Valve Cover FULL of Oil?

[whc03grady]

I'm at the beginning of tuning up Gertie ('71 Squareback) and I pop off the 1/3 valve cover and half a quart or more of really gassy oil (or really oily gas, take your pick) gushes out.
WTF?
I'll go feel the valves now that it's all over the street....

[whc03grady]

#1 exhaust was t.i.g.h.t.
Uh oh....

[Amskeptic]

#1 exhaust was t.i.g.h.t.
Uh oh....

Gasoline dripping into the crankcase from an injector that refuses to close? Like a cold start injector? Did you find oil level too high on dipstick? Get that exhaust valve back to .006" and monitor. Your subsequent clue will be an idle that starts to putt or loss of power where you must pull over and check exhaust note.
Colin

[whc03grady]

Many thanks for your quick reply.

Yes, the oil level has been overfull. I've never put any in or taken any out, but am going to change the oil today.

When you say "monitor", you mean the clearance on that valve? How soon should I check it again? And what exactly am I listening for in the exhaust note?

[Amskeptic]

Yes, the oil level has been overfull.
When you say "monitor", you mean the clearance on that valve?
How soon should I check it again?
And what exactly am I listening for in the exhaust note?

Overfull oil AFTER you have changed the oil and verified dipstick, means you have fuel leaking into the crankcase. When you changed the oil, was it runny gassy smelling?

Check clearance on that valve again in a couple hundred miles.
It is a five minute job. Put car on level ground. Put transmission in 4th gear. Remove distributor cap. Push car until points open with rotor facing #1 sparkplug wire position if cap were still on distributor. Set parking brake. Pull valve cover and check #1 exhaust. Clean up and re install stuff. Let me know what you find.

To practice what you are listening for, pull an injector plug while engine is running. Place hand over exhaust pipe. Feel the putt putt? Bad. With a tight valve going burnt, the putt is even worse because of combustion pulse.
Colin

[whc03grady]

The oil I drained was indeed runny and gassy.