Fixing my Astra - Part 2

 Hello everyone.

And welcome back to another episode of getting my Astra fixed up.

For those who've missed what went on, coolant had spurted in the engine bay in my Astra so it was out of action but I was fortunate to get myself a new car which is a 2021 Ford Puma ST Line.

First up, me and Stu replaced all the radiator hoses along with the expansion tank. With high hopes of getting the car running again, it sank as we discovered coolant was leaking from a puncture of the radiator. So then, the Astra will still be out of action for another while.

Meanwhile on Saturday the 18th of March, I've done a little bit of work on my Astra. Recently, I had noticed a little bit of oil had seeped from the rocker cover so I took a chance to check the rocker cover gasket to see whether it's gone brittle which it hasn't. This may indicate the rocker cover was slightly not tight enough. But it'll be worth taking a look at the gleaming camshafts demonstrating how well my car is been looked after.


And along the way, I gave the rocker cover a good clean.


Next as I've removed the air intake snorkel going towards the throttle, I've discovered how grotty it is inside.


What I had done is made great use of the brake cleaner spray. All what was coming out was all the brown sludge.

So then once the rocker cover is dry enough, I've bolted it back to the engine.


And whilst I'm about to bolt the rocker cover in, I thought I could give my torque wrench a go. I hadn't used it for some time since I bought it but I'll use it for the first time.


So then, I attempted to torque down one bolt holding the rocker cover but however, 20 Newton metres was too much and snapped it. That's one mistake to learn.


But I hadn't given up. On Monday, I've driven over to Dandy Bolts where I've bought one replacement bolt and 2 identical bolts for the engine cover.


So the rest of the day, I've bolted more to the engine. Firstly, the bolts for the rocker cover.


Secondly, the ignition coil pack.


And for now, the engine cover bolts.


And that wraps up for the moment. The next big thing on the agenda is a new radiator. The key ingredient to get my car running again, aside from new spark plugs.


See you next time!

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