Nova
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Subject: Preparation of Vehicles for the Winter Months
Vehicles: All
Winter is almost here; therefore we are giving you in this Technical Information Bulletin as we did last year, recommendations for maintenance and checking operations, which can be offered to the customer within the framework of a "Winter Inspection".
Winter is the most unpleasant time of the year for all vehicle owners. Bad road conditions, restricted visibility and the high demands on concentration can make driving in snow and ice hard work. We would like to provide you with useful tips and information in this Technical Information Bulletin so that your customers and their vehicles come unscathed through the winter.
Therefore you should consider this Bulletin as a kind of check list, which should facilitate a purposeful winter examination in the interest of and for the safety of your customers.
In this context, please also note the preparations to be taken for the winter months recommended by the P & A Department and the Service Merchandising Department.
This TI is valid for vehicles as of MY 92. For older vehicles, TI-C-22, A-79, dated November 1990 is applicable.
Contents Page
Wheels and Tyres.......................................................................................................................................... 3 - 20 Body, Paintwork................................................................................................................................................. 21 Body, Underbody............................................................................................................................................... 21 Locks, Seals....................................................................................................................................................... 21 Heating, Air Conditioning.................................................................................................................................. 22 Engine and Enine Aggregates............................................................................................................................ 22 Engine Oil.......................................................................................................................................................... 23 Diesel Engine..................................................................................................................................................... 24 Diesel Fuel......................................................................................................................................................... 24 Fuel Filter Heating............................................................................................................................................. 24 Diesel Fuel Additives......................................................................................................................................... 25 Blending Table................................................................................................................................................... 25 Preheating.......................................................................................................................................................... 26 Fuel Tank........................................................................................................................................................... 26 Electrical Equipament........................................................................................................................................ 26
Wheelsmand Tyres
· Advise your customer to change tyres on all four wheels to winter tyres.
Note in this respect the relationship between tyres and speedometer. The Federal Transport Office demands that tyres must be matched to the appropriate speedometers (distance unit values). The division into tyre groups has been included in the appropriate vehicle certification (General Operating Permit of the relative vehicle type). This regulation is valid for the Federal Republic of Germany. This regulation states that only certain tyres, which are in o n e speedometer group, may be used for a vehicle. In this respect, it is irrelevant which speed symbol is on the tyres or whether they are summer or winter tyres.
· On vehicles with four wheel drive, tyres may only be replaced in sets. In doing so,ensure identical size, identical construction and identical manufacturer.
· If, in changing to winter tyres, other disc wheels (than those installed at the factory) are envisaged, then it is absolutely essential that long tyre valves are fitted if the hub caps cover the complete surface of the hub. In addition, sufficient brake cooling must be guaranteed through appropriate ventilation slits for t h e s e hub caps.
· All radial steel-belted winter tyres are subject to speed limits, namely
1) Identical to speed code letter in size identification.
If the maximum speed of the vehicle is greater than the maximum speed permitted by the tyres, a note indicating the maximum permissible speed must be placed within the view of the driver ( 36, Par. 1 of the German Road Traffic Approval Regulations). This specification is valid for the Federal Republic of Germany.
Observe the correct tyre pressure, conforming to the vehicle loading. The corresponding details are to be found in the Owner's Manual or on the sticker on the driver's door underneath the door lock or on the inside of the fuel tank cover.
· The use of snow chains is permitted only on the drive wheels.
It must be particularly noted that only fine-linked chains, which do not protrude on the side walls and treads of the tyres more than 15 mm/0.6 in. (including chain lock), are to be used. Tested snow chains for passenger cars and Delivery Vans are published in the Opel P & A Program.
Check used snow chains before installation, to see if they can still be used.
Winter tyres with the appropriate rim sizes which are permitted for the change-over are contained in the following table.
Important: Observe relationship between tyre size and speedometer.
CORSA / NOVA
KADETT-E / ASTRA-E (Notchback; Hatchback; CONVERTIBLE)
2) On GT not for KADETT-E-CC 3) Not in conjunction with GT 4) Not in conjunction with CONVERTIBLE 5) In conjunction with KADETT-E-CC 6) In conjunction with GSi/GTE 7) In conjunction with EXPORT
KADETT-E/ASTRA-E (CARAVAN / ESTATE Delivery Van: COMBO/ASTRAMAX)
8) Not in conjunction with GT, CLUB
ASTRA-F (Notchback; Hatchback)
9) In conjunction with GSi 10) In conjunction with GT 11) In conjunction with GT
ASTRA-F (CARAVAN / ESTATE; Delivery Van)
VECTRA / CAVALIER / CALIBRA
12) In conjunction with AT, only with power steering (3.3 steering wheel turns from stop to stop) 13) 1.8 litre engines not in conjunction with 13" tyres
12) In conjunction with AT, only with power steering (3.3 steering wheel turns from stop to stop)
14) In conjunction with 18 SEH, C 20 NE, C 20 NEJ only
15) In conjunction with 18 SEH/MT, C 20 NE/MT only
SENATOR-B
If the selected size of winter tyres is not entered in the vehicle documents, the Owner's Manual or in this table, a special permit must be requested from Adam Opel AG,Technical Customer Service Department, so that the necessary entry in the vehicledocuments can be speedily carried out by the Technical Supervisory Association (TÜV). This regulation is valid for the Federal Republic of Germany.
Observe national regulations.
Body, Paintwork
· Check paintwork, if necessary touch up. Apply conservation agent to paintwork on body.
Body, Underbody
· Check cavity rust-proofing and underbody protection and if necessary touch up.
Locks, Seals
· Frost-proof locks and lock cylinders.
Grease lock cylinders with disposable syringe. If necessary, dry out beforehand. Prepare disposable syringe as follows: Connect pressure line, approx. 80 mm/3.2 in. long, to disposable syringe. For this purpose heat pressure line with blower or in hot water and fit it with a drift to the syringe connection. Flatten front part of pressure line approx. 35 mm/1.4 in. long, slightly in a vise. Fill syringe with special grease. Insert flat end of the pressure line approx. 35 mm/1.4 in. into the lock cylinder. Press in special grease until it comes out of the dust cap. After greasing, insert key and lock several times, then wipe key to avoid accumulation of dirt.
Parts:
Disposable syringe (5ml), commercially available from chemist. Pressure Line: Part No. 90 020 227 Catalogue No. 4 37 661 Special Grease: Part No. 90 018 813 Catalogue No. 19 48 588
Frost-proof weatherstrips for windows, doors and luggage compartment (with glycerine or Vaseline).
Heating, Air Conditioning
· Check fan, ventilation and heating for proper functioning. Check seat heating.
Engine and Engine Aggregates
· Check air cleaner. For engines with manual adjustment of the intake air preheating control, place this in the winter position.
· Check ignition (sparking plugs, ignition timing, ignition cable), adjust if necessary.
· Check automatic choke and carburettor preheating.
· Check and adjust V-belt tension.
· Check coolant level and anti-freeze concentration and if necessary top up. When replacing coolant, observe TI-C-38, J-99, dated February 1987.
Higher quality oils can always be used. For the winter months we specially recommend Opel/Vauxhall Easy Run Oil SAE 5 W-50, API-SG/CD, CCMC-G5/PD2. This oil is available: Parts No. 90 398 804/Catalogue No. 19 42 165.
Important: CD oils designated by manufacturers specially for diesel engines are not suitable for petrol engines unless a suitable performance class for petrol engines (e.g. API-SF/CCMC-G4) is also indicated.
Diesel Engine
· Diesel Fuel In diesel fuel, the paraffin components separate at low outside temperatures, i.e. the fuel becomes jelly-like. The fuel filter may be so clogged up that the engine receives too little or no fuel. For this reason the oil companies supply the filling stations during the winter with winter diesel fuel which ensures perfect starting and running at temperatures as low as -15 °/+5 °, or even approx. -22 °/-8 °. This may be different in other countries according to the climatic conditions.
Almost all brand name companies offer diesel fuels which are guaranteed by the manufacturer to be suitable for winter use.
To ensure the fluidity of the diesel fuel - even at temperatures below -15 °/+5 °- the following additional measures are recommended:
· Fuel Filter Heating
All diesel engines in present production have fuel filter heating.
The best precautionary measure to bring older diesel vehicles through the winter is the service installation of fuel filter heating.
All older diesel vehicles can be fitted with fuel filter heating. It is available from the P & A Department, Parts No. 90 271 789/ Catalogue No. 8 13 170.
Installation instructions are enclosed with each installation kit.
The heating switches on, after starting, at temperatures below +6 °/42 °and switches off at +16 °/61 °.
The customer should always be informed to keep all unnecessary electrical components switched off during the warming-up period, to compensate for the increased power consumption of the fuel filter heating.
· Diesel Fuel Additives
At very low outside temperatures commercially available fluidity improvers, kerosene (if available) or, in an emergency, regular petrol (n o premium petrol to avoid damage to engine!) may be added, in order to prevent the fuel from becoming jelly-like.
Important: With diesel fuels which are guaranteed by the manufacturer to have winter properties - to approx. - 22 °/- 8 °- no fluidity improvers should be added.
It is recommended that putting additives into the fuel should be carried out in good time so that the possible jellying of the fuel is avoided before temperatures below - 15 °/+ 5 °set in.
The improvement of the fluidity and filterability depends on the quality of the fluidity improver used and on the diesel fuel.
Blending Table for Kerosene and Regular Petrol - Note Local Legal Regulations:
Important: Petrol is flammable and explosive. Even small amounts of rregular fuel increase the danger of explosion when mixed wih diesel fuel.
Preheating
All diesel engines in present production have an electronic preheating system. An extended preheating period is not necessary with these engines.
In the case of diesel engines without electronic preheating it is to be noted that with average outside temperatures the engine can be started as soon as the preheating telltale goes off. At very low temperatures, one can prevent starting difficulties by extending the preheating period by 5 to 10 seconds. Even longer preheating offers no advantages, as the glow plugs are automatically switched off by a relay as soon as they have attained a certain temperature.
Fuel Tank
Check that feeder and breather lines are in perfect condition. A dirty, iced-up or kinked tank breather hose leads to starting difficulties and contraction of the tank.
Electrical Equipment
Check battery power and condition of charge. Check and adjust lighting and headlamp adjustment. Check and adjust adjustment of foglamps and auxiliary headlamps. Check rear screen heating. Check windscreen washer system for anti-freeze, top up. Check wiper blades, replace.
IMPORTANT: Where there are complaints about vehicles which receive insufficient battery charging during the winter months, the alternator is to be checked for output. It is to be kept in mind that the service installation of accessories requires additional power output and must also be taken into account. If necessary, install an alternator with higher output.
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