Blog – Guides, Restoration & Classic Car World
Ferrari 308 Engine Maintenance: Complete Workshop Guide
The Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS was Maranello’s first model designed for series production, and that is precisely why it is one of the most accessible Ferraris to maintain — as long as you know its weak points. In this guide we cover the key service items, the real intervals we recommend in the workshop, and the OEM parts worth identifying before something fails on you.
Oil, filters and the famous cam belt service
The 308 V8 — across all variants (2-valve, 4-valve, carburettor or fuel injection) — needs an oil change every 5,000 km or yearly, whichever comes first. We often see low-mileage cars getting an oil change every couple of years: bad idea. Oil degrades from contamination and humidity, not just use, and a Ferrari sitting in a garage suffers as much as one being driven.
Cam belts are the headline service: every 5 years or 30,000 km, no negotiation. A broken belt on a 308 means bent valves and a head rebuild. Take the opportunity to inspect tensioners, the water pump seal and the cam cover gasket.
Cooling: the most underestimated job
The 308 cooling system is complex: mid-mounted engine, front radiator, long runs of pipework crossing the chassis. Bad bleeding leaves air pockets that cause localised overheating. We recommend:
- Coolant change every 2 years, always cold and with the bleed valve properly opened.
- Annual visual inspection of hoses: rubber ages whether you drive the car or not.
- Water pump: if it is over 60,000 km or 8 years since its last replacement, schedule it.
Carburettors and Bosch K-Jetronic injection
Carburetted 308s (Weber 40 DCNF) are simple but need fine synchronisation every couple of years. K-Jetronic injected cars are more reliable day-to-day, but when the fuel pressure regulator or fuel distributor starts to fail, the car becomes unpredictable. A cylinder compression check + fuel pressure reading every 4-5 years saves serious trouble.
Brakes, suspension and bodywork
308 brakes are robust but callipers seize on low-use cars. If you have not touched them in two years, strip them down, clean and check the pistons. Suspension (arms, bushes, dampers) usually needs a refresh at 80,000-100,000 km. On bodywork, always check the rear wheel arches and sill panels: those are the spots where we find most rust when we strip a car down.
OEM parts worth identifying upfront
Our catalogue carries verified original Ferrari references for the 308: cam belt service, cooling, trim, emblems and accessories. If you need to source a specific part and it is not on the site, send us the VIN and we will verify within one working day.