My Corsa B: Doubty McDoubtface

[Felly Magic]

Alloy rocker cover? Looks like just normal surface oxidisation and nowt to worry about

[Split_Pin]

Yes it's alloy, sounds about right there FM.

[Station]

Is it anything like the video I my 'is this head gasket failure' thread?

 

Could be losing oil pressure, and no oil getting to the head. May be pump related, or possibly the oil pressure release valve on the front of the engine. It's a big old hex nut on the bottom left from the front and unscrews out. A big spring holds it together. Dead easy job.

[Split_Pin]

I haven't seen that thread, will check. Wouldn't the oil light come on if there was a supply/pressure problem? There's not a flicker from it.

[Rusty_Rocket]

It's well worth checking the oil pressure relief valve, as Station says above. It can easily jam in place if a bit of grit gets in there. It 'may' have jammed in such a way that allows the 4psi(?) that the sensor needs to see so the light goes out to circulate, but obviously this isn't enough to properly feed the top end.

 

Is it timing chain noise?

[Split_Pin]

Definitely not the timing chain, that's one I know well and mine is very smooth and quiet. This oil pressure relief valve sounds like a thing to investigate, I'll get me Haynes out to find out exactly what it is supposed to look like!

[Split_Pin]

Ok it seems the pressure relief valve is in the pump. Is there any instrument that can measure oil pressure other than the warning lamp obvs.

[Rusty_Rocket]

Yes, most garages worth their salt should have one of those screw-in gauges that show oil pressure.  They'll remove the switch most likely and plug it in there.  May be worth a go if you're worried about it.

As Station said though, it's very simple to remove the pressure relief valve and clean it- bit trickier to get at if you have air con though..

[Split_Pin]

Think I will leave this to the garage however thanks chaps for all your suggestions. My plan is to give these to the garage as 'steps-for-hints' to try and help them get the thing running right. So far I have: throttle body clean and ICV replace, oil pressure inspection, camshaft inspection, some sort of sussing out of the hydraulic tappets....and also sort out the rust in the rear valance.

[vulgalour]

Urgh, I hate these sorts of problems.  You know something is wrong, you just don't know what, but you've had the car long enough to know it's not as it should be.  Anyone else getting in won't even notice, but you know.  I'm of no further help, just wanted you to know you aren't alone with this particular malady.

[Split_Pin]

Yeah that's it exactly and right now I wouldn't go far with it which is annoying as it's useful to me. Take today for example, multiple trips to the tip with garden waste and a trip to IKEA for garden furniture. The Astra is no good as a workhorse as I hate leaving it in car parks and carrying dirty stuff like today's garden waste is a big no no and that's where the Corsa is grand. Hopefully I will have it sorted by the middle of summer.

[Ghosty]

<migweb> put in a C20LET?</migweb>

[Station]

You have an oil pressure sensor at the back of the engine (underneath the inlet manifold). You can attach a gauge to this, it otherwise goes to the oil pressure light, it's a single wire.

 

You could just buy a screw in sensor and gauge with the same UNF thread.

 

Oil pressure valve is like the thermostat, if it's not working, oil flow will be affected.

[Split_Pin]

Cheers Station, think it may be oil supply related the more I think about it.

[Split_Pin]

I took an audio of the engine running. I deliberately kept the bonnet shut to filter out some of the general engine noise. You can hear a knocking quite clearly, a bit like the click of a keypad on an iPhone. Would I be right here?

 

[320touring]

Like I said on Friday,

 

Saab turbo conversion would sort it right oot:)

 

seriously though, I can hear a knock and it sounds top endy- do these have hydraulic tappets?

[Split_Pin]

Yes I think they do have. It's the trouble of finding a suitable donor car and I would have 2 choices. 1: Buy an already converted Corsa and swap over. There is currently an accident damaged one for sale but before smashing it the boy posted up a video on Facebook of him doing burn outs in a car park. As such the clutch is now u/s. 2. Buy a suitable donor Saab but then I haven't a clue what's involved in marrying the 2 together.

[320touring]

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=182142766540&alt=web

 

https://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/1999-vauxhall-corsa-10-gls-12v-3d-54-bhp-mot-may-2016-guaranteed-finance/1170299853

 

?

[Split_Pin]

Good man!! The burgundy one has potential!

[320touring]

Good man!! The burgundy one has potential!

Vectra is an ideal Collekshun mobile

[Split_Pin]

Yes that's precisely what I was thinking! Mot history denotes rust too so I won't feel too bad for breaking it. Existing brakes and suspension won't need changing either.

[Split_Pin]

Car has been in the garage a week now, phoned the garage today for an update. They said that they can't find anything wrong with the engine other than a historic fault code for a MAF which I replaced and didn't come back after they cleared it and took it for a test drive. So I asked them to replace the idle control valve and fuel filter. The are part way through welding up the back valance and painting the rear spoiler. They could only buy a set quantity of paint which I will be charged for so they are now sorting the rusty driver's door too. As I have now only spent a minimal amount on the engine, my plan is to just drive it and see what happens and I haven't wasted much dosh if I decide to go down the route of a new engine at some point in the future.

[Split_Pin]

Not good progress with this. This is normally a cracking garage but that's twice I've phoned them over the 2 week timescale I gave them to do all the jobs (reasonable considered the level of work involved) and asked about how things are going and I got very vague reply.

 

Basically, the back bumper is off, spoiler is off, fuck knows what state of dis/assembly the driver's door is in and the painter is not in.

 

I asked them about the engine, can't find anything wrong even though I let them hear the very audible problem it has with hesitation, it even backfired on cue. I asked them to replace the idle control valve but they said they couldn't get hold of one so just cleaned the existing one. This does not work and in 3 days it will fuck up again. I also found 5 on eBay whilst in the phone.

 

Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent and trustworthy garage who have served me well, but I'm concerned that they aren't really interested in the work any more.

 

I was going to phone them Friday to see if it will be ready for Saturday but then I thought I might end up rushing them which I don't want to do where paint is concerned. So I think I'll leave it till next week to get another update.

 

Just want this back one way or the other now!

[Tickman]

Is it worth dropping in for a chat?

 

I always find a better response in person rather than on the phone with most places.

Hope you get something sorted and get it back, the timescale seems quite long to be in the garage, are they 'fitting it in' for you and charging less? 

[Split_Pin]

You are definitely right there. Phoned them yesterday and their painter has gone AWOL and my car is currently sitting in primer.

 

Apparently he has a habit of disappearing for indeterminate periods of time for no reason, with total radio silence returned upon every contact effort.

 

I should have known better. My dad wanted his wheels painted earlier last year and he had to wait about a month before he could book the car in as the painter was off.

 

Part of the problem is that the garage owner is off on holiday. So the obvious question to ask was when does the owner return, as that will likely encourage the painter to return to work too.

 

They have no contingency in place for this not infrequent event either.

 

Needless to say I put on my best hat for the conversation and was polite but they know my 2 week timeframe has passed and that I was "concerned". I'll phone again Monday and 'concerned' will turn into a suppressed 'Phil Mitchell' sigh, followed by time away from my very busy work to go and see them for a chat.

 

I've been going to this garage since 2009 and I'm not exaggerating when I say they've given perfect service so this is quite a big bollock to drop here.

[purplebargeken]

Buy one of the ebay ICV's and take it round to them. No excuse for them not to fit it.

[chaseracer]

Time to deal directly with the organ-grinder.

[Split_Pin]

Buy one of the ebay ICV's and take it round to them. No excuse for them not to fit it.

I'm just going to do that myself. If I'd known that's all they were going to do I wouldn't have bothered to get them to look at the engine at all.

[Felly Magic]

I'd find somewhere else to take your business, behaving like this in this day and age isn't acceptable, and they deserve to go to the wall

[Split_Pin]

Got this back today. Bodywork looks well I have to say, they have done a great job there.

 

Face to face, they did explain what they found and did, the only issue they found was a historic fault code relating to the MAF sensor.

 

So far the whole throttle body has been removed and cleaned together with the idle control valve and fuel filter replaced. They also took it several test drives and said it ran well.

 

It is still hesitating/delaying when you press the accelerator and when starting it doesn't burst into life like it used to, in fact you almost feel like a blip of the throttle is required to wake it up.

 

Now thinking ECU or something?