Hello,

As reported yesterday, my '98 Corsa had a hole in the breather hose, a.k.a. crankshaft (or "crankcase"? heard both versions) ventilation hose. I replaced the hose and the previous problem went away; the engine also became quieter.

But the hole in the hose was obviously made on purpose, by the previous owber's mechanic! (I only own the car for the last 5 months and 5000 miles). The only purpose I can think of is that there is too much oil coming out of the crankcase. And indeed, there is a rather significant layer of oil on the throttle.

On the other hand, that mechanic probably was a strange person - he also put in water instead of coolant...

So my questions are:

- Is it safe to drive the car as it is now, with the repaired hose? What can be the threat if there is indeed too much oil? What should I look out for?

- Can anything be done to hold that oil, apart from diverting it by hole or by redirecting the hose completely? A friend suggested putting a "brush" of metal into the hose (a standard accesory for a Lada Niva, of all things) so the oil would be condensed and then would flow back into the crankcase - would this work?

- Finally, is there a way to check whether excessive oil is coming and to reduce it? Apart from a rebore...

Thanks a lot! For now, you have been the only source of information that actually worked.