I was inspecting the spark plugs and noticed a good amount of oil on the hole and the threads on a number of my spark plugs. Any ideas on what to do? Is it the piston rings being worn maybe? The truck has been running fine but I need to get this handled.

 

Valve cover gaskets?

 

I can try that. I replaced it about 18+ months ago. I don't see any evidence of leaking where the gasket is but when I open the cover to look at everything I'll end up replacing it.

 

I had the same problem on an OT chevy V8......it would foul plugs too. Was the valve guides sucking in oil. Common problem on chevies.I had to rebuild the heads.
How do the plugs look? What engine are we talking about?

 

The engine is a 223 inline six. The plugs didn't seem too bad. It was mainly in the threads and the holes as best I could tell. It wasn't all of them either.

 

It sounds to me like the oil is on the OUTSIDE of the sparkplugs and likely leaking down from the rocker arm cover. I would suggest you use your air hose to blow out any debris from around the plugs before you remove them (a good practice anytime you want to remove your sparkplugs) then remove the plugs. Wirebrush the threads, check the gap, and if not too eroded, reinstall them with a bit of never-seize lube on the plug threads. Then put a dab of dia-electric lube on the wire end of the plug and re-install their wires. It might be a good time to test your sparkplug wires for excessive resistance. If they check out good, fine; if not, time for a new set of sparkplug wires.

If it was bad valve guides or piston rings letting oil into the combustion chamber, the electrode gap and end of the plugs would be oil-fouled.

BarnieTrk