d1rtyc4r

My f355 now sounds like a boxer engine. Think of a WRX/STi with an aftermarket exhaust, and that's basically what it sounds like now.

I had someone listen and they said the baffles inside the muffler might be going bad? Not even sure what that means. I've never had an exhaust have issues like this on any car I've ever owned. I'm not even sure how the baffles could make that sound, or what would be going on with them.

Chalk up issue #3881 after 3 years of ownership of this goddamn car...

d1rtyc4r

Sound clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6YRO8CLRk0

Ignore the "check engine" light, completely unrelated to the issue...of course.

Mr.E.G.

I have read about these cars having problems with their exhaust system that can actually damage the engine, so definitely treat it like a big problem until proven otherwise. If I remember correctly, one of the cylinders tends to run a little lean, making the exhaust gasses hot enough to burn up part of the inside of the manifold (or maybe it burns up part of the cats). Metal can then get sucked into the engine and you're in deep trouble. I've read that one of the best preventative maintenance items on this car is to get aftermarket headers.

Let me see if I can find the info I once read. I may be misremembering.

Mr.E.G.

Okay, here's a thread that may be helpful: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348...eferrerid=3238

I remembered some of the details incorrectly.

There are several competing theories, but here's what makes the most sense. The factory headers are complete garbage. They made from really crappy thin-walled metal tubes, and the welds are not very good either. To protect the rest of the car's components from heat, the headers are encased in a fiberglass heat shield. The heat shield traps too much heat in the header walls, ultimately causing them to burn through, resulting in literal holes in the header. This causes all manner of airflow issues and ingestion of ambient air under reversion. This kills the catalytic converter. Once the cat goes, the engine can suck in pieces of the cat which leads to cylinder scoring. Some people suggest that the cylinders score because of excess fuel being dumped into the cylinder to account for an abnormally high oxygen content being detected by the ECU, but that doesn't pass the smell test.

This video shows the poor quality of the factory headers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3vwMXmLtwE

Good luck, man.

Mr.E.G.

Also, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that "the baffles in the muffler failed" is a dime store diagnosis along the lines of "the fuel pump is bad," which is the go-to explanation uttered by any redneck who can't get his car to start, as if ignition or sensor issues aren't a possibility (which are usually the true cause of starting failures).

mosesbotbol

Time for that Tubi setup you've eyeing.

Mr.E.G.

If it were my car, I'd go with those Fabspeed headers. They look legit.

d1rtyc4r

Hey EG, thanks for the response.

Luckily, my car had its headers replaced by the previous owner, and they put on high-flow cats (which occasionally trigger CELs that you just clear out). The high flow cats help with preventing heat buildup, so they result in the stock headers being much less prone to melting. The car was just in at a shop and they said the headers looked fine when they had the exhaust apart.

The shop I typically go to is a hike away, I usually just have the car towed there because I hate driving there (have to drive on beltways in traffic) so I haven't ran it by them yet.

d1rtyc4r

Heh, I actually find it to be the worst exhaust available for this car sound-wise. There's a company called Nouvalari that makes decent exhausts, or I might toss on the eBay exhaust (already been reviewed on fchat, sounds pretty good (if not insanely loud) considering...well eBay).

I do like that fabspeed made headers, but they aren't 4>2>1 like the stock ones are. They will change the sound of the car. However, if my headers failed I'd definitely consider the most cost-effective replacements, whether 4>2>1 or not...as the prices for stock headers are obscene.

rnye

I had the fab speed headers on my 360 (theyre for sale if you know anyone). Why anyone would replace known to fail OEM headers with OEM headers is beyond me but it can definitely destroy your engine (sucking chunks of header back into the motor).