1973 OPEL GT-R oil type

fabric to dry thoroughly; then rub lightly with a
clean cloth dipped in a volatile cleaner. This is the
only further treatment recommended.
Soap and water are not recommended since they will
probably set the stain and cause a permanent dis-
coloration. Drying the fabric by means of heat (such
as the use of an iron) is not recommended.
6. Grease and 02 If grease has been spilled on the
material, as much as possible should be remove by
scraping with a dull knife or spatula before further
treatment is attempted.
Grease and oil stains may be removed by rubbing
lightly with a clean cloth saturated with a volatile
cleaner. Be sure all motions are toward the center of
the stained area to decrease the possibility of spread-
ing the stain.
7. Ice Cream. The same procedure is recommended
for the removal of ice cream stains as that used in
removing fruit stains.
If the stain is persistent, rubbing the spot with a cloth
wet with soap suds (mild neutral soap) may be used
to some advantage after the initial treatment with hot
water. This soap treatment should be followed with
a rinsing, by rubbing with a clean cloth wet with cold
water. After this dries, rubbing lightly with a cloth
wet with volatile cleaner will clear up the last of the
stain, by removing fatty or oily matter.
8.Vomit. Sponge with a clean cloth, dipped in clear
cold water. After most of the stain has been removed
in this way wash lightly with soap (mild neutral),
using a clean cloth and lukewarm water. Then rub
with another clean cloth dipped in cold water. If any
of the stain remains after this treatment, gently rub
clean with a cloth moistened with a volatile cleaner.
SPECIFICATIONS
BOLT TORQUE SPECIFICATIONSLocation
DoorStriker toPillarPostr .^ ...r.ZA- 41973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
9. Shoe Polish and Dressings. On types of shoe
dressing which contain starch or dextrine or some
water soluble vehicle, allow the polish to dry; then
brush the spot vigorously with a brush. This will
probably be all the treatment that is necessary. If
further treatment is required moisten the spot with
cold water and after it has dried, repeat the brushing
operation.
Paste or wax type shoe polishes may require using a
volatile cleaner. Rub the stain gently with a cloth wet
with a volatile cleaner until the polish is removed.
Use
;a clean portion of the cloth for each rubbing
operation and rub the stained area from outside to
center.
10. Tar. Moisten the spot lightly with a volatile
cleaner, and then remove as much of the tar as possi-
ble with a dull knife. Follow this operation by rub-
bing the spot lightly with a cloth wet with the cleaner
until the stain is removed.
II. .X&e. Sponge the stain with a clean cloth satu-
rated with soap suds (mild neutral soap) and rinse
well by rubbing the stain with a clean cloth dipped
in cold water. Then saturate a clean cloth with a
solution of one part household ammonia water and
five parts water. Apply the cloth to the stain and
allow solution to remain on affected area for one
minute; then rinse by rubbing with a clean wet cloth.
I,?.
L,ipslick. The compositions of different brands of
lipsticks vary, making the stains very
diff%cult to
remove. In some instances a volatile cleaner may
remove the stain. If some stain remains after re-
peated applications of the volatile cleaner, it is best
to leave it rather thari try other measures.
Torque
Lb.Ft.
wont saar twacnment to war........................................Seat andShoulderBelt Anchor Attachment
................StationwagonTailgate
HingetoBody............................StationwagonTailgate
HingetoDoor............................Stationwagon Striker Plate on
Body................................Stationwagon
LatchHookonBody..................................Stationwagon Latch on Door
............................................14.18
_^ _^13-1036-46
13-16
13-16
3-4
13-16
3-4

REAR AXLE
CONTENTS
SubjectPage No.
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION:
Rear Axle Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4B- 7
DIAGNOSIS:
RearAxleTroubleDiagnosis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4B- 8
MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS: (Not Applicale)
MAJOR REPAIR:
Removal and Installation of Rear Axle Assembly
Removal and Installation of Axle Shaft Assembly
Disassembly and Assembly of Differential
.* . . . . . . . . . . . .SPECIFICATIONS:
DifferentialSpecifications
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4B- 94B-10
48-l 1
4B-22
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
REAR AXLE DESCRIPTIONThe Opel rear axle is a semi-floating type that carries
car weight through the axle shafts by way of ball
bearings which are located on the outer ends of each
axle shaft. The rear axle assembly is attached to the
under body by way of the shock absorbers, track rod,
central joint support, and lower control arms. A sta-
bilizer rod is used on all Wagons, as well as Fast
Backs and Sedans. The GT is not equipped with a
stabilizer rod. The rear springs have a progressive
spring rate which is attained by a gradual reduction
of coil thickness. The springs are arranged between
the spring seats welded onto the rear axle tubes and
the under body side members. The upper and lower
ends are seated in profiled rubber dampening rings.
The differential housing is a malleable iron casting
with tubular axle housings pressed into the sides to
form a complete assembly. An oil feed passage to the
pinion bearings and an oil return hole are provided
to allow lubricant to circulate. A removable steel
cover is bolted on the rear of the differential housing
to permit service of the differential without removing
the rear axle assembly from the vehicle. A breather
fitting is located on top of the right axle tube.Within the differential carrier, the differential case is
supported by two tapered roller side bearings. These
side bearings are preloaded by shims located between
the bearing inner races and differential case. During
installation, varying the shim thickness from side to
side also determines the ring gear to pinion backlash.
The differential case houses two side gears meshed
with two pinions. The pinions and side gears are
backed by thrust washers. The pinion gears are held
in place by a pinion shaft which is anchored in the
differential case by a lock pin.
The inner end of the axle shafts engage and extend
through the splines of the side gears with a floating
tit.
The axle shafts have an enlarged diameter from mid-
shaft to the flange end.
A ball bearing and oil seal are used on all models, and
are pressed onto the outer end of the axle shaft as an
assembly.The drive pinion is mounted in two roller bearings in
the rear axle housing. Pinion setting is established by
shims located between the differential carrier and therear’pinion bearing outer race.

48. 221973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
9. Position
case assembly and outer races in the car-
rier. Use a soft-faced hammer to drive the case into
the carrier until the side bearing outer races bottom
in their bores.
10. Install side bearing caps in their original location
and torque the bolts to 33
lb.ft.IN. LB. TORQUL
11. Rotate case assembly several times to seat the
bearings. Check backlash and preload using a torque
wrench on a ring gear attaching bolt. See Figure 4B-
35. Torque required to turn case should be 20 to 30
Ib.in. for new bearings or 10 to 20 lb.in., for used
bearings. If torque is not correct, it will be necessary
to r&him the side bearings.
12. Insta!l torque tube assembly.
13. Install axle shafts.Figure 48.35 Checking Side Bearing
Preload
SPECIFICATIONS
DIFFERENTIAL SPECIFICATIONS
General SpecificationsRear Axle Type
.,,...,,,...,,_...._..,,...,,,...,,,....,,.,...,,.,,...,,..,,,........................ Semi-Floating Hypoid
Rear Axle Oil Capacity
..____,,...,,,...,.,..,............,,..,,..,,................................................. 2 l/2 7’.Ring and Pinion Gear Set Type
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .._................................................................Hypold
Axle Ratios

ENGINE MECHANICAL AND MOUNTS6A- 3
Figure 6A-1 Side Cross Section View of Engine
This engine has full skirt “Autothermic” type pistons
with two horizontal slots in oil control ring groove,
which partly separate head and skirt to maintain
good contact with the cylinder walls throughout the
entire temperature range.
The camshaft located in the cylinder head is an
important design feature of the new power units.
This arrangement permits an extremely rigid valve
train which accounts for precise valve timing. Thegray cast iron camshaft has induction hardened bear-
ing journals and cams. Installation of camshaft is
facilated by each diameter of the four bearings and
journals being slightly smaller than the preceding.
Camshaft end play is controlled at forward end bythe camshaft front bearing seat outer face in one
direction, and by the front bearing cover in the other
direction. A nylon bolt in camshaft forward end
serves to adjust end clearance.
The camshaft is driven by an endless Duplex
rollerchain. The crankshaft double sprocket and pulley
arc held by one key. The camshaft sprocket is fixed
with a guide pin and attached with 3 bolts.
Inside the timing case, a long damper block is prov-
ided on the driving side of the chain and a shorter,
curved spring plate tensioner on the non-driving
side. Both have wear-resistant and oil-proof
sny-thetic rubber slipper pads. The self adjusting chain
tensioner located on driving side of chain at right

ENGINE MECHANICAL AND MOUNTS6A- 5
incorporating a gear-type pump driven by the dis-
tributor shaft. The pump body forms part of the
timing case. A passage cast in cylinder block and a
suction pipe connect the pump to the screen cover
assembly in the sump of the oil pan.
The oil pump pressure relief valve is located in the
engine oil pump cover. See Figure 6A-3. The pres-
sure relief valve serves to feed surplus oil back into
the suction passage should the required oil pressure
be exceeded. The old oil pressure relief valve which
is located above the oil filter is inoperative. A heavier
spring has been installed to keep the valve seated at
all times.
The oil filter is of the full flow type. With it in paral-
lel is a by-pass system controlled by a valve in the
timing chain cover above the oil filter which ensures
oil circulation directly to lubrication points if ele-
ment becomes clogged by dirt or oil is too thick to
pass through. Only when oil flow through element is
unrestricted the by-pass valve will close and filtered
oil is fed to the engine.
Oil flow through the engine is as follows: The oil
pump draws oil from the sump through the screenand pumps it through drilled passages in timing case
to the full flow filter. From there it passes to the
cylinder block main oil gallery with a branch in tim-
ing case to no. 1 camshaft bearing. Drilled passages
lead from the oil gallery to crankshaft main bearings
and in the crankshaft from main bearings to connect-
ing rod bearings. The camshaft front journal has a
crescent shaped groove which controls the oil supply
to cylinder head oil gallery. The cylinder head oil
gallery delivers oil under pressure to all valve lifters,
to Nos. 2, 3 and 4 camshaft bearings, and to rocker
arm seats. An additionally drilled passage connects
the valve lifter circular groove with circular groove
of rocker arm stud from where the oil is directed
upwards through a drilled passage to the rocker arm
seat. The cams are lubricated by oil under pressure.
Surplus oil collects at end of cylinder head and re-
turns through a passage to the crankcase. A cali-
brated squirt hole in connecting rod big end bearing
sprays oil against right-hand side of cylinder wall:
Additional cylinder wall and piston pin lubrication
is through oil splash from crankshaft. A jet in timing
case projects oil against oil pump drive, and the tim-
ing chain receives lubrication from above the chain
tensioner.
Figure 6A-5 Engine Lubrication System

ENGINE MECHANICAL AND MOUNTS6A- 9
The engine does not rest on the front suspension
cross member as in the Opel 1900 and Manta but on
a separate cross member. On removal and installa-
tion of the engine the front suspension cross member
need not be detached.
Fig. 6A-10 Right Front Engine Suspension with Cross
Member
(GT)1. Disconnect battery negative cable,
2. Remove air cleaner.
3. Drain radiator coolant by disconnecting lower
radiator hose. Disconnect upper radiator hose. See
Figure 6A-11. Radiator need not be disconnected.
4. Disconnect all electrical connections:
a. Coil wire to distributor.
b. Wires from alternator. Remove unit and bracket.
c. Battery positive cable at starter switch.
d. Oil pressure switch wires at cylinder block.
e. Wires from starter solenoid.
5. Remove vacuum hoses at tee mounted to intake
manifold. Remove tee from manifold to avoid inter-
ference during engine lowering.
6. Remove throttle linkage and carburetor.
7. Disconnect heater hoses.
8. Disconnect water valve bracket to manifold,
9. Remove gear shift lever.
10. Using suitable equipment lift up engine so that
front engine mounts are somewhat relieved.Figure 6A.1
1 Radiator Hose Clamp Location
11. Raise vehicle, both front and rear end. A two post
axle type hoist
IS recommended for this operation.
12. Disconnect fuel line at fuel pump and plug. Be
sure fuel line is disconnected from any engine and
transmission clips.
13. Disconnect speedometer cable from transmis-
sion.14. Disconnect clutch cable.
15. Disconnect drive shaft at rear universal joint and
remove.
16. Disconnect exhaust at manifold.
17. Remove tailpipe and mufIler hangers.
18. Remove ground strap from engine to side rail.
19. Detach transmission cross member from trans-
mission and frame. See Figure 6A-12.
20. Detach engine cross member from engine and
frame.21. Carefully lower engine and transmission and
remove from underneath vehicle.

ENGINE MECHANICAL AND MOUNTS6A- 15New inlet valves must not be refaced or lapped with
grinding compound.The correct angle for the intake
and exhaust valve head is 44 degrees.10. Install cylinder head.
11. Adjust valve clearance. See MAINTENANCE
AND ADJUSTMENTS.
7. Inspect valve guides. Worn or pitted guides can be
reamed to accept valves with oversize stems. Over-
size valves are occasionally used in production.
Oversize valves are marked
’ 1 u “2” or “A” and are
stamped into the valve stem end and also stamped
near spark plug hole. See Figure 6A-22.
Replacing Rocker Arm Studs1. When replacing rocker arm studs become
neces-
sary, remove air cleaner, rocker arm cover and
rocker arm.
8. Reseat valve seats in cylinder head in the following
sequence:
Intake
NOTE:The rocker arm studs are screwed into the
cylinder head. A tapered part of the stem serves to
a void stud loosening.With 45 degrees cutter, remove burnt structure until
a metallic bright seat is obtained. Lightly coat valve
head with red lead, insert it into guide and turn it
under light pressure several times back and forth.
Thereby a contact pattern is obtained and the seat
width can be measured. If valve does not seat per-
fectly all around, lightly recut valve seat to the estab-
lished seat width of
,049” - .059” with 30 degrees
correction cutter.
ExhaustThe directions for reconditioning intake valve seats
apply in principle also to exhaust valve seat recondi-
tioning with the exception that the valve seat width
should be
.063-,073 in. and different cutters are em-
ployed.
NOTE:
: OTse new valve seals whenever
valves are reconditioned.9. Lube valves with engine oil and reinstall valves,
valve springs, caps and cap retainers using J-8062.
Install valve spring with closely wound coils toward
cylinder head. See Figure
6A-24.2. Attach vise grip pliers to stud being removed and
remove from cylinder head.
3. Screw in new stud. Seat tapered part of stud by
striking stud end with a rubber hammer.
4. Place two turned down rocker arm nuts on
threaded part of stud.
5. Torque stud into cylinder head to 29
lb.ft.
Valve Lifter ServiceThe valve lifters can be removed after removing
rocker arm cover and rocker arms.No oversize lifters have been released due to the
insignificant wear of the valve lifters and cylinder
head guides.
Amply oil respective parts and install in reverse se-
quence to removal.
Carry out hydraulic valve lifter adjustment as ou-
tlined in MAINTENANCE AND ADJUST-
MENTS.
VALVE
I SPRING
CLOSE
WOUND
COILS
TOWARD
HEAD6A-24
Figure 6A-24 Valve SpringCONNECTING ROD BEARINGSA connecting rod bearing consists of two halves or
shells which are alike and interchangeable in rod and
cap. When the shells are placed in rod and cap the
ends extend slightly beyond the parting surfaces so
that when rod bolts are tightened the shells will be
clamped tightly in place to insure positive seating
and to prevent turning. Theends of shells must never
be tiled flush with parting surface of rod or cap.
If a precision type connecting rod bearing becomes
noisy or is worn so that clearance on crankpin is
excessive, a new bearing of proper size must be se-
lected and installed since no provision is made for
adjustment. Under no circumstances should the con-necting rod or cap be filed to adjust the bearing
clearance.

6A- 161973 OPEL SERVICE MANUALInspection of Connecting Rod Bearings and
Crankshaft JournalsRemove oil pan.
After removal of oil pan, disconnect two connecting
rods at a time from crankshaft and inspect the bear-
ings and crankpin journals. While,tuming crankshaft
it is necessary to
t&porarily reconnect the rods to
crankshaft to avoid possibility of damaging the jour-
nals through contact with loose rods.
If connecting rod bearings are chipped or scored they
should be replaced. If bearings
are in good physical
condition check for proper clearance on crankpins as
described under, checking clear$nce and selecting
replacement connecting rod beartngs.
If crankpin journals are scored or ridged, the crank-
shaft must be replaced, or reground for undersize
bearings, to insure satisfactory life of connecting rod
bearings. Slight roughness may be polished out withfine grit polishing cloth thoroughly wetted with en-
gine oil. Burrs may be honed off with a fine oil stone.
Use an outside micrometer to check crankpins for
out- of-round. If crankpins are mpre than
,002” out-
of- round, satisfactory life of new ,bearings cannot be
expected.
Checking Clearance and Selecting Replacement
Connecting Rod BearingsService bearings are furnished in standard size and
several undersizes. The clearance of connecting rod
(and crankshaft) bearings may be checked by use of
Plastigage, Type PG-1 (green), or equivalent, which
is soluble in oil.
1. Remove connecting rod cap with bearing shell.
Wipe off oil from bearing and crankpin journal, also
blow oil out of hole in crankshaft.
2. Place a piece of the plastic-type gauge material
Figure 6A-25 Checking Bearing
Cleatance WithPlastic-Type Gaugelengthwise along the bottom center of the lower bear-
ing shell (Figure 6A-25, view A), then install cap
with shell and tighten nuts to 36 lb. ft. Do not turn
crankshaft with gauge type material in bearing.
3. Remove bearing cap with bearing shell, the flat-
tened piece of gauge will be found adhering to either
the bearing shell or the crankpin. Do not remove it.
4. Using the scale printed on the envelope, measure
the flattened piece of gauge at its widest point. The
number within the graduation which closely corre-
sponds to the width of the gauge, indicates the bear-
ing clearance in thousandths of an inch. See Figure6A-25, View B.
5. The desired clearance with a new bearing is.0006”- .0025”. If bearing has been in service it is
advisable to install a new bearing if the clearance
exceeds .003”, however if bearing is in good condi-
tion and is not being checked because of bearing
noise, it is not necessary to replace the bearing.
6. After the proper size bearing has been selected,
clean off the gauge, oil thoroughly, reinstall cap with
bearing shell and tighten nuts to 36 lb. ft.
CRANKSHAFT BEARINGS AND SEALS
Replacement of Crankshaft BearingsA crankshaft bearing consists of two halves or shells
which are identical and are interchangeable in cap
and crankcase. All crankshaft bearings except the
rear main bearing are identical. The crankshaft end
thrust is taken up the rear (No. 5) main bearing.
Figure 6A-26 Engine Crankshaft Bearings
When the shells are placed in crankcase and bearing
cap, the ends extend slightly beyond the parting
sur-faces so that when cap bolts are tightened the shells
will be clamped tightly in place to insure positive