if you loosen the oil cap it should just sit there in the cam cover, there should also be a small resistance to lift it up, usually it can be pulled back down by the engine
When the engine isn't ticking over I can remove the cap no problem, sometimes gets a bit stuck but I thought that was just due to the fact I hardly ever open it up.
Am checking the oil levels tomorrow I think to see exactly what it's drunk in 1k miles.
When I got my intake mani for my SC con from the US. I found bits of metal in it that had found there way out from the engine when the car it came off engine blew.
Seb had you got the breather connected to the intake in that Vid?
Breather on the cam cover is just venting to a little filter sat inside the engine bay.
and just explain what I've seen.
Random stuttering of engine when under load/accelerating harshly/going uphill.
Removed dbilas and noticed small arc-shaped metal pieces inside, almost looking as if they were the right size to fit around a piston.
And now - removed oil cap while engine was running and there is basically a pulse of air coming up through the cap every time the engine ticks over on one of the strokes.
I, (with my excellent diagnosis skills 
) have determined this to be piston ring related, given the previous signs.
However - I've only driven it 1k in the last year so can't comment on oil usage, fuel usage I'm getting maybe 160ish to a tank.
not good, worth a head strip to check? It's either dead or something else, what I don't know. have you rebored, just thinking ahead..
if you do it now you might stop further damage.
