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don't know what else i can do at this point
BTW, please turn your CAPS off!
does the miss occur at idle only?
Dealer was at odds when I explained it. Took it on a test drive and felt it.Believes it is a "fishbite misfire". Suggested I pay for a fuel injector flush, which I had to pay for inspite of being under extended warranty, because he said it was "maintenance."
That was two weeks ago. Still does it. He now suggests I use super clean fuel, which I've been doing to no avail.
Were the probes put into the radiator or where?
If the coolant was becoming acid, then he might have read a voltage by having to probes of different metals.
Voltage is merely and indication that a charge is present. Current, amps, would indicate how much of that charge is being displaced, that is that corrosion is taking place at a specific rate.
For as many years as this has been going on, you'd think they would have fixed it, or is there more money in the short term of doing these repairs after warranty?
I read through some of the complaints with the Dex-Cool class action. Some of them were clearly bogus which makes me wonder what the lawyers game is. (As weird as my left rear wheel fell off because of coolant.)
This may end up like the class action against the Firestone 500 radials. By time it was settled the average driver would have put over 100K on a 50K tire. Long time replaced and who kept receipts? And I actually had tires made about 10K tires after cut-off and three of them separated, for which they would do nothing.
Lawyers will get rich.
I remember the first fiasco when Environmental laws started. It and the gas shortage of '73 crossed paths. Detroit tried to fix pollution buy adding EGR valves and changing timing of engine which worsened mileage and power at a time of gas shortage. PPP. Also the move to unleaded gas destroyed the valves in older cars. And Chrysler had been putting all its eggs in the power basket where gas guzzling and pollution were the worst, so they nearly went bankrupt.
It seems that Ford has been more prone to design from the ground up on newer models since mid-80's which may be why they have not gone bankrupt. It would be interesting to find it is owner loyalty. Ford has not been without problems related to design changes, for sure. A recent one comes to mind where some idiot replaced the differential ring gear made of steel with one made of synthetic to save weight.
Good Luck!
Perhaps I've always been a bit picky about quality, but it went into overdrive while in Vietnam when lives depended upon the quality of my aircraft work. And it has certainly stuck with me. I am not at all like the woman that buys six pairs of shoes because they are on sale and then throws five away to only buy more. Although fewer may be of that mind set because of economics or whatever and that may be part of the crunch Detroit now feels.
As large as the automotive industry is, I'd have to say we have a societal problem above all.
As to dependability, maybe Detroit has the cheap inkjet printer mentallity. They make their money on ink or Detroit makes it on repairs. I built and worked on Gulfstreams and other aircraft for a number of years and I can easily say most Detroit workers are over compensated. In part I blame the union for that, but then the big bankers and other financial people are extremely overpaid.
I've seen them as a solid cast that is drilled to remove weight for balancing or has added weights.
I've seen them with an inner hub and outer separated by a layer of rubber.
I've seen much older ones that had weights inside that moved like a pendulum. That was to help at idle and they would achieve there maximum centrifugal force at some RPM above idle.
Now that balancers are brought up, I have to wonder if that might be what I hear on neighbors suburban. Damn thing sounds like it is about to throw a rod at idle. I mentioned it to him when vehicle was new. He said he asked dealer and they said it was normal and he listened to several of them there, all making the same deadened clunk like a slapping piston.
If it is wobbling like a bent wheel, then I'd definitely check with dealer. It might be a latest technology where the mounting hole is drilled to match the engine balance. Sounds strange, but that could be the case. Many years ago, one of my Dad's friends bought a vehicle that had no valve stem on the wheel. That blew the mind of many including the mechanics at the garage. Like how the heck did they air the tire up? The dealer told him that a machine was used for mounting the tires on the wheels. It encapsulated both (safety) and pressure inside as the tire was being mounted provided inflation before it was removed. The drilling for the valve stem was done afterwards. I guess that could work, but beware what the dealer tells you too.
Back from the 60's to the 80's if this happened, it was more than likely the starter drawing too many amps and I'd replace the starter.
But my question is, on a 2005 model car, would it more than likely still be the starter or some other computer/sensor related problem?
It drew so many amps that the clock on the radio re-set to noon. I drove to the grocery store and crossed my fingers when I cranked it up again and it did fine. I'm thinking to replace the starter, just so I don't get stuck.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Head lights being dim, or going almost totally out when trying to crank are also a good indication of battery, especially if you get the clacking sound of the solenoid. Fords especially, if there is no solenoid clacking, it is likely the starter. Even then, for it to draw so many amps to kill lighting, be careful. You could easily smoke some wiring.
I am still at a loss as to the root of the problem. And wonder if GM is doing any longevity testing toward fixing the issue.
Such issues have certainly gotten much worse as we have moved to newer materials. Is aluminum more susceptible than copper? Is it because of dissimilar metals? Even with aluminum blocks and heads, is it that they might be different alloys or even the slight variation of composition from one batch of aluminum to the next?
Some claim the problem goes away when switching back to the green, but is it that they are then doing the annual flush and fill required for the green? IE, if they changed the Dexcool annually would the problem go away?
Has anyone figured out what the composition of that dark sludge that forms or the reason for it with long use? (GM did claim that it formed when you had air in the system, yet I had it occur with both the recovery bottle system and a sealed pressurized bottle.)
As to the supposed electrolysis fix by bonding, does it really work? I am fairly certain that I read a very similar fix many years ago, except it applied to diesel engines. That period would have been cast iron blocks and copper radiators. I get the feeling that they may have been overlooking something particular to diesel engines which involves more intense vibration resulting in what is known as cavitation of the coolant. The effect is that the coolant jack-hammers it way through metal. Water does not compress. The real solution to that problem is adding a special product that in part makes water wetter and stops the cavitation.
I do not know if the electrolysis issue has resurfaced in diesels during the last 20 years with metalurigal changes and possibly coolant changes particular to diesels.
I do remember seeing older vehicles that had bonding straps on heater cores, usually a springy metal strip fastened to the core and the other end often had a screw securing it. Even older radiators that were solid metal may have been bonded with rubber isolators that used a special compounding of the rubber so it was conductive. But with plastic end tanks, I have no idea if that plastic is specially compounded to conduct from the core. Even the coolant hoses could be made of a conductive rubber. I suspect none are currently.
Finishing with a bit of humor via a prank we pulled a couple of times on newbs. Rubber O rings do not conduct, right? Well they do for special applications such as in RADAR waveguides. Besides stopping air and moisture from getting into the system, they also help bond one section to the next and stop leakage of the RADAR frequencies. If it was a slow day you could grab one of these newbs that did not know that and have him sit all day with an ohm meter and a big box of O rings. Give him two more boxes, one for the good ones and another for the bad ones. Almost always they will put the ones showing a few ohms, reading across the O ring with the two probes of the meter, in the box for bad ones. And that is when you start to razz them with, "Are you telling me all those are bad?"
I have purchased a new 2010 Malibu LTZ with a 4 cylinder engine. I am interested in this issue. Can you get a copy of this GM bulletin, and share the information with other people on this board? Keep us informed about this issue. Best regards. ----- Dwayne :shades:
How did the replacement engine from GM work out with your 4 cylinder Malibu. ------- Were you able to get a copy of the "GM bulletin" dealing with a stress crack in the engine allowing coolant to leak into the oil? ----- Kindly advise! ----- Best regards. -------- Dwayne :shades: :confuse:
It came with PF48 filter installed, manual calls for PF63. This is a GM change and they may not have had new filters at production time. Filter is not yet available at dealers. And new dexos oil is not either.
Another forum has a lot of timing chain failures on 3.6L. Mostly pre-2010. Is this an issue on Malibu?
I changed oil with 22% life left and used a PF22500 because it crosses directly from the PF63. What I found was that the removed PF48 did not have an anti-drainback valve. My first thought was maybe the reason for the part change. I posted about the lack of valve on PF48 and some got back to me that I was wrong. PF48's do have valve. OK, but mine does not!
The oil looked particularly bad for mileage so I had already elected to keep some and the filter just in case. Because of the horizontal mounting, dirty filtered oil could drain back to pan and lack of part might effect bypass valve, opening early.
You may wish to do the same. Maybe even update to 2011 filter when they become available.
Since new to about 2500 miles, MPG dropped suddenly after that about 3 MPG, both local and highway. Related, Unknown.
The Trailblazer had that same problem with there 6 cyl inline engine. Testing for cracks must be done by the customer for GM.
I am considering buying a new V-6 Malibu w/3.6, sunroof, cloth interior, and any suspension upgrades available, and would enjoy any comments as to troubles or negative input with the latest addition of the Malibu series..
Currently own a 2006 V-6 Pontiac GT w/3.8 S/C engine and a 2010 Mustang GT w/track Pkg, and would like to spin the Pontiac off, no problems with it, bought it cheap w/4300 miles some 42 months ago, now showing 53k..Live in Fla, retired and enjoy the open road..hi-end cruise..
The top end of the V-6 Malibu can be increased easily by tweaking the electronics, and upgrading to H-rated tires..however I am running T-rated on Pontiac, using Michelin Harmony that have excellent tread life and no problem with the high end..H-rated tire was std from factory on the Pontiac..
The neatest little 4-banger from GM was the 260hp, turbo-charged with a great suspension setup in the Chevy Cobalt SS..which was phased out in 2010..I think it was also put in the HHR..Owned 53 cars over my 77 yrs..
Additionally, if this member purchased the vehicle new, there'd not have been any info on long-term reliability and problems, unless he/she has a time machine allowing him/her to zip straight to 2011.
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regardless, hope you can get the issues corrected....
Its an interesting question, my brother was a mechanic (he's deceased now) and he always said it doesn't really matter how MUCH a car is driven just HOW its driven...I don't think this car was beat on it.
Thanks-me too.