oil in spark plug chamber

[elrosco]

I recently went to change the spark plugs on my V reg, 1.4 16V Golf. Only to discover there was oil in the last spark plug chamber.

A mechanic I asked said he reckoned the rocker cover gasket needs changing. He said I should be able to fix it myself fairly easily, now, I don't mind working on the car myself and i have done some work on it, but I am not a trained mechanic.

I have a few questions

1. Is it likely the rocker cover gasket is causing the problem?
2. If it is the gasket is it easy enough for me to change?
3. Does how tricky it is depend on the engine code?

[herby0001]

I can only speak from my experience of changing a rocker cover gasket on on a Mk3, which was dead easy. I doubt the Mk4 will be much different. The cover is at the very top of the engine. On the Mk3, I just had to undo 3 aluminium bolts. If the gasket is leaking, you will see oil seeping out from around the cover and down to your spark plug.