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I have a Corsa model D 2011 plate.

3 months ago it went jerky and lost most of its power. I took it in and they said it was coil pack and changed it.

They didnt change spark plugs, so I did that myself.

3 months later, yesterday, the car started and misfired, i drove for 2mins and lost all my power.

Today it went into the dealer, towed, they say its condensation in the coil pack and the spark plugs have corroded, they said they cant do any more as theres no engine codes for some reason.

Their solution was to put new spark plugs in (which they charged me a lot for) despite the ones i put in being decent quality and 2 months old. And to add a load of silicone to the coilpack parts to keep out condensation.

I will include a pic below of the plugs that came out for those out there who can gleam knowledge from them, were their actions useful? or should i expect further issues, as surely this doesnt resolve the root cause of the condensation, assuming thats even the issue...

Would appreciate any help here, i feel like they dont know what they are doing, and I want to preempt a bigger issue.

Thanks

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  • My question is why do the two on the left show so much evidence of water corrosion.They seem to have been sitting in water - this may be the cause of the condensation for the coil packs. Needs to be investigated. – Solar Mike Jun 28 '17 at 13:51
  • sorry what do you mean? 'why are the two on the left' – jwarris91 Jun 28 '17 at 13:52
  • hit return instead of backspace.... – Solar Mike Jun 28 '17 at 13:53
  • Yes that was my thought obviously something is up with 2/3 of the pack. They just told me 'corrosion from condensation' and that they have jammed it with silicone. That was their investigation – jwarris91 Jun 28 '17 at 13:54
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This isn't coolant, because it wouldn't rust if it was (coolant has rust inhibitors) - so I'm not going to declare a head-gasket failure (although a sniff test at the garage might indicate something).

Check the spark plug cover to see if it's loose - a quick research showed that that can sometimes be the issue, catching incoming rain and directing it down the spark plugs. Pressure-washing the car can also cause it.

I'm not convinced by the garage claim of 'condensation' - that's a LOT of condensation, and normally driving the car for a few minutes would burn off the usual UK levels of condensation. Pumping silicon in might be the correct cure for the symptom, but I'd suggest another garage (maybe the dealer) to find out the root cause of the problem.

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  • This was at a main dealer thats whats so shocking, they are totally incapable. So drive it and see if it happens again and if it does then look for a deeper issue than just 'condensation' ? The car does get pressure washed once every 4 months or so, so i wouldnt think enough to cause this – jwarris91 Jun 28 '17 at 15:06
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    Next time you pressure wash it, just check that nothing got underneath the spark plug cover. I can't think of any other reasonable explanation.. – PeteCon Jun 28 '17 at 15:51
  • @jwarris91 - If you are pressure washing it under the hood, I'd suggest you not do that anymore. Most engines don't get dirty enough even after a year to need washing, unless there's something causing them to get dirty like a leaky gasket or something, then the cure is something quite different than a pressure wash. If pressure washing is causing the issues, stop pressure washing. – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ Jun 28 '17 at 21:09
  • Never pressure washed under the hood, I go to a car wash every 3 months that pressure washes the outside only – jwarris91 Jun 28 '17 at 21:11

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