Marc:
No, your exhaust pipe connections to the exhaust header should not be loose
at all! As you say, each fitting has three bolts, and the 'air tight'
connection is assured by a compressable (asbestos?) O-ring that slips around
each end of the exhaust (the "male" of the species in this tube to tube
connection). Its possible that one or both of these O-rings has somehow
failed and wants replacing. Be a bit careful with the bolts; they are by
now quite successfully heat treated and may be quite brittle. You'll likely
want to replace them too.
Regardless, fix it! If you can smell the exhaust in the car that means
you're also breathing odorless carbon monoxide and acidic carbon dioxide,
among other delightful engine gas expectorations, that share the quality of
being incompatible with brain function (consciousness) and general vitality
(you know, the "life thing").
Will "Dr. Detroit" Zehring
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