Went to change spark plugs and found 3 bathed in oil...
 

Just bought an escape last week and was going to change spark plugs. Pulled the coils and the first one was fine (left side facing the engine), but as I went over and looked at the next three they were progressively bathed in higher amounts of oil. The last one on the right had oil completely submerging the plug.

I did a little research and saw that I may need to try replacing the valve cover gasket. Does this sound reasonable? If it were a ring problem wouldn't it be more likely to just affect one cylinder, and not increasingly worsen toward the right side of the engine?

Please offer suggestions to me. I just spend $6200 on the car and don't want to dump a lot more into it if it's a simple fix!

There are sealing gaskets under the valve cover that go over the holes in the valve cover and prevent the oil from getting into the spark plug hole. Not a difficult repair . Requires removal of valve cover and replacement of cover gasket and gaskets around holes.Just make sure to clean well so no garbage goes into engine when cover is lifted off. Valve cover gasket kit for your particular engine req'd, Most any auto supply store should have kit/gasket set.

Thanks, Hanky.

I replaced the gasket and we'll drive it for a few weeks before I recheck it to ensure no more leakage.

I did not notice any crack on the valve cover itself.

OK, well now the saga deepens. I was pleased yesterday evening when I pulled the coils and saw no new oil above the spark plugs.

But... after jacking up the rear to address rust issues in the wheel well, and then lowering the car back down, I noticed oil dripping from under the engine. One drip every 30 seconds or so. Could the jacking of the car have twisted components and aggravated a leak? Seems out of the realm of possibility, but I don't believe it was leaking underneath before, at least at that rate.

Thanks.

What you might consider,
Check the oil dipstick to determine if the level has dropped.
Don't know if you do your own oil changes, but if you do/did and some ran into a pocket or space that when you jacked up the vehicle it now had an escape route. That might explain where it came from. If none of the above apply, oil dripping at that rate is cause for concern and you might try to determine the source. It could be leaking from the top and show up where it can run.

Thanks, Hanky. I'll drive it up on ramps and clean off the bottom and see if I can tell where it's coming from.