Uh Oh, hole in my head....er ! 97.5 Roadster

 

 

Dear Lamborghinisti,

 

Well, if you're going to post for the first time, it might as well be a doosy !

 

Man oh man, I'm sooo bummed out. After finally getting to get the CEL's to stay off and everything running super smooth in my 97.5 Roadster...

 

I've got a hole in my exhaust header. !!

 

For a little while I could head a slight buzzing, a vibration of sorts. I kept trying to look for rubbing sheet metal. There was no loss of power or anything else. Ha ha, get this...no CEL's. I was noticing most dust in the engine bay but didn't think much of it.

 

It turns out the hole or crack in the header blew through the insulation and was throwing bits of it into the engine bay. The header is off cyl's 7-9. Where it attaches to the engine is fine. The hole in the insulation is on the side of the header pack towards the side of the engine bay ( away from the engine) .

 

OK, big question.....can the header be removed without taking the engine out? Again, it is the header from cyl 7-9 on the driver side. Is there a trick to removing it? It seems very tight. If it were on the passenger side, that would be easier as there's alot more room there.

 

The headers on the roadster are covered in a tin-foil like material and are packaged in like a bag-like manner....meaning, you don't see the individual pipes. The tinfoil covers a soft insulation...you can access the pipe inside.

 

Second question, can the header be repaired ...or should it?

 

If I have to buy another, should I buy the Lambo replacement? Do they have a history of cracking? ( like on a Ferrari F355)

 

When I bought the car, the headers were replaced in the last couple of years.( OEM roadster headers) Will this be a " fun " issue I will constantly have to chase?

 

Y'alls help is greatly appreciated

 

 

Shamile

 

I sent you an answer to this, on Lambo-Talk, and sent you a PM also.

Chadbourn Bolles

803 532 ****

 

Well, if you're going to post for the first time, it might as well be a doosy !

 

Man oh man, I'm sooo bummed out. After finally getting to get the CEL's to stay off and everything running super smooth in my 97.5 Roadster...

 

I've got a hole in my exhaust header. !!

 

For a little while I could head a slight buzzing, a vibration of sorts. I kept trying to look for rubbing sheet metal. There was no loss of power or anything else. Ha ha, get this...no CEL's. I was noticing most dust in the engine bay but didn't think much of it.

 

It turns out the hole or crack in the header blew through the insulation and was throwing bits of it into the engine bay. The header is off cyl's 7-9. Where it attaches to the engine is fine. The hole in the insulation is on the side of the header pack towards the side of the engine bay ( away from the engine) .

 

OK, big question.....can the header be removed without taking the engine out? Again, it is the header from cyl 7-9 on the driver side. Is there a trick to removing it? It seems very tight. If it were on the passenger side, that would be easier as there's alot more room there.

 

The headers on the roadster are covered in a tin-foil like material and are packaged in like a bag-like manner....meaning, you don't see the individual pipes. The tinfoil covers a soft insulation...you can access the pipe inside.

 

Second question, can the header be repaired ...or should it?

 

If I have to buy another, should I buy the Lambo replacement? Do they have a history of cracking? ( like on a Ferrari F355)

 

When I bought the car, the headers were replaced in the last couple of years.( OEM roadster headers) Will this be a " fun " issue I will constantly have to chase?

 

Y'alls help is greatly appreciated

Shamile

 

this is the first time I have heard of a header blowing up.

Has anybody else had this problem?

I thought these were "over built" from the factory.

this is the first time I have heard of a header blowing up.

Has anybody else had this problem?

I thought these were "over built" from the factory.

 

 

Hi topcarbon,

 

Fancy meeting you here.

 

The header didn't blow up but just cracked inside the insulation baggie. It blew out little bits of insulation material in the form of heavy dust. I actually thought it was just road dust ....we are in our dry season in FL.

 

I have heard of Diablo headers cracking. I was wondering if it was a design problem like a F 355

 

BTW, the roadster headers are different from your coupe's.

 

 

Shamile

I am not really sure if you can take the headers off without removing the engine, but my guess is the engine might have to be removed or maybe just picked up enough out of the bay so you have access to it. Too bad you can't see the crack where you could just shove some jb weld in there temporarily until you had to do majors on it.

This is a first for me.

This is a first for me.

are theRoadsters built with weaker headers? I dont think so.

Could this be the result of some other serious problem that resulted in a cracked header?

are theRoadsters built with weaker headers? I dont think so.

Could this be the result of some other serious problem that resulted in a cracked header?

 

 

I didn't know the headers were different between the coupe and the roadster.

I didn't know the headers were different between the coupe and the roadster.

According to Shamile they are. Its possible.

According to Shamile they are. Its possible.

 

 

Why would they be? The frame is exactly the same from the fire wall back.

Why would they be? The frame is exactly the same from the fire wall back.

is the engine compartment different because of the roadster configuation? Shorter?

is the engine compartment different because of the roadster configuation? Shorter?

 

 

I'll try again, the frame on a roadster from the fire wall back is exactly the same as a coupe.

I'll try again, the frame on a roadster from the fire wall back is exactly the same as a coupe.

well, than they should be the same.

So tell me this, why when I went to buy an exhaust, the pull down screen wanted a designation of coupe or roadster?

well, than they should be the same.

So tell me this, why when I went to buy an exhaust, the pull down screen wanted a designation of coupe or roadster?

 

 

No clue.

You had a CEL problem... Did you figure out what that was? Might the engine have been running lean, overheating the headers, causing the crack?

 

Just checked the partslist btw, the parts are the same.

You had a CEL problem... Did you figure out what that was? Might the engine have been running lean, overheating the headers, causing the crack?

 

Just checked the partslist btw, the parts are the same.

 

 

Didn't you have the CEL problem since you got the car? I seem to remember you mentioning the problem when you took delivery of the car.

 

 

BTW Shamile, welcome to Lambo power.

You had a CEL problem... Did you figure out what that was? Might the engine have been running lean, overheating the headers, causing the crack?

 

Just checked the partslist btw, the parts are the same.

 

Hey,

 

My CEL problem was the O2 sensor reading "slow" on Cyl 1-6 . It was only on stone cold start up . My Actron scanner which can display in real time would show the sensors running fine. I would do a manual check with a multimeter and all would show fine. I found if I bliped the throttle on cold start-up as the carter motor was slowing down, it would not trip the CEL. Maybe something about accentuating the sensor voltage sweep with the spike of the throttle.

 

If it was running lean, wouldn't the O2 sensor pick this up and throw a code. BTW, the affected header is cyl 7-9 I had no CEL issues on Cyl 7/12

 

Headers:

 

On the early Diablos, the headers are encased in a harder smoother heat shielding. On the roadster, it is encased in a tinfoil "baggie"...puffy and soft to the touch. The insulation material inside is fiberous cloth type stuff. On the tinfoil is a square stamp with manufacturning data embossed in it. The headers are OEM Lambo. If you look at Adam's engine out thread, the roadster headers do not look like that.

 

BTW, I like Adam's suggestion about JB weld. I can access the broken area by cutting the tinfoil away. I really don't want to do an engine out as the clutch is strong and I don't have any engine leaks.

 

I have noticed that quicksliver offers Roadster headers. The market must be large enought to justify the development costs....meaning, a design flaw? ...sort of like the F355 header problem?

 

I really appreciate y'alls advice

 

 

Shamile

 

 

Hey,

 

I just checked Adams thread again. His 91's headers seem to be encased in a welded aluminum covering....sort of like my 91 Testarossa. You can seen the clean defined lines of the tubes running down and sweeping together. The Roadster headers just go into a tinfoil baggies...no defined shape as Adams's.

 

Maybe, the internals are the same, hence the same part #?

 

 

Shamile

Hey,

 

I just checked Adams thread again. His 91's headers seem to be encased in a welded aluminum covering....sort of like my 91 Testarossa. You can seen the clean defined lines of the tubes running down and sweeping together. The Roadster headers just go into a tinfoil baggies...no defined shape as Adams's.

 

Maybe, the internals are the same, hence the same part #?

Shamile

 

 

My 98 roadster has a hard covering on the headers, no baggies.

well, at least you recognized that there was a problem before it was too late.

Header dont crack for no good reason. Heat would definitely cause what you describe.

I hope you can get it taken care of correctly, without too much expense.

I know how you must feel though. I hated when my Diablo wasnt feeling well.

Just got back from a drive and I just love this car.

Good Luck to you.

Hey,

 

Hmmmm....this is interesting.

 

My headers say "stamped"

 

Ital SPA GRASSOBBIO BG Italy

 

Order No. 131538

SN No. 001-128

PH Cust 004435459

PH TAL NI / 628.99

CONST. INSP. 1 7

CUST. INSP

 

I read this off the damaged header 7-9. All four header have this stamp on this including the 2 primary cats. Don't know if all the numbers read the same but all have this square stamp.

 

Perhaps I have aftermarked headers and primary cats? I've never seen anything like these advertised before.

 

I will check some on-line photos of headers on a 97.5 roadster and report back.

 

 

Shamile

 

PH Cust 004435459

That's the same as 98-99 SV. Older cars use another manifold.

That's the same as 98-99 SV. Older cars use another manifold.

mine definitely has the hard silver casing around the headers.

That's the same as 98-99 SV. Older cars use another manifold.

 

Hey,

 

That's the problem with the 97.5. I have found it's crap shoot. Half of stuff from a 97 and half from a 98.

 

Even thought the headers are used on a 98-99 SV, are they they "OK" or stock ones for my car?

 

Shamile

 

 

Have not read this thread line by line but Wil DeGroot has told me in the past that he has replaced quite a few of them.