Warning! Do not allow antifreeze to come into contact with your skin or painted vehicle surfaces. In case of contact, rinse immediately with plenty of water. Antifreeze is extremely toxic and deadly if ingested. Do not leave antifreeze in an open container or spilled on the floor; its sweet smell can easily attract children or pets. Check local regulations for the disposal of used antifreeze. In many areas there are special centers for its acceptance.
1. The cooling system must be regularly drained, flushed and refilled. This procedure is carried out to maintain the quality of the coolant mixture and prevent the formation of corrosion, which reduces the efficiency of the cooling system and can cause engine failure. When servicing the cooling system, the condition of all hoses and radiator cap should also be checked and, if necessary, defective components should be replaced. Check the frost resistance of the cooler using a special hydrometer.
Dehumidification
Attention! The radiator and cooling tubes are made of aluminium. To avoid damage due to corrosion, the system must only be filled with a fluid approved by Opel. Do not use other types of liquids, even if they guarantee reliable operation of the cooling system.
1. Set the heater control lever on the instrument panel to position "Heiss" ("Hot").
2a. Turn away a stopper of a broad tank. If the engine is hot, wait and then unscrew the plug completely. The location of the expansion tank is shown in the illustrations below.
2b. Unscrewing the plug of the expansion tank (engine 2.0 l).
2c. Expansion tank of the engine 2.4 l.
3. Drain the coolant by unscrewing the radiator cap or by disconnecting the bottom hose. If the coolant is in a satisfactory condition, it can be collected in a container for further use. Otherwise, it must be disposed of properly.
Flushing
1. After the system is completely drained, flush the radiator with clean water from a garden hose until clean water comes out of the drain hole or bottom hose. If the radiator is severely rusted, damaged, or leaking, it should be removed (see chapter Cooling and heating systems) and send it to a repair shop for a radiator specialist.
2. The flushing described above will remove various deposits from the radiator, but will not be able to remove rust and scale from engine surfaces and cooling pipes. All this can be removed with a chemical cleaner. Follow the purifier manufacturer's instructions for this procedure. Before flushing the engine, open the drain plug of the cylinder block.
3. On suitably equipped models, remove the overflow hose from the expansion tank. Drain the tank, rinse it with clean water and connect the hose.
Filling
To prevent air ingress, fill the system with coolant as follows:
1. Set the heater control lever to position "Heiss" ("Hot").
2. Connect the bottom hose to the radiator.
3. Make up the coolant from antifreeze and water in a ratio corresponding to the operating temperature of the car (see chapter Cooling and heating systems). Separate filling of water and antifreeze is not allowed, as this will not ensure the required quality of the mixture.
4. Pour liquid into the expansion tank up to the top edge and tighten the plug.
5. Start the engine and let it run until the fan turns on (at about 90°C). It is recommended to cool the engine down completely after this.
6. Check the coolant level in the expansion tank. If the level does not reach the mark "Kalt" ("Cold"), fluid must be added. The air leaves the system itself, i.e. no need to open any plug for this.
It is not allowed to add plain water to the system.
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