cooling OPEL MERIVA 2009 User Guide

128 Climate controlRegular operationFor consistently good operation, the air
cooling system 3 must be switched on for
several minutes once per month regardless
of the weather and the time of year.
Operation not possible with the cooling
system switched on and when the outside
temperature is low.
Service For optimal cooling performance, we
recommend that the climate control
system be checked annually, starting three
years after initial vehicle registration.
z Functionality and pressure test,
z Heating functionality,
z Leakage check,
z Check of drive belts,
z Cleaning of condenser and evaporator
drainage,
z Performance check.

135
Driving and operation
Driving hintsThe first 1000 km
Drive your vehicle at various speeds. Do
not use full throttle. Never allow the engine
to labour at low revs.
Drive moderately. In all gears, only depress
the accelerator pedal around
3/4 of the way
down.
Do not drive faster than three quarters of
maximum speed.
Do not brake unnecessarily hard for the
first 200 km.
During the first drive smoke may develop
because of wax and oil evaporating on the
exhaust system. Park the vehicle in the
open for a while after the first drive and
avoid inhaling the fumes.
Fuel and engine oil consumption is higher
than normal during the running-in period.
Never coast with engine not running
Many units will not function in this situation
(e.g. brake servo unit, power steering 3).
Driving in this manner is a danger to
yourself and others. Brake servo unit
When the engine is not running, the brake
servo unit is no longer effective once the
brake pedal has been depressed once or
twice. Braking effect is not reduced, but
significantly greater force is required for
braking.
Electric power steering
3
If the power assisted steering fails when
being towed with the engine switched off,
the vehicle can still be steered, but
considerably more force is required.
Driving in mountainous terrain or with a
trailer/caravan
The cooling fan is elec trically operated. Its
cooling power is therefore independent of
the engine speed.
Since a considerable amount of heat is
generated at high engine speeds and less
at slower speeds, do not shift down when
climbing hills whilst the vehicle is still coping
with the gradient in the higher gear. Driving with a roof load
Do not exceed the permissible roof load
3
226. For reasons of safety, distribute the
load evenly and secure it properly with
retaining straps. Adjust tyre pressure to
load conditions. Do not drive faster
than 120 km/h. Check and retighten the
straps frequently. Observe country-specific
regulations.
Switching off the engine
When you switch off, fans in the engine
compartment may continue running for a
time to cool the engine.
If the engine temperature is very high, e.g.
after driving in mountainous terrain: allow
the engine to idle for approximately two
minutes in order to prevent heat
accumulation.
Vehicles with turbocharged engine
3
After running at high engine speeds or high
engine loads, operate the engine briefly
at a low load or run in neutral for
approx. 30 seconds before switching off in
order to protect the turbocharger.

136 Driving and operationSave energy – more kilometres
Please observe the running-in hints on the
previous page and the tips for energy
saving on the following pages.
Good, technically correct and economical
driving ensures maximum durability and
performance for your vehicle.
Overrun cut-off
The fuel supply is automatically cut off
during overrun, e.g. when the vehicle is
driven with a gear engaged but no throttle
application. Overrun cut-off is deactivated
if catalytic converter temperature is high.
Vehicles with turbocharged engine
3
Flow-generated noises may be audible if
the accelerator is released quickly on
account of air flow in the turbocharger.
Engine speed
Drive in a low engine speed range for each
gear as much as possible. Warming up
Allow the engine to wa
rm up while driving.
Do not warm it up by letting it ru n at idling
speed. Do not apply full throttle until the
engine has reached operating
temperature.
After a cold start, the manual transmission
automated 3 does not switch to higher
gears until the speed increases when it is in
automatic mode. This allows the catalytic
converter to reach th e temperature quickly
which is required for optimum emission
reduction.
Correct gear selection
Do not race your engine whilst in neutral or
with a low gear selected. Driving too fast in
individual gears as well as stop-and-go
traffic increases engine wear and fuel
consumption.
Change down
When decreasing speed, shift down into
the next lowest gear. Do not slip the clutch
with a high-revving engine. This is
especially important when hill climbing. Cooling fan
The cooling fan is controlled via a
thermoswitch and therefore only runs if
necessary.
The cooling fan automatically switches on
when the diesel particle filter is being
cleaned
3 depending on the engine.
Pedals
Do not place any objects in the foot well
which could slip under the pedals and
inhibit the pedal travel.
To ensure the pedal travel is uninhibited,
there must be no mats in the area of the
pedals.
Battery care
When driving slowly or when the vehicle is
stationary, e.g. in slow urban traffic, stop-
and-go traffic or traffic jams, turn off all
unnecessary electrical loads where
possible (e.g. heated rear window, heated
front seats, etc.).
Declutch when starting in order to relieve
the strain on the starter and the battery.

157
Driving and operation
Winter tyres 3
Notes on fitting new tyres 3 154.
Restrictions 3228.
Winter tyres improve driving safety at
temperatures below 7 C.
The design of summer tyres means they
have limited qualities for winter driving.
In accordance with country-specific
regulations, affix the speed sticker 3 in the
driver’s field of view.
If you use the spare wheel when it is fitted
with a summer tyre, the vehicle’s
driveability may be affected, especially on
slippery road surfaces. Obtain a
replacement for the faulty tyre as soon as
possible, and have the wheel balanced
and fitted to the vehicle.
Wheel covers 3
Use of wheel trims and tyres that approved
by Opel for the vehicle in question and
thereby fulfil all requirements for the wheel
and tyre combination.
If the wheel trims and tyres used are not
Opel-approved, the ty res must not have a
beaded edge. Wheel trims must not impair brake cooling.
Remove the wheel trims if fitting tyre
chains
3.
Picture no: 6459u.tif
Tyre chains 3
Restrictions and further information 3 228.
Tyre chains are only permitted on the
driven wheels (front axle). They must be
fitted to the tyres symmetrically in order to
achieve a concentric fit.
Always use fine mesh chains that add no
more than 10 mm to the tyre tread and the
inboard sides (including chain lock).
9 Warning
Use of unsuitable tyres or wheel trims
could lead to sudden loss of air and
thereby accidents.

158 Driving and operationRemove the wheel trims if using tyre chains
3174.
Tyre chains may only be used at speeds up
to 50 km/h. When travelling on roads that
are free of snow, they may only be used for
brief periods.
Tyre chains must not be used on the
temporary spare wheel. If you need to use
tyre chains after suffering a flat front tyre,
fit the temporary spare on the rear axle
and transfer one of the rear wheels to the
front axle.
Roof rack
3
For safety reasons and to avoid roof
damage we recommend using the Opel
roof rack system that is approved for your
vehicle.
Follow the usage instructions for the roof
rack.
Remove the roof rack when not in use.
Disengage covers concealing roof rack
mounts by pushing sliders in direction of
arrow (e.g. with coin) and remove. To close
roof rack mounts, insert covers at front and
engage sliders at rear.
Driving hints 3 135
Towing equipment
3
Only use towing equipment that has been
approved for your vehicle. Ask a workshop
to retrofit towing equipment. It may be
necessary to make changes that affect the
cooling system, heat shields or other
equipment.
Mounting dimensions of towing equipment
3232.
9 Warning
Damage may lead to tyre blowout.

184 Self-help, vehicle care
Picture no: 14436s.tif Picture no:
No. Circuit
42 Engine cooling, lighting
43 Left parking lamp
44 Right parking lamp
45 Fog tail lamp
46 Fog lamps
47 Towing equipment, accessory
socket
48 Diesel filter heater
49 –
50 Diesel filter heater
No. Circuit
51 Left dipped beam:
Xenon headlamp
Halogen headlamp
52 Right dipped beam:
Xenon headlamp
Halogen headlamp
53 Sun roof, electric windows, radio
54 Main beam (left)
55 Main beam (right)
56 –
Picture no: 14213s.tif
Fuse box in engine compartment
The fuse box is at the front left of the
engine compartment.
Disengage cover of fuse box from lug and
lift off.
Some circuits may be protected by several
fuses.
9 Warning
Turn off engine before opening fuse
box, risk of injury.

185
Self-help, vehicle care
Picture no: 14214s.tif
The following fuses are Maxi fuses.
Bulb replacement Switch off the ignition and switch off the
relevant switch or close the doors.
Only hold a new bulb at the base! Do not
touch the bulb glass with your bare hands.
Replace the bulb, checking that the data
on the base matches that of the defective
bulb.
To replace a bulb, pull off the relay box on
the left side. On the right side, pull off the
air hose to the air filter.
Picture no: 16085s.tif
Halogen headlamp systemHeadlamp system has separate bulbs for
dipped beam 1 (bottom bulbs) and main
beam 2 (top bulbs).
No. Circuit
1 Interior fan
2 Power steering
3 ABS
4 Easytronic diesel preheating
system
5 Heated rear window
6 Engine cooling
7 Starter
8 Engine cooling

209
Service and maintenance
Genuine Opel Parts and
Accessories We recommend that you use "Genuine
Opel Parts and Accessories" and
conversion parts released expressly for
your vehicle type. These parts have
undergone special tests to establish their
reliability, safety and specific suitability for
Opel vehicles. Despit e continuous market
monitoring, we cannot assess or guarantee
these attributes for other products, even if
they have been granted approval by the
relevant authorities or in some other form.
"Genuine Opel Parts and Accessories" and
conversion parts approved by Opel can be
obtained from your Op el Partner, who can
provide expert advice on permitted
technical changes and ensure correct
installation.
Picture no: 17922S.tif
Performing work To avoid injury from moving parts and
cables conducting ignition voltage, only
carry out engine compartment checks
(e. g. checking brake fluid or engine oil
level) when the igniti on is switched off.
Picture no: 14234s.tif
To aid identification, the caps to be
removed for topping up engine oil, coolant
and washer fluid and the dipstick handle
may be coloured yellow.
9 Warning
Only perform engine compartment
checks when the ignition is off.
The cooling fan may start operating
even if the ignition is off.
9 Warning
The ignition system 3 and Xenon
headlamps 3 use extremely high
voltage. Do not touch.

213
Service and maintenance
Picture no: 17904s.tif
Coolant level
In a closed cooling system, there is hardly
any loss.
If the cooling system is cold, the coolant
should lie above the KALT/COLD mark.
Top up if the level is low. Top up with anti-freeze. If no anti-freeze is
available, fill with clean tap water or
distilled water. Have the anti-freeze
concentration checked.
Have the cause of coolant loss rectified by
a workshop.
Fit the cap on straight and tighten it.
Brakes A screeching noise indicates that the brake
lining is at its minimum thickness.
Continued driving is possible. Have the
brake lining replace as soon as possible.
Once new brake lining is fitted, do not
brake unnecessarily hard for the
first 200 km.
9 Warning
Allow the engine to cool before opening
the cap. Carefully open the cap,
relieving the overpressure slowly.
Caution
Too low a coolant level can cause
engine damage.