UK Car Repair: Smoke or Steam, windscreen washers, rocker cover gasket

Question
Good Day,
I have a 1979 MG midget. The car seems to be in fine running condition and it starts and stops easily. However when the car is turned off, there seems to be a small amount of steam rising from the front of the bonnet..(Closest to the Windscreen). I have looked under the bonnet and cannot see where this substance is coming from and from the nearest I can tell it might be from the catalytic Converter. There does not appear to be any leaks, however I know something has to be coming out in order to make the steam or smoke. It does not seem to smell like oil, and it does not quite seem to smell like water...any ideas

Answer
turn it off and on a few times with the bonnet open - it could be the carburettor overflow dropping a bit of fuel on the manifold, have a good look around with someone else running the engine for 10 seconds at a time and turning it off.

if you've been through a puddle you will get steam from the exhaust.

also the windscreen washers can dribble a little, especially as the engine shakes when its switched off, this can drip onto the manifold..

hmmm.. leaking dash-pot on the carburettor? check all around the carburettor  for oil leaks, oil may be dribbling down onto the manifold from the dash pot (carburettor piston reservoir) if the gasket is damaged or the dash pot is loose/has bad threads etc.

hmm.. when the engine is turned off, you get kindof a backstroke when the pressure in the cylinders balances out, if the rocker cover gasket is leaking this can cause oil to splatter on the manifold.