VHall 1.6 8v Meriva

[Matheous]

I have to remove no1 spark plug every other day- 'cos it oils up & stops working. Are we talking megabucks for repair -or is there an easy fix. The car has a suspect 53k on the clock.
Any help appreciated, thanks...

[chas2008]

there must be a reason for it oiling up ,ie, valve stem seals, piston rings etc...certainly no easy fix.

[Lord Unstone]

first job is to test the cylinder pressures. This will show up worn rings /pistons. The cylinders should have roughly equal pressures.

[Matheous]

Thanks -guys- I half expected bad news.....! How much do you reckon if I give the job to a local garage as opposed to a VH dealer??

[chas2008]

difficult question, certainly a recomended independant will be cheaper, but it all comes back to the underlying problem. I would like to think at 53,000 miles it would unlikely to be pistons or rings the only way you will confirm this is with a compresion test.

[Matheous]

Thanks chas - I guess I will have to buy a comp tester- I had one about 20yrs ago! Any ideas on expected psi?

[chas2008]

sorry ,no...but i would assume number 1 to be lower indicating a probelm, might be worth ringing a dealer in case it is common problem and they may point you in the right direction

[Matheous]

I get your drift Chas- sounds logical....

Thanks again... I'm wondering how to break the news to my wife who always blames me for anything wrong with the car!! "You don't do any maintenance on it" etc.etc.