1973 OPEL GT-R tow

DIAGNOSIS
SEQUENCE
1. Check and correct oil level. Refer to Specifications
for checking and refill procedures.
2. Check and correct vacuum line and fittings.
3. Check and correct manual linkage.
4. Road test car using all selective ranges, noting
when discrepancies in operation occur.
5. If engine performances indicates an engine tuneup
is required, this should be performed before road
testing is completed or transmission correction at-
tempted. Poor engine performance can result in
rough shifting or other malfunctions.
CHECKING PROCEDURESBefore diagnosis of any transmission complaint is
attempted, there must be an understanding of oil
checking procedure and what appearance the oil
should have. Many times a transmission malfunction
can be traced to low oil level, improper reading of
dipstick, or oil appearances; therefore, a careful anal-
ysis of the condition of oil and the level may elimi-
nate needless repairs.
When checking oil level in the Opel Three Speed
Automatic Transmission, the procedure outlined in
Specifications should be followed to obtain the most
accurate reading.
Also when the dipstick is removed, it should be noted
whether the oil is devoid of air bubbles or not. Oil
with air bubbles gives an indication of an air leak in
the suction lines, which can cause erractic operation
and slippage. Water in the oil imparts a milky, pink
cast to the oil and can cause spewing.
EXTERNAL OIL LEAKS
Determining source of oil leakBefore attempting to correct an oil leak, the actual
source of the leak must be determined. In many
cases, the source of the leak can be deceiving due to
“wind flow” around the engine and transmission.
The suspected area should be wiped clear of all oil
before inspecting for the source of the leak. Red dyeAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 7C- 81
is used in the transmission oil at the assembly plant
and will indicate if the oil leak is from the transmis-
sion.The use of a “Black Light” to locate the point at
which the oil is leaking is helpful. Comparing the oil
from the leak to that on the engine or transmission
dipstick, when viewed by Black Light, will determine
the source of the leak-engine or transmission.
Oil leaks around the engine and transmission are
generally carried toward the rear of the car by air
stream. For example, a transmission oil filler tube to
case leak will sometimes appear as a leak at the rear
of the transmission. In determining the source of a
leak, proceed as follows:
1. Degrease underside of transmission.
2. Road test to get unit at operating temperature.
3. Inspect for leak with engine running.
4. With engine off, check for oil leaks due to the
raised oil level caused by drain back.
Case Porosity RepairOpel Three-Speed Automatic Transmission external
oil leaks caused by case porosity can be successfully
repaired with the transmission in the car by using the
following recommended procedures:
1. Road test and bring the transmission to operating
temperature, approximately 180 degrees F.
2. Raise car on a hoist or jack stand, engine running,
and locate source of oil leak. Check for oil leaks in
low, drive, and reverse.
3. Shut engine off and thoroughly clean area to be
repaired with a suitable cleaning solvent and a
brush- air dry. A clean, dry soldering acid brush can
be used to clean the area and also to apply the epoxy
cement.
4. Using instructions of the manufacturer, mix a suf-
ficient amount of epoxy, BUICK Group 0.423, Part
No. 1360016, or equivalent, to make the repair. Ob-
serve cautions of manufacturer in handling.
5. While the transmission case is still HOT, apply the
epoxy to the area to be repaired. Make certain the
area to be repaired is fully covered.
6. Allow cement to cure for 3 hours before starting
engine.
7. Road test and check for leaks.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 7C-117WIRE CRIMPED
INTO COPPERTUBING
Figure 7C-178
19. Inspect condition of the third clutch composition
and steel plates. Do not diagnose a composition
drive plate by color,A. Dry composition plates with compressed air and
inspect the composition surface for:
1. Pitting and flaking
2. Wear
3. Glazing
4. Cracking
5. Charring
6. Chips or metal particles imbedded in lining
If a composition drive plate exhibits any of the above
conditions, replacement is required.
B. Wipe steel plates dry and check for heat discolora-
tion. If the surface is smooth and an even color smear
is indicated, the plates should be reused. If severe
heat spot discoloration or surface
scutXng is in-
dicated, the plates must be replaced.
20. Install third clutch plates into third clutch drum
beginning with a steel plate, composition plate, steel
plate, composition plate, etc. Use a liberal amount of
transmission fluid.
21. Inspect thrust washer and needle thrust bearing
for damage. Replace if necessary.
22. Install thrust washer and bearing onto input
shaft. Secure with petroleum jelly (unmedicated).23. Inspect sprag assembly for wear, damage orsprags that freely fall out of cage. Inspect input sun
gear for chipped or nicked teeth or abnormal wear.
Replace part if necessary.
24. Install sprag onto third clutch hub with groove
on sprag cage outer diameter toward input sun gear.
See Figure
7C-179.Figure 7C-179
25. Install sprag race and retainer assembly over
sprag assembly. Holding input sun gear with left
hand, sprag race and retainer assembly should “lock
up” when turned with right hand in a clockwise
direction and should rotate freely when turned coun-
terclockwise. See Figure
7C-180.Figure 7C-180

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 7C-135
becomes necessary to check the fluid level, the trans-
mission may be checked at room temperature (70
degrees F.) as follows:
1. With manual control lever in Park position start
engine. DO NOT RACE ENGINE. Move manual
control lever through each range.
2. lmmediately check fluid level with selector lever
in Park, engine running, and vehicle on LEVEL sur-
face.At this point, when a reading is made, fluid level on
the dipstick should be I/4” below the “ADD” mark.
3. If additional fluid is required add fluid to bring
level to
l/4” below the “ADD” mark on the dip-
stick.If transmission fluid level is correctly established at
70 degrees F. it will appear at the “FULL” mark on
the dipstick when the transmission reaches normal
operating temperature (180 degrees F.) The fluid
level is set
l/4” below the “ADD” mark on the
dipstick to allow for expansion of the fluid which
occurs as transmission temperatures rise to normal
operating temperature of 180 degrees F.
Do not overfill, as foaming and loss of fluid through
the vent pipe might occur as fluid heats up. If fluid
is too low especially when cold, complete loss
of’drive may result which can cause transmission fail-
ure.
2.Draining oilpan and rep/a&g strainer assembly.
(a) Raise car on hoist or p/ace OnJxk stands, and
provide container to collect draining fluid.
(b) Remove oil pan and gasket. Discard gasket.
(c) Drain fluid from oil pan. Clean pan with solvent
and dry thoroughly with clean compressed air.
(d) Remove strainer assembly, strainer gasket and
discard.
(e) Install new oil strainer gasket. Install new strainer
assembly.
(f) Install new gasket on oil pan and install pan.
Tighten attaching bolts to 7-10 lb. ft.
(g) Lower car and add approximately three (3) pints
of transmission fluid through filler tube.
(h) With manual control lever in Park position, start
engine. DO NOT RACE ENGINE. Move manual
control lever through each range.
(i) Immediately check fluid level with selector leverin Park, engine running, and vehicle on LEVEL
sur-
face.(i) Add additional fluid to bring level to
l/4” below
the “ADD” mark on the dipstick. Do not overfill.
3.Adding Fluid to Fill Dry Transmission and Con-
verter Assembly
The fluid capacity of the Opel Three Speed Auto-
matic transmission and converter assembly is ap-
proximately IO-l/2 pints, but correct level is
determined by the mark on the dipstick rather than
by amount added. In cases of transmission overhaul,
when a complete fill is required, including a new
converter proceed as follows:
(a) Add approximately 10-l/2 pints of transmission
fluid through tiller tube.
The converter should be replaced on any major fail-
ure, such as a clutch or gearset, and an excessive
amount of foreign material is indicated in the pan. If
installation of a new converter is not required add
approximately five (5) pints of transmission fluid.
(b) With manual control lever in Park position start
engine and run at 1000 RPM. DO NOT RACE EN-
GINE. Move manual control lever through each
range.
(c) Immediately check fluid level with selector lever
in Park, engine running, and vehicle on LEVEL
sur-
face.(d) Add additional fluid to bring level to
l/4” below
the “ADD” mark on the dipstick. Do not overfill.
Opel Three Speed Automatic Transmission Towing
Instructions
If an Opel equipped with an automatic transmission
must be towed, the following precautions must be
observed:
The car may be towed safely on its rear wheels with
the shift lever in neutral position at speeds of 35 miles
per hour or less under most conditions.
However, the drive shaft must be disconnected or the
car towed on its front wheels if:
a. Tow speeds in excess of 35 mph are necessary.
b. Car must be towed for extended distances (over 50
miles).
c. Transmission is not operating properly.
If car is towed on its front wheels, the steering wheel

HOOD, FENDERS, AND GRILLE8A- 72. Remove two plastic caps and phillips screws from
outer end of grille extension.
3. Remove grille extension,
Installation1. Install grille extension and secure with Phillips
screws and two (2) plastic caps.
2. Install hex head screw and washer holding grille
extension to baffle plate.
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION OF RADIATOR
GRILLE
(OPEL 1900. MANTA)
A. Removal (Model 57)1. Remove the
five (5) radiator grille attaching
screws. See Figure
8A-15.Figure 8A-15 Radiator Grille Attaching Screws
2. Remove radiator grille towards the top so that the
lower guide pins do not break off. See Figure 8A- 16.Figure 8A-16 Removing Radiator Grille
Installation (Model 57)
1. Install radiator grille, aligning guide pins into
lower panel. See Figure
8A-16.2. Secure grille with five (5) attaching screws. See
Figure 8A-2.
Removal (Models 51.53, and 54)
1. Remove the three (3) radiator grille attaching
screws. See Figure
8A-17.Figure 8A.17 Location of Radiator Grille AttachingSCWWS
2. Remove radiator grille towards the top SO that the
lower guide pins do not break off.

HEATER SYSTEM. GT9A- 3
Figure 9A-‘2 Heater Assembly-Rear View
The heater-defroster air door directs the air to the
floor outlets, defroster outlets, or apportions the air
flow to both outlets depending on the position of the
door. A manual water valve regulates the flow of
coolant through the heater core, thereby varying the
temperature of the air flow past the core. The blower
motor is located in the forward portion of the heater
housing. See Figure 9A-2.
Opening and closing of the heater defroster air door
and manual water valve is accomplished by bowden
cables connected to the heater control. The heater
controls function as follows:
Air Inlet-Defroster Control (Upper Lever) Thiscontrol (See Figure 9A-4) opens and closes the air
inlet and heater-defroster air door which channels
the air flow to either the heater outlets or to defroster
outlets, or to both outlets simultaneously, depending
on the position of the control.
Temperature Control (Lower Lever)
- This lever
regulates the flow of coolant through the heater core
and the amount of air that can by-pass heater core
thereby increasing or decreasing the air temperature
proportionate to its travel (toward red square-warm;
toward blue square-cold). Unheated air may be cir-
culated through the car by leaving the temperature
control in the OFF position (blue square).
Figure 9A-3 Heater Assembly-Front View

SA-10 1973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
HEATER SYSTEM
OPEL 1900 - MANTA
CONTENTS
Subject
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION:
Heater System
. . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Function of the Heater
and Ventilation System
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DIAGNOSIS:
HeaterSystem
Trouble
Diagnosis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS:
ControlCable
Adjustment
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MAJOR REPAIR:
Removal&InstallationHeaterHousing,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Removal
& Installation Defroster Jets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Removal
81 Installation Heater Control Housing . . . .
Removal
& Installation Heater Motor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SPECIFICATIONS:
Specifications
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page No.
9A-10
9A-11
9A-11
PA-12
PA-12
9A-13
9A-14
9A-15
9A-16
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATIONHEATER SYSTEM
The temperature of the air entering the vehicle is
regulated by the heater valve and the blower. The
distribution of this air is controlled by the heater air
distributor housing under the instrument panel.
Moving the upper control lever from the left towards
the right opens the heater valve. This lever regulates
the flow of coolant through the heater core and
thereby increases or decreases the air temperature
proportionate to its travel. See Figure 9A-30.
Figure 9A-30 Heater Control AssemblyThe connectors for water inlet and outlet are located
on the left side of the heater core, viewed in driving
direction. The coolant flow is shown in the drawing.
See Figure 9A-3 1.
Figure
9A-31 Coolant Flow in Heater Core
Due to the separation of the inflowing and outflow-
ing water in the heater core, an even heating of the

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.).

98.18 1973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF REFRIGERATION
We all know what air conditioning does for us, but
very few understand how or why it works. An air
conditioner is functionally very similar to a refrigera-
tor, so let’s take a look at refrigeration. A refrigerator
is a simple mechanism which, surprisingly enough,
works quite a bit like a tea-kettle boiling on a stove.
That may sound far-fetched, but there is more
similarity between the two than most of us would
suspect. In fact, a modern refrigerator can make ice-
cubes and keep food cool and fresh only because a
liquid called the refrigerant boils inside the freezer.
Of codrse everyone knows a boiling tea-kettle is
“hot” and a refrigerator is “cold”. However, this is
where most of us are apt to get confused. We usually
think of “cold” as a definite, positive condition. Ac-
tually though, there is no such thing as “cold”. The
only way we can define it is in a rather negative sort
of way by saying “cold” is simply the lack of heat
just as darkness is the lack of light. We can:t make
things cold directly. All we can do is remove some
of the heat they contain and they will become cold
as a result. And that is the main job of any ice-box
or refrigerator. Both are simply devices for removing
heat.
All substances contain some heat. Theoretically, the
lowest temperature that any substance could obtain
is 459 degrees Fahrenheit below Zero. This may be
called “Cold”, and anything warmer than this con-
tains heat. Since man has never succeeded in getting
all the heat out of an object, we must think about the
transfer of heat from one object to another when
talking about controlling temperatures.
Figure
96-1 Transfer of Heat
Transfer of HeatThe only thing that will attract heat is a colder ob-ject.
:Like water, which always flows down-hill, heat
always flows down a temperature scale
- from a
warm level down to a colder one. When we hold our
hands out toward the fireplace, heat flows from the
hot fire out to our cold hands (Fig.
9B-1). When we
make a snowball, heat always flows from our warm
hands to the colder snow. In an ice-box, the ice al-
ways is colder than the stored food, so heat naturally
is drawn out of the warm food by the colder ice.
Measurement of HeatEveryone thinks he knows how heat is measured.
Thermometers are used in most: homes. Whenever
we speak of temperature from now on, we will mean
Fahrenheit. They can tell how hot a substance is, but
they can’t tell us everything about heat.
Figure
98-2 Applied Temperature Alone is Not the
Sole Measurement of Heat
When we put a tea-kettle on a stove, we expect it to
get hotter and hotter until it finally boils. All during
the process, we can tell exactly how hot the water is
by means of a thermometer (Fig.
9B-2). However,
our thermometer will show us that the flame is just
as hot when we first put the tea-kettle on the stove
as it is when the water finally boils. Why doesn’t the
water boil immediately then? Also, why does it take
longer to boil a quart of water than a cupful? Obvi-
ously temperature isn’t the only measurement of
heat.
Even though heat is intangible, it can be measured by
quantity as well as intensity. It is recognized that
thermometers indicate only the intensity of heat. The
unit for measuring quantity of heat is specified as
that amount necessary to make 1 pound of water 1
degree warmer (Fig.
9B-3). We call this quantity of
heat a British Thermal Unit. Often it is abbreviated
to Btu.
Perhaps we can get a better idea of these two charac-