black soot from the tail pipe

[Smarlb1]

I am having some trouble figuring out what seems to be the problem. Not alway, but sometimes when starting or idleing, I see a nice blast pattern on my drive way from a liquidy black soot???? what the hell. I am also having oil leaking from the valve covers, but not the gasket, it is coming out of the cap on on the other side out of the vent into the air intake. I have a 1991 caprice classic 305. If anyone has a suggestion about what is happening to my car, I would love to know. I had reciently changed the exhaust that was falling appart, and figured it was just garbage blowing out of the catalitic converter.

[dxrflyboy]

I wouldn't worry too much about the spitting on the driveway when the car sits idling. It's probably just sooty water that condenses out when the exhaust system is cool. Aside from the grommets getting brittle from heat (need to be replaced), oil leaking around the PCV valve and breather tube is usually caused by excessive blowby. The cause may be either a plugged up PCV system (valve or hose), worn piston rings, or a combination of both. If you pull the breather tube off with the engine idling and put a small piece of paper over the inlet on the valve cover, vacuum inside the crankcase should hold the paper in place. If there is pressure there or you see smoke coming out, your PCV system and/or engine internals need attention.