1976 550 oil leak and unsteady idle

[rderrick121]

Hi, about 8 hours on the side stand and I lightly ran it just to make sure some oil got up behind the plug and nothing yet.... but i don't trust it.. Now I just have to figure out why the bike seems to run with so much oil being injected. my oil pump scribed line on the pump is synced when the carb gate indent is at the top of the hole on the carb sight window.. I am getting dark black oil almost grease like out of the joints inbetween the exhaust pipes. Should I get new o-rings? I think I may have messed up my headers at the block by trying to tighten them too much. The collar gaps are right (about 2 MM) When I tighten them though its like something is stripped. I am not sure if the collar is slipping forward over the exhaust pipe? All my threads are great, the bolts go freely in and out of the block, collars spin good. but after i snug it up good it just smooshes toward the block quite smoothly, like a shock absorber, then the gap becomes 0 MM

Thanks,

Richie

[Alan H]

Use genuine crush washers, not cheapo ones.

[Alan H]

Use genuine crush washers, not cheapo ones.
I fitted slightly oversize O rings (I'll check the exact size when I get in the garage later) and then use a ratchet strap around all the exhausts to pull them together. It doesn't leak then - trust me on that one!

[barney01]

Nothing you are saying about the collars seems normal. If you have proper crush gaskets in the cylinder opening and you have tightened the collars up, there should be no movement whatsoever.
With regards to the leaking from the exhaust couplers, if you have been starting the motor and revving it then switching it off, the black issuing from the couplers is more likely to be a mixture of water(caused by condensation forming inside the pipe)and carbon from the inner walls of the exhaust. This is all blown out the back when the bike is ridden on the road normally.
If it is oil coming from the pipes it is unlikely that pump adjustment is the problem. Its more likely to be faulty banjo valves which are supposed to prevent oil entering the crankcase whilst the motor is stopped. You can test them by removing the oil spider and hanging them up valves downward overnight. If in the morning the pipes have air bubbles in them then they are defective.