Source of Smoke in the Engine Compartment?

[HRTKD]

I have the 4.0L with 194,000 miles. It was supposedly steam cleaned a couple months ago when the intake manifold was resealed and the rear main was replaced. The intake, valve covers and what I can see of the exhaust manifolds look pretty clean. There has been smoke from the engine compartment for some time (years). I had thought it was due to the heavy build up of oil on the engine and exhaust manifolds.

Since the steam clean I was expecting the smoke to be gone but it isn't. It is coming from the passenger side of the engine where it is hard to see down from above. I can't locate the source. It isn't exhaust smoke as it doesn't smell like exhaust. It smells like burnt oil.

Any ideas where it might be coming from?

 

[srteach]

Blow by from the rings into the crankcase? Check valve cover seal.

 

[HRTKD]

The valve cover gaskets were replaced about 5 years ago. The more I looked at it and the hotter the engine got I realized the smoke was also coming from the driver's side. The area around the valve cover on the driver side looks fairly clean. Maybe only the upper engine was cleared when it was steam cleaned.

A compression test would determine blow-by from the rings?

 

[JohnnyO]

Timing cover leak will do that too.