Drilled baffles

So i drilled holes in my baffles, might have been a bad idea but not sure yet since then, oil will come out of my airbox. Does anyone have any ideas on a remedy or do i just need to replace the exhaust? Thanks in advance.

 

How much oil is coming out of your airbox?
The crankcase vent connects to the airbox, so there will be some oil in there. Is the airbox drain clogged? That will allow the oil mist to build up over time.

FYI. Drilling out the baffles just makes more noise.

 

Enough oil comes out to make my oil low. When i took the cover off, oil just flowed out the airbox. I changed the oil, which maybe a half quart came out from oil housing, took down the street, was losing some power then the bike died at idle. Walked it home, took the cover off and a slight amount of oil came out. As for the bagfle drilling yes it does change noise. But was unsure if back pressure was decreased and possibly cause the oil leak.

 

How much oil did you put in when you changed it?
Drilling th baffles won't cause your problem.

 

When i changed it, with new filter roughly 2.5 - 2.6 quarts. The second time the oil came out of the air box, maybe a cups worth came out. Slow leak since while sitting and not having been ran

 

So...that's about a quart low. You shouldn't be getting that much oil in the airbox.
We'll need to know more about your history with the machine, and all the work that you've done on it so-far.

One more thing. You stated the the oil level gets low. Are you checking the oil level in the sightglass after the bike has been on the center stand for at least 5 minutes?

 

I bought the bike a year ago. The guy hadnt ran it in several years. I believe the last registration was 99. Bike did not run. Ive cleaned and rebuilt the carbs, changed the spark plugs, the starter solenoid, tires, brakes, brake fluid resevoir, carb boots, rebuilt the petcock, changed oil and filter. After all that bike ran great last season. Ran great when had a couple warm days this winter around for a few miles. This year, changed the oil and battery and ran fine a ride or two. Drilled holes in my baffles and felt some sputtering at the end of the ride. The next day seen oil on the ground and also smelt fuel. Changed oil again. Tried to ride and made it doen the street. Walked it home and oil started dripping out of the airbox. Loosened the cover and oil came out more.

 

That detail is important. You have a leaky petcock and at least one leaky (or stuck) float needle.
Do not start, or even attempt to start, the bike until that issue is fixed.
Be sure to drain the crankcase and dispose of the oily fuel in a safe manner.

 

The petcock itself is not leaking. I can agree that one of the floats may be sticking slightly. It seemed to work (the float) fine after i took the carbs off and cleaned them and changed the oil then it died after thay.

 

Do you have the original vacuum pstcock, or a manual one?

If you have the vacuum petcock the vacuum diaphram may be the source of the leak. In that case gasoline will enter the crankcase via the vacuum line.

 

I have replaced most of the vacuum hoses, but that could also be an issue thats present. Its the original petcock that was on it. Ive replaced all the gaskets as well. I will be looking at it better.

 

Looking closely is a great idea. There aren’t many ways for gas to get into the sump. When you worked in the carbs did you replace the float needle seats? If so, did you replace the fiber washer/ o-ring (varies by model)?

It’s also possible (but unlikely) that there is a crack in the boss for the float needle seat.

speaking of model:Which XJ do you have (year, displacement, and sub-model)?

 

When i rebuilt the carbs i replaced all needles, o-rings, gaskets. It is an 82 xj550 maxim.

 

If your petcock to manifold vacuum line was a clear hose , you would be able to see fuel in it , if it's a bad diaphragm.
and, that cylinder will be running richer than the others.

 

That cylinder would be flooded out while the other three are running. It’s not a small amount of fuel that’s leaking in that case.