[MaxHenry]

Hello - I just purchased a 2004 Maserati Cambriocorsa with 34,000 miles. The service on the car was great, clutch was replaced 3,000 miles ago. I drove it home from the dealer (2hrs) with absolutely no problems until I backed up my driveway, which is steep. I managed to stall it out somehow when I was in reverse and slowly going up the hill. When I turned the car back on, the transmission light was on.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[*MaSeRaTi*]

Rule#1 Do not drive in auto mode and do not use reverse on steep inclines.

These are very bad for the clutch..... believe it or not.
There will be more members with more knowledge chiming in soon, but till then, try doing a search.

 

[BigFoot]

I know it won't answer your question but I'd get a code reader to check exactly what the problem is.

As the previous poster mentioned, the transmission is rather sensitive to inclines.

 

[ghfoto]

Yup.

MaSer is right.

And congrats on your purchase - welcome to the club.

I learned so much about my car reading this forum.

And you'll find a lot of your "problems" are not unique.

Welcome and as you get aquainted with your car - weigh in or read some of the old posts here.

Gene

 

[MaxHenry]

Thanks for much for the warm welcome and fast responses.

I may be mistaken about the light ... it is the orange one int eh 12 o'clock position on the console behind the steering wheel - Is that the check engine light? It didn't come with a book.

Thanks Again

 

[The Head]

Max it sounds like you are describing the check engine light.

the trans warning light is red.

Two recommendations, first off order a manual there are a lot of car specific pieces of information in there that are very useful (special reverse mode etc)
second buy a code scanner so you can clear engine codes yourself they are about 125 dollars and go a long way toward enjoying your maserati as often as possible.

Use Reverse sparingly it is best to pull forward into driveways and let the car roll out.

do not use the auto setting it kills clutches

 

[GrndLkNatv]

Thanks for much for the warm welcome and fast responses.

I may be mistaken about the light ... it is the orange one int eh 12 o'clock position on the console behind the steering wheel - Is that the check engine light? It didn't come with a book.

Thanks Again

MaxHenry,
you never back an F1 tranny uphill... The clutch never really engages in reverse in an F1 tranny. It's a safety feature, and the clutch only bumps the pressure plate, so yesterday your only 3k miles on your clutch is now more likely 8k miles on your clutch... Be careful in the future to not do this and also make sure you drive the car in sport mode to eliminate excess clutch wear.

 

[MaxHenry]

Yes - it is the check engine light.

So it would be normal that if I stalled the car that something like that would go off? The car was fine on a 2 hour trip until I reversed it uphill.

Its snowing, so I haven't taken it out again, but it starts and runs just fine - moves forward and backward, etc ...

I wish I had known that about reversing uphill- thanks for the tips.

 

[MaxHenry]

buy a code scanner so you can clear engine codes yourself they are about 125 dollars and go a long way toward enjoying your maserati as often as possible.

Where is the best place to buy a code scanner?

 

[MaxHenry]

I found a few online, but is there one type that is better for my car? Also, is there some kind of chart somewhere that tells me what the codes mean - or does that come with the scanner? Sorry for all of the questions ...

 

[FormulaDynamics]

Obdii

Max, we do carry a basic ODBII Scanner that works well with the Maserati.

As you've heard, the car really does not like to be backed uphill. If you do need to do this regularly however our Drive By Wire Enhancement Module will help quite a bit, even in Reverse. In fact it almost feels, dare I say Normal?

Anytime you throw a code it's not a bad idea to use a code scanner to determine the source of the code yourself. If it's a new car, I would definitely either check the code yourself or go to a station that will check it for you and record the details before clearing it. Chances are it's just a result of the car stalling out and a temporary condition was present that caused the light. However it's also possible that there was a pre-existing condition that had been masked by having the code cleared.

Feel free to give us a call if you need a reader or to help figure out what the code means.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

 

[Vincenzo]

Max - you can buy them just about at any auto parts store. I got mine at Autozone for about $115 and it gives you the codes as well as the descriptions. You can check on Amazon too. Mine is an Accutron. Well worth the money and peace of mind knowing that you can pull off the codes in about a minute and know whether it's a problem to be concerned with or not. The OBDII port is just below the dash near where you knee would be.

 

[GCalo]

--until I backed up my driveway, which is steep. ---

That is the most destructive thing you can do with the F1/CC tranny.

You may have toasted your clutch!

Don't back up more than a parking space and never up hill!

 

[MaxHenry]

Man, that would've been a nice thing for the dealer to tell me before driving off the lot.

The car did work to finish parking both in forward and reverse, so I'm assuming that the clutch still works. I'm takign it to a local Maserati dealer when the weather clears up.

 

[GCalo]

Man, that would've been a nice thing for the dealer to tell me before driving off the lot. ----

Always best to do your fullest homework about a car before you get started with it.

The greatest slip is in reverse. You heated up that disc pretty good and the sensors should have kicked it to cause even more slippage.

Once cooled it will work but you probably cut 50% of the life off that clutch.

Take it easy with the shifting for a while to allow the disc to reseat and for the ECU to adjust.

If you start getting slipping or it wants to jump into neutral get your checkbook out!

 

[MaxHenry]

LOL - I can't catch a break here ...

The roads cleared up and were dry, so I took it out real slow. I used the manual mode only and everything was great - went through all the gears taking it easy.

BUT - the whole car starts vibrating all of the sudden. I slow it down - was very close to home and slowly drove it back. Sure enough, my rear right tire was flat! GRRRRRRRRRR.

I'm going to have the Maserati dealer closest to me (Spring Valley NY) flat bed the thing in and check it out completely.

 

[GCalo]

Don't hastle yourself.

Tires have problems.

Take it off yourself, bring to a tire shop, fix, replace on vehicle, and then drive the car again to restore your faith.

Then call the dealer, arrange an appt, and drive it there.

You'll feel better.

 

[ERS113]

Sorry but whats done is done. As they say "live and learn". I've done plenty of stupid things with my Coupe. I would even pay for a class in proper Maser driving. They are so different from the VWs, Toyotas, Nissans and even Mercedes that we may be used to driving. Just when I think I know what I'm doing, blam I do something wrong and I feel like I have done some damage that I prob cannot afford to fix. So far I have been lucky. Just realize you have a car that is not like others. And when she goes, and goes fast she is like few others. Take care of her the best way you can. This forum may be the best way to learn the proper way of caring for your car. We all share a common interest in helping each other.

 

[N2Speed]

Haven't gotten my Maserati yet, still reading, researching and planning - waiting for my bonus which comes in mid Jan. So what's the deal with the reverse in this thread? What I am gathering is to use it VERY sparingly? On a used one, how can you sure that someone hasn't made this reverse snafu on it? I am worried on a car that I am not used to I might not pick up a minor slippage - any thoughts or tests to perform on the car? Thanks

 

[Vincenzo]

You don't need to concern yourself about whether the previous owner abused reverse since either forward or reverse will simply manifest as general clutch wear. Before purchasing however, you need to assess total number of miles since last clutch replacement or, if possible, have a PPI or dealer tell you how much clutch life is left by connecting their SD2 computer.