Scirocco Register

my otherhalfs Dad phoned me lastnight, his Vauxhaul Astra 1.6 has ben running lumpy on start up and following an investigation found what looked like oil in the carb!!!!!

whats the likely source of this? I'm going round to have a better look tonight when its light, any suggestions on what i need to be looking for????

Thanks in advance for anuy help :)

Right, I'm guessing its gonna be the same set up as a VW in that the breather from the rocker goes to the airbox? Therefore if no splash guard is fitted under the rocker cover then oil will end up going into the carb. I found this when I first got my Scirocco so started to run a catch tank. From personal experience I found it made a very big difference.

Yes I can vouch also for oil accumulating on carbs from breather/ carnkcase breather and sometimes more immediate because of blocked breather and therefore under pressure and forcing itself out of the easiest airway. Can sometimes even spray out the dipstick.

My Weber before strip/rebuild

After..


The original Pierburg on car..

Cleaned..


Such a terrible concept damp oily air going in to the throat of a carb.

This is why I have a catch tank from the breather to the air box..

What benefits do you get from a catch tank in terms of actual driving/running?

Nothing obvious but it's amazing what condenses in there over a month, basically full of oily water.

I suppose having a catch tank just venting in to the air or even just a pipe pointing it's way down to the tarmac would allow for completely clean air in the carb.
However you would have the fumes/smells no doubt coming through the bulk head.

thanks for all the advice, stripped the rocker cover off lastnight and the "filter" is covered by a plastic cover!!!!!! my otherhalfs dad was going to try and cleans it out and refit :)

well the diagnosis wasnt good, infact it was terminal, 1 maybe 2 pistons had gone and were forcing the oil though :( so he's either lookign for another engine or more likely another car.

what age astra? you used to be able to buy the rocker cover breather filters for cheapness from the motor factors.

fiting a catch tank will catch any oil it's chucking thru. if it's running ok, but breathing heavily, there's no point in replacing the engine.

does he have any other symptoms other than oil in the carb?

Cars gone to the scrap yard in the sky for £180, as said one of the pistons had gone and with it being an S reg, so 13 years old now, its wasnt worth doing the engine swap, it also had 160k on the clock