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Help :(

ok...i have a vauxhall corsa x reg 1.2; firstly i think its been drinking a bit too much oil, i filled it up no less than 3ish weeks ago and already

1notch has gone down. Could this be at all related to a dodgey looking 'breather hose' - i say 'breather hose' because thats the only name i could find for it, im a bit new to all this stuff. Its the smallish hose going into the back of the top of the cam casing. Its got some gooey oranage/brown stuff on it that resembels oil...?? and its started to crack... And on top of all that, just to annoy me, my steering has started squeaking when going slowly, sounds kinda like a fat hampster that tripped up and got stuck spinning around in his rusty wheel, it mainly happens in second gear making smallish turns with the wheel though. Any help on any of these problems would be much appreciated, the vauxhal garages are useless, plus a service is £70 :-o

Cheers John

Reply to
John Banks
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If oil is leaking out here, replace the hose (50p from a scrap yard). There is a filter inside the rocker cover of some Vauxhalls that gets gunged up causing oil pressure to build until it finds a way out. It takes 30 mins max to replace and costs under £5. If there is a hint of blue in the exhaust smoke, the oil is being burnt and the problem is more serious. If oil is leaking onto the road while the vehicle is parked overnight the problem might be one you have to live with unless it's coming from somewhere accessible like the drain hole.

My guess is that your power steering belt is slipping. (I hope that your car has power steering otherwise I'll look silly). Tightening it up will stop the noise for a month or so. Replacing the belt costs £4 for the belt plus about 30 mins labour. If you do nothing, the belt might break in the next year or so making the steering very heavy until you get another belt so it's nothing serious.

Yes. Using main dealer labour can only be justified when it keeps a warrantee valid. These jobs are good ones to introduce you to DIY mechanics. Invest £12 in a Haynes manual if you fancy this, otherwise you will have to find a reliable mechanic who doesn't charge silly amounts. They do exist but you have to "shop around"..

Reply to
dp

You don't specify exactly where the squeaking noise seems to be coming from. If it is from the steering wheel/column area, then the chances are it could be either the airbag contact unit which is directly behind the wheel, or a more sinister problem with the EPS (electric power steering) unit, if fitted. There is also a rubber grommet on the bulkhead that the column runs through - this could be dry and causing a squeak

HTH

Anthony Remove eight from email to reply.

Reply to
Anthony Britt

thanks dp and anthony, i have a haynes manual now so ill have a crack at fixing the probs myself rather than going to vauxhal; the squeaking on the steering did seem to be coming from the column itself, but it doesnt happen all the time, just its quite annoying when it does. What exactly is the rocker cover though? is that just the cam casing? Haynes doesnt really explain these things, it took me 20 minutes to find a bit of the book that labelled the leaky hose as a 'breather hose' and it doesnt exactly say how to replace it, so i assume that i just unclip the clip thingies at either end and whack a new one on?:-) thanks again, John

Reply to
John Banks

It is the cover on the top of the engine. There will be about 8 small bolts holding it in place. The oil filler cap fits on to it and it will probably have "Vauxhall" written on it in large letters.

Yes. Then check for leaks. The clips are, I believe, jubilee clips.

Reply to
dp

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