i know its going to drop some oil, im just wondering to what extent? how much oil is going to spill out?
If the car gets to sit for several hours that should not be a problem. Otherwise give the other paint 72 hours to dry hard before removing the valve cover. You may have to rag it a bit. Use hi-heat paint on the covers.(follow directions on the can)
The answer Briggs gave is pretty much on the target except I believe he missed your primary question: will oil run out of the valve cover and get onto other engine parts. The answer to this is most likely but there are some precautions you can take to minimize the oil. Assuming the engine is fairly clean inside, the oil galleys should allow most of the oil in the upper head/valve spring area to drain back into the engine. If the engine has set and not been run for several hours (over night?) the majority of the oil will have drained out of the head area. There will be pockets of oil trapped in the upper head area but that most likely will not run out when the cover is removed. First thoroughly clean the valve cover(s) so no dirt is present to fall into the open head area. Get some absorbant towels (paper or cloth) and pack around the head below the valve cover gasket line to catch and absorb any oil that might ooze from under the valve cover when it is unbolted and removed. After getting the valve cover off, make sure the absorbant material is still in place and if necessary, you can absorb the pooled oil pockets still in the upper head area to prevent seepage from these area. Good luck.
If your asking if the Valve cover will be full of oil..... No it runs back into the oil pan. There will be oil residue inside and it might drip a tiny bit when you remove the cover but.....
Oil will not run everywhere. If you do happen to see a drip, simply wipe off what you see.
your crazy right ? your working on a car, removing the valve cover and you don't want to be covered with oil ? Well go out and buy some rubber gloves first. please keep in mind paint wont' stick to anything unless it is cleaned properly. So to paint a valve cover and have the paint actually stick you need to remove it completely and clean it thoroughly with solvent. once it has been painted you need a good high heat paint and primer. I just painted the headers on my bike, after de-rusting it and removing the original paint, then I applied to coats of high heat primer, then two coats of paint.
