Simon in New Zealand writes:

"Enrico,

Thanks for all of this.

New Zealand is truly a wonderful place to live - many open roads for the Ghibli to roam! However when it comes to servicing them I think it's a different matter.....................

I have booked the car in for its annual service and for the items on the pre-purchase check to be done.

A vibrating exhaust (somewhere) and a leaking oil seal relating to (I think) the cam cover(s). We shall see.

I speed read the various questions and answers relating to Ghibli II issues on your site and would like to ask the following:

First of all the main agent/concessionaire in Auckland does NOT have a diagnostic kit for the Ghibli. They only ever imported about 4 and the same for the Quattroporte.

The issue I have hear is as follows:

As mentioned in my previous email, the red light on the suspension pad on the centre console is always on. The car seems to ride very well however. When I turn the ignition on there is a short, deep, whirring sound, that once the car fires up disappears. However this same sound occurs when I switch between the different suspension settings on the pad, ignition on only. Does this ring any bells?

Is this something that the mechanics can look at without the diagnostic kit or am I buggered? Like the Lancia Thema 16V Turbo before my Ghibli, the electronic suspension was prone to playing up and owners simply replaced the electronic dampers with standard ones. Is this an option for me?

Secondly the check engine light tends to come on when the engine is hot - so I'm hoping this relates to the exhaust thingamajig!!

I have really stretched myself to buy this car and am desperately in love. I just hope it doesn't slap me in the face! Having said that I'm ?? this year and have owned almost 60 cars - most of them Italian. So what am I talking about. It goes with this blissful territory!!

Would appreciate your comments on the above.

Lastly I was concerned that there was rust on the underside of the bonnet and sure enough, having taken off the insulation, there were some patches that need to be repaired. I noticed that the glue used to secure the insulation seemed to retain moisture.

My question here is do I need to replace this insulation post repairs being complete or can I leave the underside of the bonnet to breathe?

My suggested compromise is to find some alternative, fire proof insulation locally and fit it to the car, but perhaps leave the front section clear where the rust has formed - I'm assuming due to excessive heat and water from driving in the rain being absorbed by the blessed insulation.

I have also noted that where the roof sill meets the top of the front wing / front bonnet spoiler, that there is a slight line of rust just starting to appear. Again I have noted from your site how to remove these roof sections (carefully!!) but wonder if this is also a common problem area for rust.

Am I going to be unearthing a vipers nest underneath this fitting? The previous owner did mention that on the passenger side this area had previously been repaired.

Otherwise the car is demon and I just can't stop finding reasons to drive it. Which fortunately i do everyday. I have the service due next Tuesday - 31st May, so if you could come back to me in the meantime that would be much appreciated.

Thanks in anticipation,

Simon."

Reply from Andy:

Re: Ghibli red light district??

"Hi Simon,

First of all the main agent/concessionaire in Auckland does NOT have a diagnostic kit for the Ghibli. They only ever imported about 4 and the same for the Quattroporte. The diagnostic box for a Ghibli is very cheap and still available through Maserati. It is under £100.

Doug in Australia writes:

"Hi Enrico,

I have a friend with his six speed Getrag gearbox (from a 97 Ghibli) in pieces at the moment and we don't seem to be able to source first and second gear synchros. They are different to the other four and also different to the ones used in BMW Getrag boxes.

Maserati don't handle any Getrag parts and Getrag don't appear to have an office in Australia.

I have contacted Getrag in Germany but they haven't bothered to reply.

Does anyone out there have any good sources for Getrag parts?

Best Regards,

Doug."

Adriano in Sicily writes:

"Hi Enrico,

I'm very happy that my cousin from Malta let me know about this "Enrico's Maserati Pages" and I have no words to explain my happiness, not even in Italian.

My Ghibli is a 94 pre-ABS model with 89000 km.

I have two questions:

1. I have the red light of the suspension adjustment control switch always on. But I can feel the difference when I change the 4 positions. Do you think I have to change the shock?

If yes the mechanic needs some Maserati electronic device or he have only to disconnect and reconnect the control cable? If yes after changin the shock the red light will goes off?

If you have some schematics or procedure to do this job I'll appreciate.

2. There is a very little idle instability and in this day I order new lambda sonda and new exhaust pipe do you think I'll solve the problem or it is normal that in pre-ABS Ghibli the idle isn't perfect?

I was born in Milano but now I live in Sicily, is a very nice place for holiday, if some Ghibli owners plan to visit this beautiful part of Italy with their Ghibli email me. We can meet anywhere in Sicily, I live in Palermo.

Ciao.

Adriano."

Richard in the UK writes:

"Hi Enrico,

Do you know what fuse controls the clock and how to actually remove the clock. Mine stops functioning a couple of days ago and I'd like to troubleshoot, but not sure where to start.

I intend to attend the concours, so look forward to seeing you then.

Regards,

Richard."

Reply from Enrico:

Re: That clock!!

"Hi Richard,

FIRST DISCONNECT THE BATTERY!!

Be very careful when removing the clock so as not to damage the wood veneer surround. If you ever need to replace these, it will be very diffucult to match!!!

There are two small clips, top and bottom of the clock, see the attached images. Carefully slide a bluntish knife down the top and bottom of the clock and GENTLY prise out the clock. There is no fuse for the clock. The clock is powered by a battery cell inside the clock. The only fuse pertaining tonthe clock is for its illumination at night. Regards, Enrico.."

Jonny in The Netherlands writes:

"Hi there Henry!

My Ghibli feels just great but should be feeling even better!

As you know, I’ve recently upgraded the turbos on my Ghibli for ones from a 3200 GT. They’re working fine (drove about 400 km this weekend with no apparent problems) except for one thing… the boost pressure doesn’t go above about 0.7 bar.

I’ve had the fuel remapped to accommodate the new turbos, which went fine. However, the guys at Rica (my local chip tuners) have tried remapping the pressure, but to no avail. It appears that the ECU isn’t even looking at the pressure map, so any changes they make to the map are being ignored and the fail safe boost pressure is being applied. They can’t work out what the problem is and think that there maybe several pressure maps on the ECU but that they can’t locate the one that’s trying to be used. I’ve tried to figure out if the problem could be mechanical, but it’s unlikely since the 3-way solenoid that controls the boost pressure is pretty new (about 6 months old). I’ve eliminated leaking blow off valves. Don’t suppose you’ve any suggestions or have heard of this happening before. Incidentally, there’s no engine check light coming on, so I can only presume that the ECU is NOT going into safe mode and that the problem is either the ECU itself or pressure regulation system?

I’d like to have the ECU controlling the boost pressure, since this is the neatest solution and keeps things more standard. However, if I can’t find out what’s preventing the boost pressure increasing then I’m tempted to install an independent boost controller.

Look forward to any comments.

Cheers… Jonny.

PS. The spaghetti cage Junior story was quite amusing."

If you want to know what story Jonny is referring to go to www.maseraticlub.co.uk and click on the Trident button at the top of the page. Then scroll down to the foot of the page and check out the 'The Maserati Junior' story."