My 430 isn't feeling very well.
Can you help? Please!
 

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
 
 

Patrick in The Netherlands writes:

 

"Hi there,

I own a 430 of 1989 and I have a problem when I reach 4000 rpm.

Then the engine witholds and black smoke come out of the pipes.

When I stay under 4000 rpm there no problem at all.

Do you have any tips for me where I can start looking for the solution to this problem?

Thanks a lot!

Regards,

Patrick."
 
 

Reply from Andy:-

Re: 430.

"Hi Patrick,

The fuel mixture is obviously going very rich over 4,000 rpm. The most likely cause is a faulty rotor arm in the distributor which is quick and cheap to change. Failing this, check the water and air temp sensors on the fuel injection system.

Regards,

Andy."
 
 
 
 

John in the UK writes:

 

"Hello Enrico,

Can you please tell me the correct ride height & ground clearance on a 1989 430 and if possible the front spring length?

The car has been lowered by the previous owner. He put a "ՅՅՅՅՅ  sports kit" on the car which he bought from "ՅՅՅՅՅՅՅՅՅ" in London , who I think are Alfa specialists, although the receipt states the kit is for a Maserati!

I'm a bit more confused now than when I first emailed you because my manual says the car stands 1310 mm (51.75 ins) but my car measures from the middle pillar down 1346 mm (53 inches).

Now the from the centre of the F/wheel arch it is 630mm and that's about 6.6 cm from the sump to the ground which is a huge pain on the local roads, I have heard that the springs from a BMW 3/5 series will fit??

This "ՅՅՅՅՅ" kit was £206 in 1997 and I think they must be cheap springs and that they have sagged??

So I'm searching for a set of front springs but I think the standard 430 springs are a bit high. Also, do the rears come off a BMW? I've also been told this is the case?

thanks for your help,

Regards, John."
 
 

Reply from Andy:-

Re: 430 ride height.

"Hi John,

I have no real details that could help here as there is no information in the parts/service book to help here. We would have to wait until a 430 arrived to be measured. I am familiar with the "ՅՅՅՅՅ" kit from "ՅՅՅՅՅՅՅՅՅ". They offered this for a while. It may well be that the springs have sagged, but may also be that the "ՅՅՅՅՅ" kit was meant to lower the car this much. I do not have any leads on whether BMW springs fit - never tried. The original springs would be my advice, they are not expensive and the result is in my opinion about right as a compromise between handling and sump height.

Regards,

Andy."
 
 
 
 

Tony in the UK writes:

 

"Dear Enrico,

Have owned my 430 about 4 weeks now & think it one of the most all-round cars I've owned and certainly the quickest when the turbo's kick in. However, I feel that the power overstretches the chassis. I found it quite woolly and vague on fast sweeping corners (especially if there's a bump mid-bend).

Is this normal and what can I do to tighten it up?

PS. Thanks for previous advice re: auto v manual: I'm going to persevere with auto awhile as it is a very smooth box and the car is still very quick!

Tony."
 
 
 
 

Tony in the UK writes:

 

"Yo, Enrico,

Superb site. I own a beautiful 1991 430SE auto. Is it a simple matter to switch from auto to 5/6 speed manual. I am confident enough mechanically to have a go.

Regards,

Tony."
 
 

Reply from Andy:-

Re: Auto to Manual.

"Hi Tony,

This is actually quite a possibility and we have recently undertaken such a job. I would offer the following advice:

1. In order to make the job both easier and more cost effective, you need to locate all the parts from a manual car that is being broken up - this is not difficult at the moment! You will need not only the gearbox, clutch and flywheel but also the propshaft, pedal box and throttle body (so that you can get rid of the kickdown cable bracket).

2. The crankshaft tail on the auto car has a larger dowel in it to locate the flex plate than the manual car uses for the flywheel so be sure to change it! A useful thing to do while you have it all in pieces is to renew the rear crankshaft oil seal on the engine as even though it may not currently be leaking, they tend to dislike being interrupted!

3. The mechanics of the job are easy. It pays to remove the entire exhaust system in one go as it is simpler and you will also have to remove the steering rack.

4. The manual gearbox you should use is that fitted to 430, 222, Spyder, Karif, 228. This is a ZF dog leg box. I would not be tempted to try to fit a later Getrag five speed or 6 speed as this makes the job much more complicated, the parts are more difficult to locate and the 5 speed offers you a worse change and less reliability.

5. The axle ratio was different between manual and automatic. Unless you find a manual car's axle at a good price, I would not worry too much about it. The difference is fairly marginal and you won't really notice a great deal of difference on the road.

6. The speedo sender on an automatic is located on the torque tube for the differential. On a manual car it is on the tail of the gearbox. I would leave well alone and just make such you have a second sender in the gearbox, if only to fill the hole!

However, if you haven't already, I would drive a manual car before committing yourself to the job as although I have to say that I prefer it, the automatic in these cars is really smooth and you will find a manual car both more difficult to drive and noisier - especially as the gear lever 'zings' in second and third.

Hope this helps!

Andy."
 
 
 
 

Steve from the UK writes:

 

"Hi!

I have 1989 (Registered in 1992) 430 with an automatic box, it has covered 60,000 miles and is in pretty good shape.

The rev counter has always had a bad connection and when cold tends not to work without giving the dash a bit of a thump! Once warm, it functions perfectly well.

On my last outing, with a dead rev counter, I found that the car had no power all the while the counter was inactive. As soon as it began to register the engine speed, power was restored. Even when warm the counter did not function consistently and found myself in the dangerous situation of having to progressively press the accelerator (without any apparent response from the engine) until the rev counter cut in and the car surged forward before the counter died and the power fell away again.

Any advise would be welcome!

Steve."
 
 

Reply from Andy:-

Re: 430 rev counter.

"Hi Steve,

This is quite an unusual fault. The only time that I have encountered similar was when the rotor arm was faulty and therefore I suggest that you try a replacement as your first port of call. If that doesn't work then try to clean the body ground between battery and chassis as this can also cause similar problems with performance (although not usually a failure of the rev counter as well). If there is still no joy then try cleaning the fuel injection relays which are mounted on the nearside suspension turret on a RHD car under the bonnet.

Please let me know if none of the above has any effect and I will think some more!"

Regards,

Andy."
 
 
 
 

Philippe from Switzerland writes:

 

"Hi,

I'm Philippe from Switzerland and I drive a Maserati 430, 1989, 87000km. I bought her in November 2000.

Since then the differential makes "clack" when I stop the car. But also when I push the clutch to change gear it makes "clack". Is that a serious problem?

My Maserati-dealer said that this is normal...

Some weeks ago I drove a 430 4v. I realized that the 4v engine is much more soft than my 3v engine which vibrates more. Is that vibration normal?

Thanks a lot!

Philippe."
 
 

Reply from Andy:-

 

Re: 430.

The noise you describe is probably coming from the differential unit or the splined coupling which transmits drive to it. There is always a certain amount of noise when taking up drive and it is difficult to ascertain whether what you have is normal or excessive. If you want to check then you will have to remove the differential from the car and look at the condition of the splines (Maserati themselves identified this problem and told their dealers to glue the splines together to cut down the noise and the wear).

However, I am surprised that you say that the 4v engine is smoother than your 430 engine as usually they actually feel rougher. Maybe you have a running problem with your car which should be checked out or even a problem with the engine mountings which is causing the engine to vibrate too much in the chassis.

Andy.
 
 
 
 

John from England writes:

 

"Hello Enrico,

Hope things with you are good.

I am trying to buy a set of locking wheelnuts for my 1989 430 but so far with no luck.

The first problem is that they are not listed in the shops books and the young fella's say "A what?"

I have found out that they sell either 12x1.25 or 1.5 threads which do not fit.

Can you help Enrico?.

Kind Regards,

John."
 
 

Reply from John:-

 

Re: Locking nuts.

Thank you for taking the time to find out, someone else told me that the bolts are the same as fitted to an S class Mercedes.

I bought a set and they fit fine and are the right length (about 38mm), they only cost GB £22 so I'm pleased with that.

Perhaps you would like to pass on this information. Thanks again,

Kind regards,

John.
 
 
 
 

Rehan in the UK writes:

 

"Hi,
I am looking for wheel specifications for the Maserati 430 (1990 model year). I would be grateful if you could email me the pitch circle diameter (PCD), offset, and centrebore measurements for the above model.
Thanks & regards,
Rehan."
 
 
 
 

Marino in Switzerland wrote:

 

"I speak only German, but I try once more. I wish to find new wheels for my Maserati 430. But I don't want the original Maserati wheels. I'm in search of custom wheels with more inches, differently from the original Maserati 15 inch. And now my Question. Do you know a Garage or a private person where they sell such wheels?
Yours sincerely, Marino"
 
 

Reply from Andy Heywood:-

 

The safest option here is to buy the OZ 7x16 wheels that were fitted to the 2.24v, 4.24v, 222 4v, 430 4v and late Spyder. These are very nice looking seven spoke items and you can still obtain them from Maserati. They suit the car and don't look too non-original.
 
 
 
 

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