Can bad gasket's make my car run bad??

not that i know of. but loss of pressure inside a S/C engine cant be good..

There would have to be quite a large amount of blow-by for you valve cover gasket to cause you issues. Since your thread title is "Bad valve cover gasket" I'm assuming thats what you are referring to.

.. However, if your PCV valve is plugged, then your crank case pressure can build up and your valve covers can leak, with other poor running symptoms. What makes you think the VC gaskets are bad?

Well Ive had problems since I got it hard starts, stalls, all kinds. I left it alone till the other day and tried to start it. It eventually started but when u touch the gas it has bad miss to it. Then I seen smoke coming off of both manifolds so thats what I went for first. I might add that the front of the engine is covered in oil also.

Update: I went out and checked the PCV it was filthy but it rattles good.

What can you tell us about how and when you got it, that might help us figure out what's wrong. Like, did youget it from a relative, or off a used car lot, or what-have-you? How long have you had it?

Being that you are in the Mansfield OH area, I kinda wonder if the most effective thing to so is get a replacement engine swapped in. An engine from a car that was running OK (no matter the mileage) would be a great start.

Maybe the first thing to do is wash off the engine so you can see clearly where the leaks are coming from...

Albertj

I got it off of a private seller. From what he says the engine was a replacement which had 60k on it. It ran real good for about 2 months then I started getting some problems. I am getting ready to take the car into class and start trying to figure out what is going on. I just wanted to get some input on it.

http://rivperformance.editboard.com/series-i-engine-transmission-f13/ses-light-on-sometimes-t6756.htm
Thats the first thread I started thats when I started getting some of the problems. But now I cannot even drive it because it runs so bad.

Off the top of my head: it's great that you're going to be able to take the Riv to class and work on it, most likely you'll fix all the engine problems.

I kind of wonder if your engine got oil starved then ran kinda hot for a while. 3800s are real workhorses, some say that they will run bad longer than most cars will run at all...

Seriously, first thing I'd do is clean off the engine. Do you need instructions? I think there are some posted elsewhere on this site but really, the key thing is just to cover the electricals then scrub it down. If you need more how-to just ask.

Ya shur maybe give me a better idea of good ways to clean it

On second thought you need to get that code reader and pull codes. And you probably need to do a compression check, and a leak-down test. Your instructor can tell you how to do those. You need to check the wires and coils. And if you have enough blow-by to pop those valve cover gaskets it sounds like you have mechanical problems (rings and/or valves) leading to excessive blow-by.

Since I mentioned engine cleaning I'll explain - but again I think you need to see whether you have stored any codes, and since you are going to work on the car in your class I am sure you'll find the problmes anyway you don't need me for that. SO that means that although I said you ought to clean off the engine, on second thought checking the basics of engine operation is what you ought to do first.

As for cleaning the engine, it's pretty easy. If you can find someone to do it you can simply pay to have it steam cleaned. Or you can clean it yourself: With the engine cold, cover the electrical stuff with aluminum foil - specifically the alternator and the exposed connectors on the wires around the engine compartment. Then with the engine cold use a spray on engine cleaner (GUNK, which is kerosene-based, or Wal-Mart's engine cleaner, which is a surfactant) and a brush (an engine brush, available just about any auto parts store, or a dishwashing brush, usually available at dollar stores basically a little brush head on a long handle) OR some dishwashing liquid (I like Dawn) with that brush. Idea is to follow the label directions on the spray-on cleaners. Or if you're using dish liquid the idea is to wet the brush then put some dish liquid on the brush and scrub the engine with it. Then rinse the engine off with water, warm water if you can. Then it has to dry. You can 'blow dry' it with a wet-dry vac as a blower, use a nozzle attachment to aim the air. Once it is pretty much dried off then take off all the aluminum foil and start it.

Well my fuel pump is bad The guy said he put one in, and it does look brand new must have just been defective. Now on to the oil leak.....

Just a thought. God knows that there are plenty of things that can make these engines run poorly, but IF the valve/rocker cover gaskets are that bad, they could be leaning out the mixture thru the PCV valve...

If you do indeed have excessive crankcase pressure that has caused the gaskets to blow out, then you are dealing with rings more so than valves, In my opinion.
This is where a compression test and a leakdown test will pinpoint your problems. Also put a pressure gauge on your intake to see what your reading there while running or cranking.

Where would I put the gauge on the intake? Maybe a dumb question but...

I have a combination Vacuum and pressure gauge.
Dpeneding on what year car you have you need to find a spot on the Lower intake manifold that you can tee the gauge into and take a reading at idle and with moderate throttle.
At idle it should be a steady, not fluctuating vacuum reading.
After you get a reading post on here what it is you are seeing.
Vacuum as well as compression and leak-down test's are what you need to be able to further diag this engine, from what i have read.