Vauxhall Astra G Petrol (1998 - 2004) - 03 1.6 emissions light on & oily spark plugs

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Thu 30 Jul 2009 01:20
03 1.6 emissions light on & oily spark plugs - moozy
I had service and timing belt replaced 3 months ago, now my emissions light has come on permanently and running sluggishly. i have oil in the spark plugs. took to garage and have been advised that i need piston ring(s) replacing at a cost of £600 +.
The car has only 49000 miles on the clock! am i being ripped off? can anyone help

{subject header changed to give a brief description of question being asked}

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 30/07/2009 at 01:30

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Thu 30 Jul 2009 14:17
03 1.6 emissions light on & oily spark plugs - moozy
Can any help, I would really like a reply
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Thu 30 Jul 2009 14:40
03 1.6 emissions light on & oily spark plugs - Peasant
49K would be too low for rings to go out under "normal" circumstances.

Is there too much oil in the sump?
Do you get bluish smoke from the exhaust? And when do you see it?
Any black smoke?

Could be a fault in the breather system, or leaky valve stem oil seals... maybe

A compression test should definatively show if the rings are gone.
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Sat 1 Aug 2009 23:07
03 1.6 emissions light on & oily spark plugs - moozy
Yes i had smoke from the exhaust yesterday car is idling really badly and mechanic said it was only running on three sparks - he changed them, and all really oiled up again immediately. He did some test with a black hand held gadget and said it was the seals
Thanks for your reply

{edited - no need to SHOUT!}

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 02/08/2009 at 14:27

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Sun 2 Aug 2009 18:13
03 1.6 emissions light on & oily spark plugs - captain chaos
Sounds like rings if it's oiling up the plugs. Are you sure the mileage is genuine?
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Sat 8 Aug 2009 22:21
03 1.6 emissions light on & oily spark plugs - moozy
hi thanks for all your help
- the astra has been to the garage and it was the ? engine emissions valve ?which was burnt out--- so post removal of cylinder head, replacement of valve ,new oil and filter, plugs, and refitting and resurfacing and rebuild of cylinder head and new timing belt all cost £500-- shold i be wary of my mechanic or trust him??? am inclined to - as over the years he has been v good. day one and the car is great again! shoulld this be expected from a 5 year old car or should i contact vauxhall customer services for some help with the bill?!!

ps i am a girl- an educated one - but not a mechanic!!!- wish i was
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Sat 8 Aug 2009 22:53
03 1.6 emissions light on & oily spark plugs - moozy
also is this the valve that could have been blocked of??? and will it go again ?
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