well, I musta screwed somethin up....

[dave Esch]

As many of you know I just did a complete engine rebuild on my 76 k. I got the brake caliper seal and reassembled this afternoon. Finally after months of work I went out on a maiden voyage. I started it up and realized that, just like before the build, I had a misfire. #2 and 3 exhaust pipes were warm to the touch after 3 minutes of nursed idle. I popped the cables off the spark plug and received shocks from both. I started it back up and #3 fired but #1 quit. I shut it down. I gave it a look over, started it again and #2 fired but #1 still didn't. My neighbor came over and we discussed the issue. I started it again and all 4 cylinders fired. So I went for a ride. The power compared to last year was amazing. This bike never pulled that hard for me. I went to the corner (about 10 houses down) and came home to adjust the brakes. That's when I saw the oil leak. It's massive. About a drip every half second or so. The leak is directly over the #1 spark plug. If you look at the valve cover, it would be directly under the 7 that's stamped 750 on the top of the cover. It's dripping straight down into the chamber that holds the plug. So the motor has to come back out again. I am praying the head isn't cracked and it's just a gasket, o-ring or torque issue. I doubt it's torque though as I followed the manual precisely. A leak that bad though, I assume the head split. I have started and ran the bike 4 or 5 times before today and never had any oil leaks. I'm so bummed.

[Re-run]

Engine rebuilds are such a pain. And without pulling the engine(again), it is hard to find what it is.
Check the o-rings on the studs. Scrounge the manual to make sure everything for seals go replaced.
Apparently there are some gasket kits that do not give you everything you need. You may have gotten one of these. I wish I knew the names of the incomplete kits but vesrah come to mind for some reason. But I could be wrong.
I will see if I can do some research and find what else to look for.

[dave Esch]

the o-rings on the studs were a concern of mine during reassembly. The spots for the o-rings were wide and flat, and I expected to have flat cut orings to put in, but didn't. Unfortunately I had left them in but the guy who did the sandblasting pulled them out, so I wasn't sure what they looked like. There were so many gaskets and rings to replace. I did have a couple left over, but assumed they were for parts that i didn't remove as I was meticulous during the process. But I am only human. I know the kit i purchased was by Athena, who I found was the company who manufactured the gaskets during the production of these bikes back in the 70's. With that in mind, I'd just as soon blame myself to be honest. Friday I am pulling the engine out again, I was just hoping someone would know what is in that area that could possibly leak down into the head.

[Re-run]

I think athena kits are full kits. Something must have gotten buggered up. I have not run into that yet, so I can't for sure what it was. Still checking to see if I find something though.