It will click a lot when it is either broken or has a poor connection and it sounds as though it is allowing the wastegates to open too early - hence the lack of boost.

As a first measure, you should try just cleaning the electrical connection to the valve. If this does not work, try renewing the valve. If this does not work, then it could be that the knock sensor is telling the ECU that there is knock when there isn't and the ECU is responding by killing the boost. The knock sensor itself is usually a very reliable part (just as well as it is located in the centre of the block and the inlet manifold must be removed to get to it. However, the wiring connection to it can be poor and so if you get this far, try cleaning the connectors to the knock sensor.

Hope this helps,

Andy."