When I started my Jeep truck tonight to leave work, it cranked, and then I got a huge backfire, and some smoke rolled out from under the hood. I popped the hood pins, and expected to see a fire, but there was none. So I closed the hood and started to drive home.

After about 2 miles I noticed smoke coming out of the back of the truck.....a whole lot of smoke, so I pulled off the first exit and went to a gas station where I knew they had a water hose to fill up radiators. I thought for sure I had a fire brewing under the hood. But what I found was oil coming from the bottom of the passenger side valve cover on the 302 Ford, and running down onto the exhaust manifold, and smoking away. You know how one drop of oil can produce smoke as if it were a gallon of the stuff? Well, I had a fair amount of oil leaking onto the manifold, so it was really putting out the smoke.

Here is where it gets really strange. I thought the valve cover gasket was just leaking, so I got out some tools and started to tighten the bolts up, but then I noticed a piece of cover gasket laying on the fenderwell. AND THEN I NOTICED THE MOROSO VALVE COVER WAS BOWED OUT BETWEEN THE 3 BOTTOM MOUNTING BOLTS !!!! It was bowed out about 3/8 of an inch in two places, so a new gasket would never seal.

Called my Son, and luckily he was home, so he went to our shop and picked up a new set of gaskets and a new valve cover, and we put it on, no more leak.

What is strange to me, is how did that backfire create that kind of force in my crankcase to blow out the valve cover? My dipstick was also popped about 3 inched up out of its tube. I've had backfires before, but they are usually limited to the carb throat. How did this work its way into the crankcase? Could gas have gotten past my rings and into the oil and created fumes? (the engine is getting tired, so it isn't too far from being replaced)

Does anyone have an answer? Hope it doesn't happen next time I start the engine when it's cold.


Don