Extra Valve Cover Gasket Material?

since my son's car was leaking oil from the front, I started to do some major work tonight. What better way to spend a rainy Fri night, eh?

bought all the necessary components:
Valve cover gasket
cam seals
water pump
timing belt
crankshaft seal
New radiator belts
New accessory belts
Thermostat

Pulled the valve cover and fought some shredded rubber material that didn't exactly look like the gasket. Here is some of it along the exhaust side of the valve cover.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ata/photo1.jpg

Not sure what this is, but since I can see that the oil is leaking from the top down, could I have gotten lucky and only have to change the valve cover gasket?

The Miata valve cover gasket sucks. Most leak if used by themselves. To prevent the leaking most people will use silicone sealant at the areas that tend to leak. Some people cover the whole gasket in it. That is what you are seeing.

http://www.miata.net/garage/valvecover/index.html

I see the orange sealant, but this is gray. Here I have pulled it off

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...a/photo002.jpg

Maybe they just overdid it on the RTV. Either way, the valve cover was leaking (I hope that was all). Couldn't really tell if cam seals were leaking or not.

Front of block degreased, timing covers cleaned up, & everything is back together and .... she started up ... ::Banana::