Just pulled my intake off to replace the intake/exhaust gasket.

It’s quite black and oily in there, but not sooty. Looks like my garage floor after black motor oil spills on it and dries out. Almost tar like, as if motor oil is being blown through there with a bunch of air to dry it out. Is this normal???

Should be just air passing through the intake port. Logic says it be squeaky clean. However, in reality it’s probably air and oil from the turbo. Likely not valve stem seals or worn out guides - not enough oil on all of the other ports to indicate that.

How much blackness and oil on the intake port in the cylinder head is normal??

It does indeed get oil into the intake via the PCV system (assuming your car has it equipped, I believe some early cars just dumped it to atmosphere). Could be other things as well, but that's the most likely. Also the EGR system is dumping sooty exhaust into there as well.

True, the PCV should be pushing engine blow by into the turbo and then into the intake.
I’ve disabled EGR because running soot through the intake probably has a multitude of deleterious effects

However, what do everybody else’s cylinder intake ports look like??

A picture might help. From your description it could be normal residue. 617s are not known to be tar builders.

I had a 91 350D which had so much build up the intake on some cylinders would barely pass a pencil through the opening. Once we cleaned that all out and did a valve job it had a lot more top end power. Around town it felt fine.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Finally! Cell phone uploading no werky..

Anyhow, thoughts? Normal? Worth gasket matching the intake ports?

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This is what I found when I pulled off the EGR. Gives an idea what the EGR lets into the intake manifold.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Looks like many I've seen. Only way to prevent it is to reroute the PCV (catch can) and disable the EGR (for those who haven't already). It's possible it's from the turbo of course, but those are the guaranteed culprits.

So we conclude that the oiliness isn’t excessive?

I think you're good.

Cleaner than what I've seen before (and that's on non-EGR engines...). It's all down to how much blowby you have and whether the engine had the oil separator (none of mine have them).

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1978 300D, 373,000km 617.912, 711.113 5 speed, 7.5mm superpump, HX30W turbo...many, many years in the making....
1977 280> 300D - 500,000km+ (to be sold...)
1984 240TD>300TD 121,000 miles, *gone*
1977 250 parts car
1988 Toyota Corona 2.0D *gone*
1975 FJ45>HJ45
1981 200>240D (to be sold...)
1999 Hyundai Lantra 1.6 *gone*
1980s Lansing Bagnall FOER 5.2 Forklift (the Mk2 engine hoist)
2001 Holden Rodeo 4JB1T 2WD