Description

Ferrari 308, 328 Workshop Manual – No Aftermarket Guesswork Allowed

I have spent twenty-eight years turning wrenches and watching guys lose billable hours because they trusted a $20 PDF that promised “concise” specs but delivered a jumble of generic diagrams. You pull the engine on a 308 quattrovalvole, you need the factory numbers, not some aftermarket translator’s best guess. That is why this Ferrari 308, 328 Workshop Manual exists – it is the actual document Ferrari’s technical service department handed to their own technicians. 115 pages of Italian engineering, printed in 1989, covering both the 308 (F105 A) and the 328 (F105 C) engines. If you are rebuilding a crankshaft, setting valve clearances, or trying to figure out why your oil pump lost prime, this is the only source you should trust.

Ferrari 308/328 Workshop Manual: Engine Assembly Sequence

Section B of the manual walks you through the complete engine teardown and assembly. It starts with the crankcase and cylinder liners – you get the main data for checking main bearings and measuring cylinder liner protrusion. Then the crankshaft chapter: you check main journals, crankpins, and end float. I have seen rebuilt 308s fail because a mechanic skipped the end float check and the thrust bearing chewed itself into the block. This manual gives you the exact clearance range and the order to fit the main caps. The piston and connecting-rod section tells you the correct ring gap orientation and how to measure big-end bearing clearance without guesswork. When you get to the cylinder heads, there is a specific procedure for checking valve springs installed height, and the timing system section includes the reaming specs for camshaft housings and the tensioning sequence for the toothed belts. Every assembly step – from fitting liners to the hydraulic test – is laid out in the order Ferrari intended.

Torque Specs and Tightening Procedures

Section M of the manual is a dedicated page for tightening torques and chassis hitch points. You will find the factory values for every fastener that matters: cylinder head bolts, main bearing cap bolts, connecting rod nuts, flywheel bolts, and even the water pump pulley bolts. The torque table lists values in both Nm and lb-ft. I have caught aftermarket manuals using generic bolt torque charts that do not account for the special stretch characteristics of Ferrari’s head bolts. That is how you get a head gasket leak at 30,000 miles. The manual also includes a list of special tool equipment – part numbers and descriptions – so you know exactly which tool to rent or buy before you start.

Check Crankshaft End Float Before Assembly

Do not skip this step. The crankshaft end float check is buried in the “Crankshaft – Main Bearings” subsection for both the F105 A and F105 C engines. You remove the thrust washers, measure the float with a dial indicator, and then select the correct oversize washers if it falls outside spec. The manual tells you the allowed end float range and the order to install the main bearing caps. I have seen a shop install a 308 engine with no end-float check – the crankshaft walked forward on the first startup and ground the thrust bearing into the block. That is a $15,000 mistake you avoid by following this workshop manual.

Transmission and Differential: Factory Rebuild Steps

Section E covers the clutch, gearbox, differential, and axle shafts. The gearbox chapter includes synchronizer checks, gear ratios, and oil capacities. For the 308 and 328 transaxles, the differential bearing preload procedure is critical – the manual gives you the specific torque for the ring gear bolts and the method to set the pinion depth. If you have ever tried to rebuild a Ferrari transaxle without factory specs, you know how easy it is to over-tighten the pinion nut and crush the collapsible spacer. This manual has the step-by-step adjustment of the gearbox linkage, too. For more data on manual transmissions in general, check the Manual Transmission overview on Wikipedia. And if you want a second factory manual for the same platform, the Ferrari 308 Workshop Manual on our site covers additional variants.

What Makes This Manual Different from Aftermarket Copies?

This is the exact PDF that Ferrari printed for their official workshop network in 1989. The OCR excerpt on the first page shows “Cat. 550/89 – Cod. N. 95990873” – that is the Ferrari part number. It is a four-language document (Italian, English, French, German) so the technical terms are cross-referenced directly. Aftermarket manuals often copy the English sections but leave out the critical torque tables or use third-party conversions that drift the millimeter values into inches. I have seen a “universal” Ferrari manual that listed cylinder head torque at 80 Nm when the factory spec is 35 Nm (first pass) + 90° angle. That kind of mistake destroys engines. For a broader view of the automotive repair industry, Automotive Industry Overview at Wikipedia gives context on why OEM documentation is vital. If you are also working on the 550 Maranello, the Ferrari 550 Maranello 1996 Workshop Manual – 223 Pages OEM Factory Repair is available on this site. And for a different era, the Ferrari Testarossa Workshop Manual – 557 Pages of OEM Specs covers the flat-12 powerplant.

FAQ

Does this manual cover the 328 models?

Yes, it includes engine F105 C specifically for the 328.

What torque values are included?

The manual lists all factory tightening torques for every major fastener, from cylinder head bolts to axle shaft nuts, in both metric and imperial, verified by Ferrari’s technical service department. You will find these in Section M, covering tools and torques, with separate tables for the 308 and 328. The table includes bolt size, grade, torque value, and angle-tightening steps where applicable, so you never have to guess whether a bolt needs a wet or dry torque.

You have read the section list – you know this manual has the data you need for an engine-out rebuild, a timing-belt service, or a differential overhaul. Do not waste another Saturday chasing specs from a forum thread. Access the Factory Manual and get back to your workbench with the numbers Ferrari approved.