Smoke from under hood-

[mrwrong]

My 93 caprice with single exhaust, has a lot of smoke coming out from where the exhaust manifold and pipe connect. When I looked at it, it had some oil on the connection. Where I should at trying to fix this? Thanks in advance

[silicon212]

Valve cover gaskets. Make sure the valve covers are tight, but not too tight, although the centerbolt valve covers use an RTV seal.

[PeteA216]

I just realized Silicon posted a reply here, so I'm pasting my reply from the duplicate post so the other one can be removed.

It sounds like a possible valve cover gasket leak to me, but depending on which side it's on could also be coming from the oil filter and squirting on that area of the exhaust. It could be even coming from somewhere else, but it is obvious that you have an oil leak somewhere in that area, and when running the engine, the exhaust heats up and burns the oil off, explaining the smoke. If you're having trouble locating the leak, clean the engine with engine degreaser and a pressure washer such as at the self-service car wash, then run it and check for oil seepage anywhere.

[mike561]

Mine does this on and off as well, i know its the valve cover gaskets but just one of those things i havent gotten a chance to get to yet.

[mrwrong]

Thanks for your input guys. Valve cover gaskets are brand new, but I may have installed them incorrectly. Do I set it in the valve cover groove, or on the engine block itself, then set the cover on top? It's the valve on the passenger side that is causing all these problems.

[silicon212]

The silicone gaskets are put on the cover and then the cover/gasket installed on the engine. Otherwise, you will never get the gasket lined up properly.

[mrwrong]

Aright, thanks a lot! I will try to fix it tomorrow if it stops raining.

[bhw33191]

I had the same problem a few weeks ago and sure enough it was the valve cover gaskets. For me it was the one on the drivers side; i recommend replacing both unless you know they are in good condition, otherwise make sure the covers are tight because i know mine wasnt when i took them off. Most likely what happened when you replaced it was the gaskets were not glued good enough or didnt dry when you put the cover on, therefore the gasket got out of place when you were moving it through the maze of cables and wires onto the engine.