Hey guys, I'm doing the fuel injectors on my 86 trans am 305TPI right now. I popped off the passenger side valve cover to gain access to the lower runner bolts and did a quick check and saw the port closest to the radiator has pieces of a cork valve cover gasket jammed up in it.

where does this lead to and about how screwed am I? Gonna use tweezers to remove what I can but I'm afraid some probably already made its way down the passage.

Trying to upload pics but it wont let me click the insert image icon, bear with me for a second.

 

I know its out of focus but it's the passage right above the pool of oil.

 

sure looks like an oil drain back hole to me. it drains back down into the lifter valley area.

 

Just an oil drainback hole. Even if there was a piece of cork covering the hole, oil will still find another passage to get back into the pan.

 

awesome thanks guys, gonna remove what I can but won't worry about it too much.

 

Might be the New England winter weather, but that looks like moisture. You might consider running the engine for longer periods of time or changing the oil more frequently.

 

ill take a look when I go back out there but it's been snowing all day and my garage doesn't have heat yet.

I haven't driven the car since July of 2016. I was pretty happy with how clean the rockers were. No gunk or sludge build up. Gonna give it an oil change once the spring comes around

 

Here's the whole pic. Besides the grungy gasket surface, there's barely any gunk at all and it seems that only that one spot is questionable.

 

Figured that's the sitting/winter effect. I used to get that when I lived in Montana. Block heaters and cardboard in front of the radiator used to help in those -30F winters.