'97 F355 Spider runs TERRIBLE after header swap

Hi all -

First of all, please note that I am consulting on this issue for my parents, and the car is 1,000 miles distant from me, so any requests to "jiggle this wire", and "check that connection" may need a 24h wait before being completed.

Now onto the issue:

The car is a 1997 355 Spider (gated). Knowing that the headers were OEM Ferrari and an unknown on this particular car, my father elected to replace them proactively with a set of FabSpeeds. The header blankets were also ordered and installed at the same time by a local shop.

As far as I know of the install, the oil tank was removed to facilitate the installation of the RH header.

When the car was returned it was running rough and was having idle issues, and smoking. It was assumed that the smoking was due to the oils built up on the inside and outside of the headers during production and installation. My dad drove it back to his house (~4-5 miles), under the assumption that the ECU was 're-learning' the new header parameters. When he got to the last few feet of the drive, the oil light illuminated, and he shut the car down immediately. A hot engine oil check showed that the oil level was correct (if not a tad high). Several subsequent starts resulted in less and less smoke around the car (a good sign), but the idle was miserable, and it definitely did not run correctly.

My dad and I spoke, and on the third restart, after waiting for the car to come to temperature (all gauges reading normal), he revved and held the RPMs at 3-4k, and there was a definite stumble going on. On a rev higher than 4k, my mother noted flames coming out the tail pipes and the 'slow down' light came on (because of course it did).

Also worthy of note: This particular car has had a CEL for a couple of months or so, giving the whole slew of O2 sensor and catalyst inefficiency codes. As I am not near the car, I am unsure if it is still throwing codes, or has any pending - but I'd bet money that nothing has changed in this particular piece of the equation.

At this point, we are thinking that all four O2 sensors were killed by the smoke... are we on the right path? I would assume that changing a header wouldn't suddenly cause the car to go berserk (as it is a hard part, not electronics).

P.S. - is anyone using the FabSpeed header blankets in addition to the headers themselves? I am curious for some feedback on these...

 

I will be up there in person on 9/1. I am hopeful it can be resolved by then so I'm driving the 355 instead of working on it.

I'll see if there are codes and post them here.

 

Well, that is good news.

Safe to assume that the smoke out the tailpipes will also subside as the production oils are burned off? This car had no smoking issues prior to the install.

 

I thought that the EVAP system was related to OBD2 fuel vapors/emissions, not oil... Are you referring to the crank vent system?

I am not familiar with dry sump cars, so it's definitely a lesson - how much oil in the tank is considered 'too' overfull?

Knowing that the tank must have been drained in order to pull it out, then re-filled after the installation was completed, I would assume a minor fluid level variance here.

 

The car has cats that were replaced with Ferrari OEM in July 2014.

 

A further bit of information - my dad is replacing both rear O2 sensors as I type this. The bulb of the one on the RH side was very sooty (black).

During this operation - it was discovered that the replaced cats had O2 sensor extenders on the rear sensors. FabSpeed recommended removal of these.

 

Current CEL codes are as follows:
P0432 Main Catalyst Efficiency (Bank 2) Below Threshold (max)
P0422 Main Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshold (max)
P0446 Evaporative Emission Control System Vent Valve Malfunction (max)
P0454 Evaporative Emission Control System Pressure Sensor Intermittent

However, the EVAP codes (thanks, Dave for the jinx ;-) are new. Previously (prior to header install), he was getting both front/rear O2 sensor and cat efficiency errors on both banks all at once.

 

Would overfull oil cause the terrible running as described??

 

Again - I don't have eyes on the car - but assumed to be Ferrari OEM replacements. They were replaced in July, 2015 at FCI in Greensboro, NC.

At the same time, both exhaust temp sensor ECUs were replaced. It got new spark plugs a year prior.

I have no records of the O2 sensors having ever been replaced.

EDIT: Just confirmed that the 7/15 replacements were OEM.