"Hi Enrico,

I am John A******** with the '93 2.24v (which has the problem with her gearbox). I did not try to repair her, because I am going to change her engine with one from a Ghibli GT. Of course I will also install the Getrag 6-speed gearbox and the Ranger® differential. I would like to ask for your help on what else I have to upgrade (frame, brakes, steering, etc), or if my car can accomodate the new the engine as she is.
Thank you for your time.
Regards,
John."

Re: 2.24v.
Hi Henry,

This will be a huge amount of work. The greatest problem you will face will be with the wiring. The 2.24v still has a distributor on its engine and a single ECU for fuel and a single one for ignition. If you fit a Ghibli GT engine then this will have direct ignition (ie a coil over the top of each spark plug) and two ECUs for fuel, two for ignition. This means that your wiring loom will have to come from a GT as well as otherwise it will be impossible. You will have to remove the interior and most of the dashboard to find room for the extra bits - the bulkhead is different too, as well as the various fuel injection connections.

That aside, the gearbox will be straightforward to change, but the axle is certainly not! The GT uses a completely different rear suspension system to the 2.24v and in order to fit the GT axle, you will need everything from the GT including the rear subframe.

If that is not enough to put you off then consider that the Ghibli has completely different brakes to the 2.24v which are not interchangeable. You could of course use your original brakes which would be OK but not recommended.

By the time the conversion was finished, you would have used the majority of parts from a Ghibli GT which unless you have access to a written off car is not economically viable. Even if you do, the labour involved in carrying out all this work would be considerable.

Best to get your original gearbox repaired - or swap the car for a Ghibli!

Regards,
Andy.

"Hi Enrico and Andy,

I think there is a misunderstanding about the car. I have already found everything I need (engine, electrical system and both ECU's, gearbox, differential, exhaust system etc.) from a '95 Ghibli GT, the one with the 306 hp and the Ferrari differential, which had a car accident. The owner does not intend to repair the car and already owns another Ghibli. I must say that the engine needs some repairs (caused by the accident, but nothing serious).
I believe that there is nothing on earth, more beautiful than my rosso 2.24v. (new look) and nothing more speedy and more melodic than the Ghibli. So these two things put together can give me a greater reason for living. That's why I am determined to carry on and why I need your knowledge and your help..
Regards,
John."

Re: 2.24v.
Hi Henry,

OK, now it makes sense. Well actually it makes no sense at all but anyway. All I can suggest is using as many of the parts from the Ghibli as possible but I still think that it will be a major job.

Things to consider:

1. The engine will fit no problem. Where are you going to mount all the transistors for the ignition which are on the bulkhead on the Ghibli which is a different shape to the 2.24?

2. Where are you going to mount the intercoolers as on the 2.24 they are in front of the radiator whereas on the Ghibli they are behind the fog lights and the bumper?

3. Where are you going to fit the battery? The 2.24 has it in the engine bay but the Ghibli uses that space for one of the air boxes so you will have to move the battery to the boot like in the Ghibli.

4. I think that the rear track of the Ghibli is wider than the 2.24 so when you have fitted the new rear suspension, you may find that the wheels stick out beyond the arches. Also, with the new diff, you will not have room for a spare wheel.

5. The Ghibli wheels use a different stud pattern to the 2.24. You cannot just fit the wheels from the Ghibli to the earlier car but if you fit the Ghibli rear suspension, you will have Ghibli brakes on the back which will unbalance the braking system. Therefore, better to fit the entire front suspension as well (and subframe).

Anything is possible!

Regards,
Andy.

"Dear Sir,

Good day, I found your website from Yahoo's search and indeed it's very informative.
However I could not find anything on Maserati's logo, I mean how it came about or the meaning of it.
Do you have info on this?
Thanks heaps.
Cheers,
Alvin."

"Hi Enrico, how are you?

I bought a Merak SS a couple of weeks ago. It's certainly not a rocket ship like the Biturbo I had but who needs the speed when you get the looks. Hey!!
I do have one slight problem with it though which I hope either yourself or Andy may be able to help me with.
The car is a 1981 model with all the Citroen hydraulics. It drives fine. However, having driven for quite a while, say on a dual-carriageway, in fifth when going to change gear - dipping the clutch, the clutch is no longer there and in order to get it back you need to pump the clutch a bit.
Under all other driving conditions it appears fine. Hopefully its not too fatal however better to be safe that sorry especially with these things!!!
If it is expensive please break it to me gently.
Kind regards
Lee."

Re: Merak Brakes.
Hi Henry,

This is quite a common problem with Meraks but the reasons for it can be numerous and complicated. The diagnosis should be as follows:

1. It may just be air in the system. This is maybe a straw to clutch but worth a try first. You need to bleed the clutch circuit which must be done in a certain way. Set up your normal brake bleeding equipment on the bleed nipple on the clutch slave cylinder. Start the engine and run until the low pressure warning light goes out (one of the big red lights between speedo and revcounter). Keep the engine running and get someone to sit in the drivers seat and operate the controls for you. As the working pressure of the LHM system is around 2,500 psi, you cannot just open the nipple, press the pedal once, close the nipple in the normal way. You have to open the nipple and then press the clutch pedal down. All the time the pedal is down, fluid will stream out of the nipple but it is possible to check for bubbles. THE MOST IMPORTANT thing however is that while pressing the clutch pedal down, your helper must operate the headlight pods continuously up and down and pump the brake pedal continuously with their spare foot! This is because the low pressure circuit from the clutch is also part of the headlamp circuit. Repeat this entire process two or three times until you are sure there are no air bubbles and then lock off the bleed nipple and roadtest. You will probably find that the pedal is good, maybe cured, but maybe after a while the problem will return. If this is the case, move on to stage 2.

2. There is a sediment trap in the headlight circuit than can become blocked causing the clutch to disappear. Remove the panel in the front boot where the windscreen washer bottle is located. Deep in that recess is a small metal filter (looks like a fuel filter). Undo the clips and remove this, clean it out and make sure that fluid can flow freely through it. Then refit and return to stage 1. If this doesnt work then move on to stage 3.

3. The LHM clutch assistance works in the same way as power steering. In other words, when you operate the pedal, you are opening a low pressure circuit. In itself, this does not operate the clutch fork, all it does is open a high pressure circuit which does the work for you. The mechanism for this is housed in the clutch slave cylinder in the form of a spool valve. The spool valve runs directly in a bore in the slave cylinder and relies on a fine tolerance metal to metal contact in order to seal. Wear in the spool valve is common and this can cause the loss of pedal also. Before you remove the slave cylinder, carry out one further check. Stand at the back of the car with the engine running. How often do you hear the curious whirr click noise from the main LHM pump and regulator. Any more frequent than 30 seconds means that pressure is being lost and the main culprit is usually the spool valve. To know for sure, remove the filler cap on the LHM tank and watch for fluid returning into the tank from the clutch slave (a pipe connects this return to the neck on the tank). If there is a pretty continous flow back into the tank then the spool is definitely at fault and requires reconditioning. Unfortunately though, if there is no leak back, the spool could still be the problem. However, now you have to move on to stage 4.

4. A loss of pedal means that air is entering the system somewhere. By now we have narrowed down the search but there is an element of guesswork about the next bit. The air could be getting in through the spool or it could be due to a worn master cylinder also. I would always recommend the slave first, but this is the more expensive option. In order to overhaul the slave cylinder, in my opinion the only company that can do this is called Pleiades. They appreciate the fine tolerance required for the spool and have them remanufactured and honed. If it were my car, I would remove the slave and send it to them for overhaul. It will take about three to four weeks and cost about £200. Alternatively, I have to say that Bill McGrath Maserati also have them overhauled at Pleiades but on an exchange basis and have a fully reconditioned unit in stock and ready to swap. I also have to warn you that you can go to all this trouble and find that the problem is still there, in which case, you should also send the master cylinder (behind the pedal) to Pleiades for a quicker and cheaper overhaul.

This is the basic concept assuming that the LHM system is otherwise in good condition. To establish this, first check the colour of the fluid in the tank - a dark, almost luminous green is correct. A lighter transluscent colour means there is water in it, which is common. This may not be disaster but must be flushed through. There is special flushing fluid available for such purpose. Also, we are assuming that none of the flexi hoses are ballooning through age. At all times, however, please remember that LHM is a different fluid to normal brake fluid and the compounds of rubber required in this system are special. Standard rubber can be attacked by LHM and a lack of knowledge of this medium can be dangerous.

None of the above is massively expensive if you are able to carry out the basic checks yourself. If you feel that you would prefer a garage to look at the car, then obviously it will cost more. Please however, do not be swayed by the little man down the road as he will not have a clue and it will cost more in the long run. Look for a Citroen specialist who will be more au fait with LHM.

Obviously Bill McGrath Maserati can do this for you. I rarely say this on Enricos Maserati Pages, but as you will have gathered from this mail, experience counts!

Henry, Hope you don't mind this. It is quite a tricky one. Thanks for the print. I will now try to translate it!
Regards,
Andy.