Skip,
When you had the tappet cover off the engine, did you check it for
warp? Rocker covers and these tappet covers can get warped somehow, and
getting a seal is difficult then. But they can be bent back to shape
with some patient work with blocks of wood and a straight-edge. The
rocker covers can be distorted at the bolt holes, where the area of the
hole pulls down into the gasket. That area can be tapped back into the
correct plane too. That work will improve the seal with the gaskets and
should suffice to stop ordinary dripping and flowing of hot oil.
It still sounds to me as though the engine has internal pressure.
Paul's information is just what you need.
Have you checked that the rocker cover's air inlet tube is actually
open (I have seen them blocked off with solder or a screw)? Air enters
the engine at the rear of rocker cover, is then pulled down through the
block and forward to the leaky tappet cover, then sucked to the carbs.
You can blow on the rubber hose to the rocker inlet tube to see if air
can pass.
Have you checked to see that the carbs are actually pulling a vacuum?
The rubber hose to the carb should pull your finger if you cap it.
Have you checked that the tappet cover can pass air (Paul suggested the
screen might be blocked)? You could suck on the hose gently to check air
flow.
Then, I suppose you could see if sucking on the hose to the carbs
pulls a vacuum at the rocker cover fitting, having pulled air through the
entire system. If you try this, you can be sure your teeth won't rust.
Bob
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