Corsa-B.uk - Vauxhall, Opel and Holden Corsa B Owners Club

Hello once again everyone , you lot have been very helpful in the past and now i'm back with another problem
Firstly its an old M reg 1.2 Corsa (1994 I think) , firstly I think I should mention this little thing I have noticed for last fortnight , after driving off and then using brakes for first time at a junction I noticed that when braking there is a kind of rubbing noise from back (possibly backleft) that wasnt there before .
Anyway I dont know if that is related to todays problem but thought I should mention it in case im wrong . Today I had to do about a 50 mile run giving someone a lift . First couple of miles was ok then suddenly there is a real lack of power . Getting about top speed of 55 mph and its a real huge effort to get there (and embarrasing as the limit was 70 ! )
Last year I had a fuel pump fail on me and managed to change it myself successfully . I have in almost 2 years of having car never changed the Air , Fuel or oil filters . I have the Haynes Manual and so checked the Air Filter and it seemed a little dusty but not that bad . Could it be the Spark plugs or brake seizing ?, do you think perhaps its the oil or fuel filters I dont know whether these would cause the issue I have and hope someone please has some suggestions I can work my way through .

imo give it a good service especially if it aint had one in 2 years. fuel filter, oil filter, oil, air filter......the full works and it shud definatly help. if uve ot the hanyes manual use that to keep you right

Definately give it a service as you will never find the problem without doing this first.

Thanks for the quick replys Lester and Matty . I am going to take up your advice and change all filters , the oil and sparks . Just been looking on Ebay and found these service kits . Which ones would you recommend or even advise me to stay clear of ! http://motors-parts.shop.ebay.co.uk/i.h ... acat=10404
Also regards that strange noise when braking , a bloke in MotorWorld where I was before suggested I take it to Kwik Fit as he said they will do a Free brake check .

dont forget to test ur battery....i jus changed mine last night big difference get it tested at a local halfords ......

Well guys i am doing as suggested and have now fitted a new Air filter and a new Fuel filter . I got a kit of Ebay for about £25 with all the filters and a new set of spark plugs . Please forgive the daftness of this question but everything is new to me , I got these sparkplugs - Bosch SuperPlus Yttrium the guy on ebay said they where the correct ones when i emailed him before buying , the reason for my slight doubt is that in the Haynes Manual the end of the plugs where the spark is look different ? I havent taken the old ones out yet as it looks like I may need a spark plug remover ?
Do any of you know whether these will fit - heres what it says on side of plugs (+9 FLR8LDCU+ ) Is it just a new type of plug thats been invented since my old Haynes manual perhaps !?
A new development yesterday was that last night I was only just able to get the car to start , I got it home and charged the battery overnight and its starting ok now . I dont know if this is connected to the original problem or possibly just to lack of use over the last 7 days (though i have been on holiday for longer and its never died)

the reason for my slight doubt is that in the Haynes Manual the end of the plugs where the spark is look different ?

spark plugs have come along way since the haynes manual came out

and yes you do need a special socket to remove them. you get them from halfords for a few squid. theres a few sizes so take a spark plug in to make sure u get them

as for the starting problem, mine seems to take a bit longer now, think it cud just b the cold

Thanks Matty for your advice regards getting a spark plug removal tool , but do you know or anybody know if its ok to use the brand and size i mentioned ? In the Haynes manual im supposed to make sure the gap is a certain size but as I mentioned these Bosch ones I have look completely different .

Gapping plugs is a thing of the past. Put them in and run it. Even if they are the wrong plugs they won't do any harm.

I found this , check it out.

http://www.carsparkplugs.com/CrossReference.aspx

Thanks Lester , you have been a great help this last week . Im hoping this may be the solution to my very low power and higher fuel consumption problem . Been trawling the internet all week and if none of this service im doing works i may look into this Air Flow Sensor thing as I see a lot of previous posts about this . I am not getting engine management light though .
I noticed my coolant is very brown looking and may try replacing it if anyone thinks this could be a cause ?

It would be a good idea to replace it, then you can see if it discolours again quickly which may then help in finding the problem.

Bought the spark plug spanner that fitted the plugs sent to me from ebay , then when went to remove the old ones they where the 14mm size and not the 10mm I was sent , bleedin norah .
Went back shop and exchanged for the 14mm socket remover and will have to return plugs and wait for new ones grrrrrr .
I went to start car again today and for the 2nd time it wont start unless i put my foot on the gas pedal and will turn off if i remove it , now im wondering if this is all related to the fuel pump that I changed last year or is the battery shagged . The battery would not affect the engines poor performance though surely ?
I am charging the battery again right now but think this may be daft as all the lights etc work on the car so its not really dead surely .

coil pack! had same problem last year costs £10 from scap and very easy to fit best to fit with new sparks at same time

Just thought I should tell you that I did get this problem fixed in the end , it was caused by a blocked catalytic converter which the mechanic fixed by drilling a hole in it ! Maybe this will come in useful if someone is searching for same problem . Drilling a hole in it will cause it to fail its MOT but its a lot cheaper and the mechanic said to bring it back to them for its MOT and they will not notice it .

Do NOT take it to kwik fit. By and large they are f**k useless.

Find a local non chain place.