Corsa D 1.0 burns loads of oil but compression is good. Hi guys, please offer as much advice as possible. I recently bought a 58 plate 1.0 corsa for my daughter. It runs fine on tick over etc.. but during start up it blows dark smoke (oil) you can actually smell the oil burning. Even after driving for sometime when she accelerates smoke is visible in the rear view mirror. The car has only done 50k but requires a oil top up after only 200 mile intervals. I have had the engine checked over and compression tested by a local mechanic and all was fine. Although, I changed the spark plugs and no.3 plug was really wet and showed signs of oil. I have a better than average knowledge of cars/engines etc and I immediately thought the rings had gone but due to a good compression test I'm baffled??? I don't want to pay for a replacement engine if not needed, please help
Corsa D 1.0 burns loads of oil but compression is good
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Welcome to the Forum.
It sounds as if your daughter's car has had a hard life.
There isn't any short cuts to this I am afraid - you say that you have a reasonable knowledge of thins relating to cars, in which case, you probably know that you would be wasting your money in buying oil additives etc.
A compression test doesn't always tell you the full story, as oil leaking past the pistons/rings can form a temporary seal and give a reading that wont hold up when the engine is running.
When oil is getting into the cylinder(s) via pistons, you tend to notice it most of all when pulling hard - say when going up hill in a gear that is too high for the situation. This produces BLUE smoke from the exhaust - visible to following drivers if not to the driver of the car in question.
When oil is getting past worn valve guides/ stem seals, you will notice the blue smoke upon acceleration after the engine has been idling for a few minutes (say at the traffic lights)
From you description, you seem to be getting BOTH of these conditions (but do check before you go much further with the project)
IF oil is getting in both ways, it might pay to remove the cylinder head, check for wear in the valve stems/valve guides (new stem seals seldom cure this type of problem on their own) - You might then be able to get some idea of the condition of the cylinder bores at the same time.
It sounds as if your daughter's car has had a hard life.
There isn't any short cuts to this I am afraid - you say that you have a reasonable knowledge of thins relating to cars, in which case, you probably know that you would be wasting your money in buying oil additives etc.
A compression test doesn't always tell you the full story, as oil leaking past the pistons/rings can form a temporary seal and give a reading that wont hold up when the engine is running.
When oil is getting into the cylinder(s) via pistons, you tend to notice it most of all when pulling hard - say when going up hill in a gear that is too high for the situation. This produces BLUE smoke from the exhaust - visible to following drivers if not to the driver of the car in question.
When oil is getting past worn valve guides/ stem seals, you will notice the blue smoke upon acceleration after the engine has been idling for a few minutes (say at the traffic lights)
From you description, you seem to be getting BOTH of these conditions (but do check before you go much further with the project)
IF oil is getting in both ways, it might pay to remove the cylinder head, check for wear in the valve stems/valve guides (new stem seals seldom cure this type of problem on their own) - You might then be able to get some idea of the condition of the cylinder bores at the same time.
Where are all the Corsa engine experts?
Unfortunately I am no expert specifically with Corsa engines, but if your compression is good, the only other thing I can think of is worn valve guides or valve stem oil seals, which would normally be unusual at only 50k. If you de accelerate hard and then put your foot back on the accelerator you should get a lot of smoke out the back if the valves or seals have gone.
I believe the valve stem oil seals can be changed without taking the head off if you have the proper kit, so this might be worth trying. Apparently you use compressed air to keep the valves in place. This is however a very fiddly little job with tiny collets, but not impossible if you have a little patience
Obviously it would be nice to find someone on the forum who has had the same problem and solved it, but from my own experience you don't seem to get too many replies unfortunately.
Good luck with your problem, if it is just the valve stem oil seals, it shouldn't be a too expensive repair I hope.
Unfortunately I am no expert specifically with Corsa engines, but if your compression is good, the only other thing I can think of is worn valve guides or valve stem oil seals, which would normally be unusual at only 50k. If you de accelerate hard and then put your foot back on the accelerator you should get a lot of smoke out the back if the valves or seals have gone.
I believe the valve stem oil seals can be changed without taking the head off if you have the proper kit, so this might be worth trying. Apparently you use compressed air to keep the valves in place. This is however a very fiddly little job with tiny collets, but not impossible if you have a little patience
Obviously it would be nice to find someone on the forum who has had the same problem and solved it, but from my own experience you don't seem to get too many replies unfortunately.
Good luck with your problem, if it is just the valve stem oil seals, it shouldn't be a too expensive repair I hope.
Thank you
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I thought it could be the stem seals but didn't think an engine could lose this amount of oil this way? I filled the engine with oil to the max yesterday and 100 miles later the top end was rattling and no oil shown on the dip stick, its that bad. Not sure if i should get the seals done or just have another engine fitted... But that will cost me the best part of £700 and money is tight.. So confussed lol
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I thought it could be the stem seals but didn't think an engine could lose this amount of oil this way? I filled the engine with oil to the max yesterday and 100 miles later the top end was rattling and no oil shown on the dip stick, its that bad. Not sure if i should get the seals done or just have another engine fitted... But that will cost me the best part of £700 and money is tight.. So confussed lol
Sounds like You need an oil tanker in tow!
That's a lot of oil you are using in just 100miles. I am unsure on just how much oil would be used by worn valve guides/ seals alone. Howevever an awful lot of oil circulates around the cams and guides. The inlet chamber is sucking air on the piston downstroke and of course this creates a vacuum which will pull oil down the valve guides if the seals or guides are worn. As I say I really don't know just how much oil could be used in this way, but I would have thought it could be a fair amount with this vacuum effect sucking oil down.
I recently purchased a 40K 1ltr Corsa with a jumped timing chain, and obviously had to strip off all the head and timing chain. 8 of the valves were bent and I replaced these along with new valve stem oil seals. Even at 40K the old seals had gone quite brittle, but as I had never seen the engine running I don't know if it burnt any oil.
I was very tempted to just sling a replacement engine in my car, but you never really know just how good another engine is until you run it in the car. It might be worse than the one you already have. Unless an engine is completely wrecked, snapped crank or holed Pistons etc, I would go down the road of repairing what you've got, or certainly just strip the head off and see how bad the guides are first, it only took a couple of hours to get the head off and it must be worth having a look, rather than sticking in an engine you know nothing about.
Hope you get this problem sorted, without too much expense.
That's a lot of oil you are using in just 100miles. I am unsure on just how much oil would be used by worn valve guides/ seals alone. Howevever an awful lot of oil circulates around the cams and guides. The inlet chamber is sucking air on the piston downstroke and of course this creates a vacuum which will pull oil down the valve guides if the seals or guides are worn. As I say I really don't know just how much oil could be used in this way, but I would have thought it could be a fair amount with this vacuum effect sucking oil down.
I recently purchased a 40K 1ltr Corsa with a jumped timing chain, and obviously had to strip off all the head and timing chain. 8 of the valves were bent and I replaced these along with new valve stem oil seals. Even at 40K the old seals had gone quite brittle, but as I had never seen the engine running I don't know if it burnt any oil.
I was very tempted to just sling a replacement engine in my car, but you never really know just how good another engine is until you run it in the car. It might be worse than the one you already have. Unless an engine is completely wrecked, snapped crank or holed Pistons etc, I would go down the road of repairing what you've got, or certainly just strip the head off and see how bad the guides are first, it only took a couple of hours to get the head off and it must be worth having a look, rather than sticking in an engine you know nothing about.
Hope you get this problem sorted, without too much expense.
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