Oil smell in traffic - valve covers?

[Ruby Fan]

My 85 runs fine at any speed, 62K mi. I find that when in stop & go traffic, I notice an oil smell, and sometimes see a light smoke coming from the hood, I think mostly from the right(pass) side. Do you think that my valve covers leak? Or maybe a bad PVC? Is it possible for the valve covers to leak in this event and be fine when the car is moving at speed? All fluids, incl oil, check out fine. Any ideas welcome. Thanks

 

[boomdriver]

it doesn't take much oil to make smoke or create smell...just a wet spot will do that. Valve cover leaks are pretty common. Just a wet gasket will seep oil onto the hot exhaust and you get that smell.

The speed ? The faster the engine runs the more oil is pumped into the heads. It pools there to some degree and thats when its most able to saturate the gaskets and seep out...I'd think. There is oil in the covers at all times. I think when you're moving all the smoke and smell is pulled out from below where you never notice. At stop lites its able to rise and collect around the hood. Open it and take a good close look. If there is a gasket leak there will be some evidence somewhere.

 

[G Winter]

One or two drops of oil make a lot of smoke.. at speed there is enough air movement that you won't smell it.
60k I would suspect valve cover gaskets. The second thing to look at is the oil pressure sending unit
next to the distributer. Most time the oil from the sending unit don't make it to the exhaust pipe .