R99 NNA - 2002 Maserati 4200

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
Welcome to the forum.

You really should take the rest of that wrap off... If anything it will help with the resale value of your car.

The side skirts come off quite easily I think it's wheel arch liners off undo the side skirt retaining bolts and then it's just held on with Velcro. I'll be taking mine off this winter to see the state of the panel underneath

Wing mirror might be a little more fiddly but the door cards come off very easily there is a how to thread on it somewhere (door cards not wing mirror)
 

Jonathan

Junior Member
Messages
57
Yes will get it done. .although I have no garage so not sure how i can get a heat gun onto it..will have to use an extension cable throught the front door..just needs lower side skirts and wing mirrors doing..
1st priority is to find out why the engine management light keeps coming on...having that diagnosed at the moment...hoping it's a sensor rather than something more sinister /expensive...
 

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
When you get the sideskirts off you can wash them clean and bring them in the house to get the wrap off... Not sure about the wing mirror if the whole assembly comes off then you can do the same with that.

Invest £20 in a odbII code reader off amazon or ebay. You can diagnose basic faults such as exhaust sensor and reset them. Watch out for the Bluetooth ones often you have to pay for the app to be able to get all of the features Inc clearing fault codes
 

Jonathan

Junior Member
Messages
57
Sure i've got a code reader it's complaining about cat heat efficiency...both sides...no other symptoms so hopefully a sensor or leak rather than dead cats...that's what I'm having looked at..
On the side skirts...so they have have to come off to remove the wrap rather than do in situ?
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,546
Sure i've got a code reader it's complaining about cat heat efficiency...both sides...no other symptoms so hopefully a sensor or leak rather than dead cats...that's what I'm having looked at..

More likely secondary air system, surely? Can you hear it on start up?

C
 

TimR

Member
Messages
2,656
I had this recently too...
Its always worth clearing the fault and see if it returns IME.

Good luck...!
 

Jonathan

Junior Member
Messages
57
I think so...smdg Ferrari are going to look at it for me though..so will have an answer soon I guess...they seemed to think dead cats were unlikely. ...it drives/sounds like a dream. Will be trying to fix these things myself as far as possible...have a bit of spanner experience but new to Maserati and not much room at my current house for car maintenance.
 

Jonathan

Junior Member
Messages
57
I had this recently too...
Its always worth clearing the fault and see if it returns IME.

Good luck...!
Yes have cleared a couple of times but comes back after a few miles so need it sorted. ..or at least confirmed it's nothing serious. .
 

TimR

Member
Messages
2,656
Yes have cleared a couple of times but comes back after a few miles so need it sorted. ..or at least confirmed it's nothing serious. .

Apparently the pipes can develop leaks as they corrode...
The hoses on mine were all pushed on ..I used lockwire to help seal them after I pulled it, checked it for leaks, painted it and put it back on...( I was doing the alternator )
Hopefully it's something simple...
It sure helps manage running costs if you can turn a wrench...! ;)
 

Jonathan

Junior Member
Messages
57
Apparently the pipes can develop leaks as they corrode...
The hoses on mine were all pushed on ..I used lockwire to help seal them after I pulled it, checked it for leaks, painted it and put it back on...( I was doing the alternator )
Hopefully it's something simple...
It sure helps manage running costs if you can turn a wrench...! ;)
Yes my money is on a leak or a sensor.
 

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
Secondary air system can leak from the black metal pipework at the front of the engine due to corrosion as Tim mentioned

What model year is your car? The 2002 classico models had 4no lambda probes like the rest of the 4.2 V8s which come up as bank 1 or 2 sensor 1 or 2 error... But it also has 2no thermocouple probes that go into the cats... These were removed from MY03 onwards. If yours is a MY02 maybe one of these failing these could cause that error(?)

I have always thought the wrap was left on the side skirts and wing mirrors of that car because it requires an extra step in order to take the wrap off those panels i.e. removing the wing mirror or sideskirts... Hopefully I'm wrong :)
 

Jonathan

Junior Member
Messages
57
Verdict from SMDG is there is nothing wrong.....other than possibly due to the aftermarket exhaust and CAT's which are fitting are sometimes throwing the sensors just enough over their tolerances to trigger an error. A quirk of the car if you like.
This is a relief...although could potentially be an issue at MOT time if the light decides to come on during the test!
 

TimR

Member
Messages
2,656
Its not the first time Ive read of owners reporting this & emissions issues with after market pipes.
 

Jonathan

Junior Member
Messages
57
I had in my mind the exhaust may be the issue. I'm assuming no emissions problems as it passed an MOT in May with no issues.
 

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
Verdict from SMDG is there is nothing wrong.....other than possibly due to the aftermarket exhaust and CAT's which are fitting are sometimes throwing the sensors just enough over their tolerances to trigger an error. A quirk of the car if you like.
This is a relief...although could potentially be an issue at MOT time if the light decides to come on during the test!

Two pretty simple solutions to this one mate both relatively similar. You need to trick the lambas into thinking the car is running "as standard". You can do this by either fitting spacers to move the lambda probe out of the firing line inside the exhaust which negates any errors thrown by the brove overheating due to the freer flowing exhaust... or Voicey was telling me about these mini cats that screw into the threaded hole in the exhaust. The lambda then screws into the mini cat which essentially tricks the car into thinking the emmissions are cleaner than they are.