Does oily smoke come from breathers?

[Renthorin]

I will be putting in a new hood liner this spring (love those mice) and my current one has what can best be described as oily dirt on it.

Not much but I am wondering if having the breathers on each valve cover is putting oily smoke and soot into the engine compartment and onto the blanket?

If so what would be an accptable way to keep that from happening?

I thought about putting a clear plastic bag over the oil filler breather and going for a run to see what collects in it but I don't thing that is a good idea right above the header.

I also have a dirt or other crud on the fins of my alt. Where and what is that stuff?

 

[Nocooler]

Under boost its normal to get a little oil out of the breathers. A breather can could be used to help keep under the hood cleaner - but if you are getting alot of oil, you may have probelms elsewhere.

 

[Renthorin]

Nope, not a lot of oil. In fact I am not sure that it wasn't already there when I bought the car...

I never have any oil on the breathers...just never saw what was happening to them as I drive. I was just wondering if they, by nature, were pumping oily smoke into the engine compartment.

I will be putting in a new rear seal this spring to stop the drip drip drip and after that I will be cleaning the little oil that has besmeared the front of the block.

Should be nice and shiny.

 

[salvageV6]

Alternator prolly has brush or stator dust on it from the wear surfaces kinda like disk brakes due to friction.