9A-4 1973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
Figure 9A-4 Heater Control
Blower Switch - This switch actuates blower motor
to low or high blower speed.
HEATER SYSTEM OPERATION
To operate heater proceed as follows:
1. Position air inlet, heater-defroster control as
desired.
White arrow head pointing down--air out of heater
outlets. White arrow head pointing up--air out of
defroster outlets.
Between lower and upper position--air to both heater
and defroster outlets.
2. Position temperature control as desired to increase
or decrease temperature of air flow.
3. Position blower switch as desired to operate
blower at low or high speed.
Dlid3NDSlS
HEATER SYSTEM TROUBLE DIAGNOSIS
TROUBLE
Temperature of heated air at outlets too low.
CAUSE AND CORRECTION
Check radiator cap for proper sealing action-- re-
place if necessary.
Check for adequate coolant supply. If level is down,
correct cause of coolant loss and refill radiator.
Inspect hose for kinks--relieve kink or replace hoses.
Check thermostat operation by measuring tempera-
ture of coolant at radiator. Temperature should be
within 5 degrees F. of thermostat rated value (189
degrees F.).
Check that air doors and water temperature control
valye are operating properly.
Check for plugged heater core--backflush heater core
as necessary.
TROUBLE
Inadequate defrosting action.
CAUSE AND COiiRECTlON
Examine heater-defroster door for proper operat-
ions--adjust bowden cable as required so that door is
fully closed in FULL DEFROST position.
Check that air hoses connecting to defroster outlets
are secure.
Check for air leaks around edges of heater air dis-
tributor housing--seal leaks as necessary with body
sealer. Check for body air leaks and seal as necessary
with body sealer.
TROUBLE
Blower inoperative.
CAUSE AND CORRECTION
Check blower fuse--replace if necessary, fuse position
3 - amperage 8.
Check wiring for open circuit--correct as required. Inspect for defective component (i.e., blower switch
or blower motor)--replace or repair as necessary.
MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS
CONTROL CABLE ADJUSTMENT
Adjustment of control cables is accomplished by po-
sitioning of the jacket or sheath of the control cable
as held by the clamps on the control assembly and
heater case.
To adjust control cables, loosen clamps and move
cable sheath in or out as required to obtain full travel
of lever or of door or both.
HEATER SYSTEM - GT9A- 5
MAJOR REPAIR
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION INSTRUMENT
PANEL FRESH AIR OUTLET
Removal
1. Remove instrument panel cover assembly. Refer
to Group 1.
2. Snap grille out of outlet.
3. Remove knob from lever and remove outlet.
Installation
1. Install outlet and knob onto lever.
2. Snap grille into outlet.
3.
Install instrument panel cover assembly. Refer to
Group 1.
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION KICK PANEL
FRESH AIR OUTLET
Removal
Using a screwdriver, carefully pry out outlet.
Installation
Install outlet.
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION BLOWER
SWITCH
Removal
i. Remove instrument panel assembly. Refer to
Group 1.
2. Unscrew switch assembly from panel.
Installation
1. Screw switch assembly to instrument panel.
2. Install instrument panel assembly. Refer to Group
1.
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION HEATER
Ramova!
1. Remove lower radiator hose, drain, and collect
coolant. 2. Detach coolant feed (A) and return (B) hoses, in
engine compartment from heater core. See Figure
9A-5.
Figure 9A-5 Heater Hose Connections
3. In engine compartment remove hood lock control
cable retaining clip and cable from lock bar. See Figure
9A-6.
Figure 9A-6 Hood Release Control Cable
4. Remove console shift cover between seats using
the following instructions:
a. Remove ash tray and remove two screws under it.
9A-8 1973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
Installation
1. Install heater blower and case assembly, securing
with one (1) bolt at the top and two (2) nuts from the
bottom. See Figure
9A-15.
2. Install instrument panel padding and connect
heater and defroster duct hoses, making sure hoses
are properly positioned and connected. See Figure
9A-16.
Figure 9A-16 Heater and Defroster Duct Hoses
3. Install support bracket (B) and heater control (A).
See Figure
9A-12.
4. Carefully push cluster back into instrument panel
housing, making sure electrical wires, etc., are not
pinched.
5. Install six (6) cluster retaining screws. See Figure
9A-10.
6. Install directional signal flasher. See Figure
9A- 9.
7. Attach speedometer cable.
8. Attach two (2) multiple wire plug connectors in
steering column harness.
9. Install steering column. Refer to Group 90.
10. Install instrument panel cover and attach
through openings (points A and B). See Figures
9A-7
and 9A-8.
11. Install right and left opening covers. 12. Install the console shift
cover
between the seats
using the following instructions:
a. Install console cover over shift lever and rubber
shift lever boot.
b. Install cover by pushing down until cover snaps into the four (4) push button type studs.
c. Install two (2) screws under ash tray opening and
install ash tray. 13.
In engine compartment, install hood lock control
cable to lock bar using retaining clip. See Figure
9A-
6.
14. Attach return hoses (B) and coolant feed hoses
(A) to heater core. See Figure
9A-5.
15. Attach lower radiator hose and add collected
coolant.
16. Check for proper operation and leaks in system.
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION DEFROSTER
OUTLET
Removal
1. Remove instrument panel cover assembly. Refer
to Group 1.
2. Remove screws securing outlet to cover assembly.
Installation1. Install defroster outlet, securing with screws.
2. Install instrument panel cover assembly. Refer to
Group 1.
Figure 9A-17 Heater Valve
HEATER SYSTEM. GT9A- 9
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION HEATER VALVE
Removal
1. Remove lower radiator hose and drain and collect
coolant.
2. Disconnect control cable.
3. Loosen heater hose clamps and remove valve from
hoses. See Figure 9A-17.SPECIFICATIONS
EngineRecommended Coolant
.__,.__...._...__.,.,...,......Thermostat Opens At (Degrees) F.
..__..___...Installation
1. Install valve into heater hoses and install hose
clamps.
2. Connect control cable.
3. Install lower radiator hose and add collected coo-
lant.
.....................................Ethylene-Glycol Base
...................................................................189Cooling
SystemCapacity(WithHeater)..........................................................................6Qt.BlowerMotorType
......................................................................................................12VDC
BlowerFanType
..................................................................................................SquirrelCage
HEATER SYSTEM. OPEL 1900. MANTA9A- 11air is attained, as the water does not cool down in the
second part of the core.
A Water Outlet
B Water Inlet
The center lever actuates the two-stage blower mo-
tor.Lever positions:
Left to Center
- Motor Switched Off
Right of Center
- Lo Blower
Right
- Hi Blower
The lower lever opens and closes the air door which
channels the air flow to either the lower heater out-
lets or to the defroster outlets.
In the left lever position, the air inlet is closed. Up
to the center position, the air is directed
t,o the lower
heater outlets.
When moving the lever from center position towards
the right, the air flow to the lower
heatezr outlets is
reduced and increased to the defroster
csutlets.With the lever in its right position, the air is directed
to the defroster outlets only. For windshield defrost-
ing, all levers have to be moved to the right.
FUNCTION OF THE HEATER AND VENTILATION
SYSTEMThe engine hood is provided with slots in front of the
windshield. The air is directed through the slots into
the heater housing located in the engine compart-
ment, flows into the air distributor housing, and
from there to the lower heater outlets and,/or defros-
ter outlets, depending on the position of the control.
The two-stage blower motor is arranged in the heater
housing above the heater core and actuated by the
center control. The blower motor draws in the air
entering through the slots, blows the air through the
heater core into the air distributor housin:?, and from
there to the lower heater outlets and/or defroster
outlets, depending on the position of the lower con-
trol. See Figure 9A-32.
The heater valve regulates the flow of coolant
through the heater core, thereby varying
t:he temper-
ature of the air flow past the core.
The ventilation of vehicle interior is completed by a
draft-free air circulation pattern. Vent
slots are ar-
ranged below the back window which
are: connected
through channels to the rear quarter
iside panel.
From here, the inside air escapes into
the! open. TheFigure
9A-32 Air Flow
head wind (caused by the car traveling down the
road) promotes this process so that there is always
fresh air in vehicle interior.
On the Model 54 Station Wagon, there will be no air
outlets in the rear. For adequate flow-through type
ventilation, it will be necessary to open a rear win-
dow.Aside from the fresh air admission through the
heater system, two fresh air inlet nozzles are ar-
ranged in the center of the instrument panel. These
nozzles can be turned to direct the air flow in the
desired direction. In addition, rotary flaps allow the
regulation of the entering air or to shut off the air
completely.
These nozzles admit unheated fresh air only and
operate independent of the heater and defroster sys-
tem.
DIAGNOSIS
HEATER SYSTEM TROUBLE DIAGNOSIS
TROUBLETemperature of heated air at outlets too low.
CAUSE AND CORRECTIONCheck radiator cap for proper sealing action. Re-
place, if necessary.
Check for adequate coolant supply. If level is down,
correct cause of coolant loss and refill radiator.
Inspect hose for kinks. Relieve kink or replace hoses.
Check thermostat operation by measuring tempera-
ture of coolant at radiator. Temperature should be
within 5 degrees F. of thermostat rated value (189
degrees F.).
REFRIGERANT COMPONENTS ALL MODELS96.23Figure 96-l 3 Basic Refrigerant Circuit
we get the heat-laden vapor outside, we can com-
press it with a pump. With enough pressure, we can
squeeze the heat out of “cold” vapor even in a warm
room. An ordinary.radiator will help us get rid of
heat.
By removing the heat, and making the refrigerant
into a liquid, it becomes the same as it was before, So,
we can run another pipe back into the cabinet and
return the refrigerant to the flask to be used over
again.
That is the way most mechanical refrigerators work
today. Now, let’s look at an air conditioning unit to
see how closely it resembles the refrigerator we have
just described.
Basic Air ConditionerWhen we look at an air conditioning unit, we will
always find a set of coils or a tinned radiator core
through which the air to be cooled passes. This is
known as the “evaporator” (Fig.
9B-14). It does the
same job as the flask of refrigerant we
spok.e about
earlier. The refrigerant boils in the evaporator. In
boiling, of course, the refrigerant absorbs heat and
changes into a vapor. By piping this vapor outside
the car we can bodily carry out the heat that caused
its creation.
Once we get vapor out of the evaporator, all we haveFigure 98.14 Evaporator Assembly
to do is remove the heat it contains. Since heat is the
only thing that expanded the refrigerant from a liq-
uid to a vapor in the first place, removal of that same
heat will let the vapor condense into a liquid again.
Then we can return the liquid refrigerant to the
evaporator to be used over again.
Actually, the vapor coming out of the evaporator is
very cold. We know the liquid refrigerant boils at
temperatures considerably below freezing and that
the vapors arising from it are only a shade warmer
even though they do contain quantities of heat.
Consequently, we can’t expect to remove heat from
sub- freezing vapors by “cooling” them in air tem-
peratures that usually range between 60 and 100
degrees heat refuses to
flow from a cold object
toward a warmer object.
But with a pump, we can squeeze the heat-laden
vapor into a smaller space. And, when we compress
the vapor, we also concentrate the heat it contains.
In this way, we can make the vapor hotter without
adding any heat. Then we can cool it in compara-
tively warm air.
That is the only responsibility of a compressor in an
air conditioning system (Fig.
9B-15). It is not in-
tended to be a pump just for circulating the refriger-
ant. Rather, its job is to exert pressure for two
reasons. Pressure makes the vapor hot enough to
cool off in warm air. At the same time, the compres-
sor raises the refrigerant’s pressure above the con-
densing point at the temperature of the surrounding
air so it will condense.
As the refrigerant leaves the compressor, it is still a
vapor although it is now quite hot and ready to give
up the heat that is absorbed in the evaporator. One
of the easiest ways to help refrigerant vapor dis-
charge its heat is to send it through a radiator- like
contrivance known as a condenser (Fig. 9B-16).
The condenser really is a very simple device having
no moving parts. It does exactly the same job as the
radiator in a typical steam-heating system. There,
the steam is nothing more than water vapor. In pass-
ing through the radiator, the steam gives up its heat
and condenses back into water.
The same action takes place in an air conditioning
98-26 1973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
greater than the opposing pressure in the power ele-
ment. Therefore, the valve remains closed. When the
compressor is started, it will reduce the pressure and
temperature of the refrigerant in the cooling coil to
a point where the vapor pressure in the power ele-
ment becomes the stronger. The seat then moves off
the orifice and liquid starts to flow through the valve
orifice into the cooling coil.
The purpose of the power element is to help deter-
mine the quantity of liquid that is being metered into
the cooling coil. As the temperature of the low pres-
sure line changes at the bulb, the pressure of
the
vapor in the power element changes, resulting in a
change of the position of the seat. For example, if the
cooling coil gets more liquid than is required, the
temperature of the low pressure line is reduced and
the resultant lowering of the bulb temperature
reduces the pressure of the vapor in the power ele-
ment, allowing the seat to move closer to the orifice.
This immediately reduces the amount of liquid leav-
ing the valve. Under normal operation, the power
element provides accurate control of the quantity of
refrigerant to the cooling coil.
To employ our tire pump analogy once more for
clarity, it is the same situation that would exist if you were inflating a tire with a very slow leak. Providing
you pumped the air into the tire as fast as it leaked
out, you would be able to maintain pressure even
though the air would merely be circulating through the tire and leaking out through the puncture.
To Sum Up
So far, we’ve discussed only what each unit in an air
conditioning system does. We’ve learned that the
evaporator is the unit in which liquid refrigerant
soaks up heat from the air, the compressor is a pump
for squeezing this heat out of the vapor, the con-
denser is a radiator for getting rid of the heat, and the
thermostatic expansion valve is a device for regulat-
ing the pressure on the refrigerant. Now, let’s
find
out how the temperature of the cooled air is con-
trolled.
METHOD OF TEMPERATURE CONTROL
To achieve temperature control, the compressor is
run intermittently, automatically turning on and off
as necessary to maintain proper temperature.
Thermostatic Switch
The compressor can be started and stopped au-
tomatically through the use of an electro-magnetic
clutch and a thermostat affected by variations of temperature.
The job is usually done by a gas bulb thermostat (Fig.
9B-21).
Figure 9B-21 Thermostatic Switch Schematic
With the gas bulb type of thermostat, a highly expan-
sive gas is sealed into a metallic bulb which is located
in the air stream as it leaves the evaporator. A small
tube leads from the bulb to a bellows operated switch. As air temperature rises, the gas inside the
bulb expands, travels through the tube to the bellows
and closes the electrical switch that engages the com-
pressor clutch.
Of course, as soon as the compressor starts running,
the temperature begins to go down. As the air being
cooled gets colder, the gas in the thermostat bulb
begins to reduce the pressure on the switch bellows.
This
Ilips “off’ the switch and disengages the com-
pressor clutch.
REFRIGERANTS
No matter how scientifically refrigerating machinery
is built or how
efftciently it runs, it alone cannot
remove heat. The only thing that carries heat out of
a refrigerator cabinet or an automobile is the sub-
stance we call the refrigerant.
There are many refrigerants known to man. In fact,
any liquid that can boil at temperatures somewhere
near the freezing point of water can be used.
But a boiling point below the temperature at which
ice forms is not the only thing that makes a good
refrigerant. A refrigerant should also be non-
poiso-
nowand non-explosive to be safe. Besides that, we
want a refrigerant that is non-corrosive and one that
will mix with oil.
Since Nature did not provide an ideal refrigerant,
chemists went to work to see if they could do any
better. They did! But it wasn’t as simple as that.
At first, they tried to improve existing natural refrig-
erants. But after exploring innumerable trails along
REFRIGERANT COMPONENTS ALL MODELS
99.37
in front of the radiator so that it receives a high
volume of air flow. Air passing over the condenser
absorbs the heat from the high pressure gas and
causes the refrigerant to condense into a high pres-
sure liquid.Receiver. DehydratorThe receiver-dehydrator is located in the engine
compartment. The purpose of the receiver dehydra-
tor is two fold: the unit insures a solid column of
liquid refrigerant to the expansion valve at all times,
and also absorbs any moisture in the system that
might be present. A bag of desiccant (moisture ab-
sorbing material) is provided to absorb moisture. A
sight glass (see Figure 9B-33) permits visual check-
ing of the refrigerant flow for bubbles or foam. The
continuous appearance of bubbles or foam above an
ambient temperature of 70 degrees F. usually indi-
cates an inadequate refrigerant charge. Bubbles or
foam appearing at ambient temperatures below 70
degrees F. do not necessarily indicate an inadequate
charge and may appear even when the system is
operating properly. A filter screen in the unit pre-
vents foreign material from entering the remainder
of the system.
Expansion ValveThe expansion valve is mounted on the evaporator
core inside the passenger compartment. The function
of the expansion valve is to automatically regulate
SCREEN
lLCl98.30
Figure 98-34 Expansion Valvethe flow of refrigerant into the evaporator. The ex-
pansion valve is the dividing point in the system
between the high and low pressure liquid refrigerant.
A temperature sensing bulb is connected by a capil-
lary tube to the expansion valve (see Figure
9B-34).The temperature sensing bulb (clamped to the outlet
pipe on the evaporator) measures the temperature of
the evaporator outlet pipe and transmits the temper-
ature variations to the expansion valve (see Figure
9B-34). The capillary tube and bulb are tilled with
carbon dioxide and sealed to one side of the expan-
sion valve diaphragm.
An increase in temperature will cause the carbon
dioxide in the bulb and capillary tube to expand,
overcoming the spring pressure and pushing the dia-
phragm against the operating pins (see Figure 9B-
34). This in turn will force the valve off its seat.
When the refrigerant low pressure gas flowing
through the outlet pipe of the evaporator becomes
more than 6 degrees higher or warmer than the tem-
perature at which it originally began to vaporize or
boil, the expansion valve will autmotatically allow
more refrigerant to enter evaporator. If the tempera-
ture of the low pressure gas decreases to less than 6
degrees above the temperature at which it originally
began to vaporize or boil, the expansion valve will
automatically reduce the flow of refrigerant. Thus,
an increase or decrease in the flow of refrigerant
through the evaporator will result in an increase or
decrease in the cooling by the evaporator. The tem-
perature, humidity and volume of the air passing
over the evaporator affects the rate of absorption of
heat by the evaporator. As the ambient temperature
bulb calls for more or less refrigerant will increase or
decrease. When the air is very warm, the heat trans-
fer from the air to the refrigerant is great and a
greater quantity of refrigerant is required to maintain
the temperature at the evaporator pipe at the prede-
termined value. Conversely, cool days will result in
less heat transfer and thereby require lesser quanti-
ties of refrigerant to maintain the predetermined
temperature of the evaporator outlet pipe.
EvaporatorThe function of the evaporator is to cool and
dehumidify the air flow in the passenger compart-
ment. The evaporator assembly consists of an alumi-
num core enclosed in a reinforced plastic housing.
Two (2) water drain ports are located in the bottom
of the housing. Two refrigerant lines are connected
to the side of the evaporator core: one at the bottom
and one at the top. The expansion valve is attached
to the lower (inlet) pipe, the outlet pipe is attached
to the upper pipe. The temperature sensing bulb of
the expansion valve is clamped to the outlet pipe of
the evaporator core. The high pressure liquid refrig-
erant, after it is metered through the expansion
valve, passes into the evaporator core where it is
allowed to expand under reduced pressure. As a re-
sult of the reduced pressure the refrigerant begins to