Topic: do i need to replace my head gasket?

[c(b)hris]

75 cb550K ~16,000 miles

over the last two weeks my bike has been leaking a lot of oil on the cylinder 1 side where the fins are.  there is a dramatic decrease in power.  the plug for cylinder 1 is coated in oil.  the other 3 look normal.  there also seems to be oil leaking out of the fins below the carbs.  maybe the oil being primarily on the left side is because it's the sidestand side.  the oil smells badly of gas, and my gas mileage has gotten dramatically worse as well.

all four pipes on the header get hot.  all four plug wires make a spark when grounded to the engine and trying to start.

ive done some searching and reading, i just wanted a second opinion before i got into this.  does this sound symptomatic of something that rebuilding the top end will likely fix? 

anyone have a source for a set of gaskets?

is there any other maintenance that i should do while i'm in there?

[scottly]

  the oil smells badly of gas, and my gas mileage has gotten dramatically worse as well.

Sounds like a carburetor problem to me...

[bryanj]

If its leaking oil it needs fixing but you need to cleanit of and find out exactly where its coming from first as there are leaks that son't need the head off.

Saying its on the fins just ain't close enough sorry

[c(b)hris]

  the oil smells badly of gas, and my gas mileage has gotten dramatically worse as well.

Sounds like a carburetor problem to me...

you were right on.
the pilot jet in #1 unscrewed itself completely.  i found it laying in the float bowl.
thanks for the help.

as for the leak, it looks like there's a seal halfway down between the top and bottom of the fins where oil is seeping.  it seems to be coming out on the #1 side of the engine and behind it, under the carbs too.

[bender01]

The oil leak is common and liveable if it isnt affecting power. Roll a paper towel tight and push it in between the fins where the seal is. Slowed mine down cosiderably.

[Tugboat]

^I used an actual tampon

[iron_worker]

Definitely change the oil. Sounds like you were pulling in way too much fuel into the one cylinder. You may have fuel washed the cylinder walls. Hopefully they are not scored. After changing the oil and fixing the pilot jet you should redo your compression test to make sure your one cylinder is still holding good pressure.

IW

[750K]

^I used an actual tampon

Hahaha, "holding back dirty messy spills for decades". That should be an add slogan or something, haha.

[Sdsbassist]

Could you just shoot some silicone gasket maker in between the fins?

[super pasty white guy]

My PO tried just this, and I can relate that it didn't help much... And it made the job of taking the engine apart much more difficult when I did get in there to fix the problem.

spwg

Could you just shoot some silicone gasket maker in between the fins?