2012 OPEL GT engine

1 1 0 D r iv in g an d o p e ra t io n
Driving and operationD r iv in g h in t s
The first 1000 km (600 miles)
D ri v e y o ur v eh i cl e a t va r i o u s sp e ed s.
Do not use full throttle. Nev er allow
the e ngine to labour at low re vs .
Make good use of all ge ars . De pres s the
accele rator ped al a ma ximum of around
thre e quarters of the available p edal trave l
in all gea rs .
Do not d riv e faster than three quarte rs of
maximum spe ed .
D o no t b r a k e un n ec es sa r i l y ha rd f o r t he
first 200 km (120 miles).
Never coast w ith engine not running
Many units w ill not function in this situation
(e .g. brake se rvo unit, powe r ste ering).
Driv ing in this ma nne r is a dange r to
yo u rs e lf and o the rs.
Brake servo unit
When the engine is not running, the brake
servo unit is no longer effective once the
brake peda l has bee n depre ss e d once or
twice. Braking effe ct is not re duced , but
significantly gre ater force is re quired for
braking. Power steering
If th e po wer ste er in g f ails o r wh en be in g
towe d with the e ngine switched off, the
ve hicle c an still be s tee red, but
consid erably more force is required.
D riv ing in m ount ainous te rrain
The cooling fan is e lectrically op erate d.
Its cooling powe r is the refore inde pende nt
o f t h e en g i n e s p e ed.
S ince a c onsiderab le am ount of heat is
ge nerate d at high e ngine s pee ds and les s
at lowe r s pee ds, do not s hift down whe n
climb ing hills while the ve hic le is s till coping
with the gradient in the hig he r ge ar.
D riv ing wi th a roof loa d
N ot permitte d.
Sw itching off the engi ne
When y ou switch off the e ngine , fans in
the engine com partment m ay continue
running for a while , to c ool the engine .
If the engine te mpe rature is very high, e.g.
afte r driving in mountainous terrain, allow
the e ngine to idle for ap prox . 2 minutes , in
orde r to preve nt heat accumulation.
V eh i cl es w i t h t u r bo ch a r g ed en g i n e:
After running at high eng ine speeds or high
e ng ine loads, op erate the engine brie fly at
a low load or run in neutral for approx.
3 0 se c o n d s b ef o r e sw i t c h i n g o f f , i n o r d er
to protec t the turbocharger. D rivin g h in ts .... ..... .... ..... .... ..... .... .... ..... 11 0
Saving fuel, protecting the
en viro n men t . ..... .... ..... .... ..... .... .... ..... 11 2
F ue ls, ref u ellin g .... .... ..... .... ..... .... .... ..... 11 4
Ca ta lytic converter, exhaust g ases... 116
D rive co n tro l s ys tem s ... .... ..... .... .... ..... 11 8
Brake s ys te m ... ..... .... ..... .... ..... .... .... ..... 12 2
ABS u..... .... .... ..... .... ..... .... ..... .... .... ..... 12 4
W h ee ls , ty res ... ..... .... ..... .... ..... .... .... ..... 12 5

11 1Dr i vi ng and o pe r ati on
Sav e ene rgy – m ore k ilome tre s / mile s
Please observe the running-in hints on
the p re vious page and the tips for s aving
e ne rgy on the following pa ges .
Good, te chnica lly correct and economical
driving e nsures ma ximum durability and
performance for your vehic le.
O verrun
The fue l supply is autom atically s hut off
during overrun, e.g. when the vehicle is
be ing driven down long gradie nts or whe n
braking. To enable the ove rrun cut-off
to take e ffe ct, do not acc elerate during
overrun and do not declutch. To prevent
dam age to the cata ly tic conve rter, ove rrun
cut-off is temp orarily de activate d whe n the
cataly tic conv erte r tempe rature is high.
V eh i cl es w i t h t u r bo ch a r g ed en g i n e:
F l ow -g en er a t e d n o i se s m a y be a ud i bl e
if the a ccele rator is re leas ed quickly, on
account of air flow in the turbocharger. Engine speed
D ri v e i n a l o w en g i n e s p ee d r a n g e f o r ea ch
gear a s m uc h as poss ible.
Wa r m in g u p
Run engine wa rm , do not wa rm up in idle.
Do not a pply full throttle until the
op erating te mperature has b ee n reache d.
Corre ct g ear se le ction
Tra ns mis sion in neutral and without
re vving in the lower gears . S top-a nd -g o
tra ffic a nd driving at a spe ed too hig h for
the s ele cted g ear incre ase s wear and fue l
consumption.
Change dow n!
When decreasing speed, shift down into
the next lowe st ge ar. Do not slip the clutch
with a high-re vving engine. This is
es pecially important when hill climb ing.
Clutch op era tion
Alw ays dep ress the clutch pedal hard to
the floor to prev ent shifting difficultie s and
tra ns mis sion dam age.
Whe n driving, do not us e the ped al as a
foot re st; this will ca us e subs tantial clutch
wear.Cooling fan
The cooling fan is controlle d v ia a
therm os witch and the re fore only runs if
nec essary .
Pedals
Do not place any ob je cts in the foot we ll
which could slip under the ped als and
inhibit the pe dal trav el.
To ensure the pedal travel is uninhibited,
there must be no unre strained mats in the
are a of the p edals .
Bat tery ca re
W hen driving slowly or whe n the v ehicle is
stationary, e.g. in slow urban traffic, stop-
and-go traffic or traffic jams, turn off all
unnecessary electrical load s w here
pos sible (e. g. he ated re ar window).

11 3Dr i vi ng and o pe r ati on
O ve rrun
zThe fuel s upply is automatically shut off
during ov errun, e. g. whe n the ve hicle is
being drive n down long gradie nts or
whe n braking – s ee page 1 11 .
zTo enable the ove rrun cut-off to take
effect a nd sav e fue l, during overrun do
not ac cele ra te and do not declutch.
Corr ect ge ar sel ec tion
zHigh revs increas e engine w ear and fue l
consumption.
zDo not race your engine. Avoid d riv ing at
high e ngine s pee ds .
Dr i v in g w i t h a n ey e o n t h e t a ch om et e r
save s fuel. I f pos sib le , drive a t low rev s in
each ge ar and a t a consta nt s pe ed.
Driv e in top g ear as m uch a s p os s ible,
shift up as s oon as pos s ib le and do not
shift down until the e ngine is no longe r
running truly . High speed
zT h e f a s t er t h e sp ee d, t h e h i g h e r t he f u el
consump tion and the noise level. Driv ing
at full throttle use s up a gre at de al of fue l
and g enerates excessive noise and high
e miss ion leve ls.
zSlightly relea sing the acce le rator ped al
res ults in distinct fuel s avings with no
major los s of spe ed.
Drive at no more tha n around thre e
quarters of max imum spe ed and you will
use up to 50% less fue l, without losing a
gre at de al of time.
Ty re pre ssure
zInade quate ty re p re s sure, leading to
higher road res istance , cos ts m one y in
two wa ys: more fue l and increa se d tyre
we ar.
zRe gular checks (e very 14 d ays ) pay off.
Ele ctri cal lo a ds
zThe power cons um ption of e lectrical
equip ment increa ses fuel consumption.
zSw itch off ad ditional c ons umers (e. g.
air conditioning, heate d re ar window)
when they are no longer required. Re pai r and m ainte nance
zImprope r repairs or adjus tm ent and
maintenance work can increase fuel
consumption. Do not carry out w ork on
the eng ine yourself.
You ma y infring e environmental la ws out
of ignorance by not d isposing of
materials prope rly.
Appropriate parts might not b e re cycle d.
Contact with some of the mate ria ls
involved may pose a health hazard.
zWe re com mend that repair and
maintenance be entrusted to your O pel
Se rv ice Partner.
E xtr em e d riving conditions
zDriv ing up s te ep gradie nts , cornering,
driving on poor roads and winte r driving
all increas e fue l consumption.
Fue l consumption increa se s dramatically
i n ur b a n t ra ff i c a nd a t w i n t er
tempe ratures, e spe cially on short trip s
w h en t h e e n g i ne o p er a t i n g t e m p e ra tu r e
is not reached.
zFollow the hints given above to keep
consumption to a m inimum under suc h
cond itions .

1 1 4 D r iv in g an d o p e ra t io n
Fuels, refu elling
Fuel c onsum ption
Fuel consump tion is determined und er
s pecific driv ing cond itions – s ee page 1 77 .
Special equipment increases the weight of
t h e v eh i cl e. A s a r es u l t , t h ey ca n i n cr ea s e
fuel consump tion and reduce the specified
max imum s pee d.
F or the first few thousa nd kilome tres/m ile s,
friction b etwe en the engine and
transm ission com pone nts is higher.
This increases fuel consump tion.
Fuel for petrol engines
Normal comme rc ia l hig h-q uality fue ls
with a m aximum ethanol conte nt of 5% in
accordance with DIN EN 22 8 are suitable
(Cataly tic converte r - s ee page 1 16 .
O ctane numbe rs - se e page 17 5 ). The
quality thereof has considerable effect on
performance, running and service life of
the e ngine. The additive s mixe d with the
fuel are extremely im portant. For this
r ea so n yo u mu s t o n ly r e fu e l with h igh-
quality fuels containing additives.Fuels with e thanol content of gre ater than
5% d o not com ply with DIN EN 228 and
must not be used unless the v ehicle has
bee n s pe cifica lly dev eloped a nd ap prov ed
for these fuels.
Fuel with too low an octane number can
cause pinking. Opel cannot b e held liable
for re sulting dam age.
Petrol with a higher octane number can
always be use d.
The ignition tim ing adjusts automatically
t o t h e g r a de o f f u el us e d ( o ct a n e n um ber
)– se e p age 17 5 .
Use of pe trol with an octane rating of 95 or
highe r will e ns ure e conom ical driving.
Fue l fille r c ap
If re placing the fuel fille r c ap, be sure to us e
the original fue l fille r cap for your mode l, to
ensure full functionality.Re fue lling
9 Wa r nin g
Care must be ta ken when hand ling fuel.
Before re fuelling, s witch off the e ng ine
and where applicab le any auxiliary
he ating with combus tion cha mbers .
Switch off mobile phones.

1 1 6 D r iv in g an d o p e ra t io n
Cata ly tic conv erter, exhaust
ga s es
Ca taly tic con v er ter for pe trol e n gin e s
L eade d fuel will damage the catalytic
co n ver t e r a n d p a r t s o f t h e el ec tr o n i c
system, thereby rendering them
inoperative .
High qua lity fuels other tha n those liste d on
page s 11 4 and 1 7 5 (e .g. LRP
1)) could
dam age the catalytic conv erter.Damage to the ca talytic conve rte r or the
vehicle may res ult if the follow ing points
are not obs erve d:
zC onsult a workshop as quickly a s
pos sible in the e ve nt of misfiring,
irregular engine running following a cold
s tart, a s ignificant los s of engine power
or other unusual m alfunctions w hich
may indicate a fault in the ignition
system. If necessary, driving ma y be
continue d for a short time at a low spe ed
and w ith a low engine sp ee d.
Irregular engine running and lack of
powe r when the Ele ctronic S tability
Program (E SP) kicks in are for
ope ra tional re as ons and ca n be
ignored – s ee page 1 19 .zIf unburned fuel enters the catalytic
conv erter, this may res ult in ove rhe ating
and irre parable damage to the c atalytic
conv erter.
You should therefore avoid
unnecessarily long use of the starter
when starting-off, running the tank d ry
(an irre gular fuel s upply w ill lead to
overhea ting) and starting the e ngine by
pushing or towing.
zIf the e mis sion control ind ic ator Z
fla shes, slow down until the flashing
stops and the control indicator is s teady .
Consult a work shop imm ediately.
Emis s ion control indicator Z –
se e page 11 7 .
1)LR P = Lea d Replacement Petrol.

11 7Dr i vi ng and o pe r ati on
Controlling exha ust emissions
The combination of design measures –
mainly in the are a of the fuel inje ction
system a nd ignition system s, and the
cataly tic conv erte r – has minimis ed the
proportion of harmful substance s in the
e xh a u st g a se s, su c h a s c a r b o n m on o xi d e
(CO ), hydrocarbons (CH) and nitrous
oxides (N O
x).Control i nd icator Z for exhaust
Illum inate s when the ignition is s witche d
on a nd during the start attem pt. Goes out
shortly after the eng ine sta rts running.
If it illum inate s while the e ngine is running,
the re is a fa ult in the em ission control
sy ste m. The permitte d e miss ion values
m a y be e xce ede d. Co n su l t a w or k sh o p
immed iately.
Flashing with the engine running indicates
a fault that may damage the catalytic
conv erter. You can continue to drive
without caus ing damage by slowing down
until the fla shing stop s and the control
indica tor is stead y. C onsult a workshop
immed iately.Exhaust g ases
D u r i n g t h e f i r s t dr i ve, s m o ke m a y deve l o p
be cause of wax and oil ev aporating on the
exhaust system . Park the vehicle in the
ope n for a while a fte r the first drive and
av oid inhaling the fum es .
9 Wa r nin g
Engine e xhaus t gase s contain pois onous
carbon monoxide , w hich is colourle ss and
odourle ss and c ould b e fatal if inhale d.
If ex haust gase s p enetrate the v ehicle
inte rior, open the w indows and consult a
workshop im mediate ly.

1 1 8 D r iv in g an d o p e ra t io n
Mai nt ena nc e
Hav e all maintenance work carried out
at the inte rvals specified by Ope l. W e
recom mend that y ou entrust this work
to your O pel Service Partner, who ha s
prope r equipme nt and trained pers onne l
ava ilab le. Elec tronic te sting s ys tems
pe rmit rapid dia gnos is and rem edy of
faults. This way you can b e certain that
all comp onents of the vehicle’s electric al,
injection and ignition sy ste ms operate
correctly , that your ve hicle has a low leve l
of pollutant e mission and that the c atalytic
converte r s yste m will hav e a long se rvice
life.
You are there by m aking an imp ortant
contrib ution towards kee ping the air cle an
and com plia nc e with e mis sions le gis lation.
The S ervice work include s te sting and
adjusting the fuel injection system and the
ignition system . F or this re ason, hav e a ll
Se rvice work carrie d out at the inte rv als
s p eci f i e d by Op e l ( se e ch a p t er " Ser v ic e,
Maintenance " on page 1 65 ).Drive co n trol systems
Ele ctronic Stab ility P rogram (E SP ) ,
Ele ctronic Stab ility Control (E SC)
Elec tronic S tability C ontrol (ES C) is a
component part of the Ele ctronic S tability
Program (ESP).
ESP im proves driving s tability w he n
ne ces s ary in any driving s ituation,
re gardle ss of the ty pe of road surface or
tyre g rip . It also pre vents the d riv e whe els
from spinning.
The system m onitors vehicle movements.
As soon as the ve hicle starts to swe rve
(understeers/oversteers) engine output is
re duce d (the s ound of the e ngine cha ng es )
and individual whe els are spe cifically
braked . This cons iderab ly improve s the
driving stability of the ve hicle on snow and
ice and on wet or s lippe ry road s urfa ces .E SP is ready for operation as s oon a s the
ignition is s witched on and control
indicator v goes out.
The E SP control proces s is disp la yed b y the
flashing of v.
The vehicle is now in a critical s itua tion;
E SP allows you to ke ep control of the
vehicle a nd reminds you to m atch your
spee d to the road conditions.
9 Wa r nin g
Do not le t this spe cial safety feature
tempt you into ta king risk s w he n driving.
Tra ffic safe ty can only b e ac hie ve d by
adopting a re spons ible d riv ing sty le .

11 9Dr i vi ng and o pe r ati on
Con t rol in dica tor v
Illuminates for a few seconds when the
ignition is switche d on. The s ys tem is ready
for operation when the control indica tor
goe s out.
Flashing during driving:
This shows the system has com e into
action. The engine output may be reduce d
(the sound of the engine cha nges) a nd the
ve hic le ma y be brake d automatically to a
s mall de gree .
The d riv er information centre also s hows
"E SC A CT IV E" an d/o r "L O W TR AC T ION "
when the syste m has come into action.
Se e page 69 .
"E SC" appe ars in s om e wa rning me ss age s.
ES C is a component part of the Ele ctronic
Stab ility Prog ra m (ES P), improving driving
s tability.Illum inate s while driving:
The system is switched off or a fault is
pres ent. C ontinued driving is poss ible .
The driving s tability ca n howe ve r
dete riorate de pending on road s urface
conditions .
The drive r informa tion ce ntre s how s
"ES C O FF ", "SE RVI CE ES C" o r
"SE RVIC E TR AC T ION " if a sy ste m f au lt
oc curs . S ee page s 69 , 7 0 .
The drive r informa tion ce ntre s how s
"T RA CT IO N O FF " a nd /o r "E SC OF F" if th e
sy ste m has bee n s witche d off. S ee page s
69, 70.
Reactiva te E SP or have the c ause of the
fa ult re me died by a work shop. The
sy ste m’s inte grate d s elf-diagnostics allow
fa ults to be quickly reme died.Sw itching off:
The tra ction control as pect of ESP ca n be
switched off by pressing button R once.
E SP can als o b e s witched off altogether by
pre ss ing and holding the button for more
t h a n 1 0 se c o nd s.
W hen traction control and /or E SP have
be en de activate d, c ontrol indicator v
illuminates in the ins trum ent pane l.
T h e dr i ver i n f o r m a t i o n cen t r e sh o w s
"TRAC TION OF F " if the button is pressed
once, and also "ESC OFF" if the system has
be en s w i t ch ed o ff a l to g e t h er .
S ee page s 6 9 , 7 0 .
Traction control and ES P are s witched on
aga in by pres s ing b utton R a gain (control
indicator g oe s out imm ediate ly) or the ne xt
time the ig nition is switche d on.