Chevrolet Malibu Transmission
E2,
Can you tell if my transmission falls under the "howl" TSB based on my VIN? 167044
I have taken it to the dealer three times for this problem. 1st time they said it was "bearing noise" and not the howl TSB, 2nd time they could not hear it and the last time they tightened an exhaust heat shield. It sounds like a ball bearing lightly rattling in a can and varies with speed (loudest on manual deceleration 4-to-3 or 3-to-2).
I have rented one Maxx and three G6's and none make this noise.
Thanks in advance.
Can you tell if my transmission falls under the "howl" TSB based on my VIN? 167044
I have taken it to the dealer three times for this problem. 1st time they said it was "bearing noise" and not the howl TSB, 2nd time they could not hear it and the last time they tightened an exhaust heat shield. It sounds like a ball bearing lightly rattling in a can and varies with speed (loudest on manual deceleration 4-to-3 or 3-to-2).
I have rented one Maxx and three G6's and none make this noise.
Thanks in advance.
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Comments
Also--any more news on the steering rattle? We were at a camp this summer on a dirt road and it sounded like the whole front suspension was coming apart--something is really loose in there. You feel it in the wheel as well as hearing it. I've had no luck with this at two dealers--both are in areas with extremely smooth streets so no way to demonstrate it!
DavisMaxx
2004 LS
May '04 build
vin 237245
The steering preload needs adjusting, I think you need a new dealer.
I see that "steering preload" adjustment seems to have solved the steering rattle for someone else. I'll ask about that.
They also told me my front rotor pads were nearly worn out (1-2 mm of pad left), at 35K miles. The advisor that talked to me has been reputable in the past.
Amazing how fast those pads wore as I am by no means an aggressive driver. Ditto how fast the front struts have died.
I'm going to have to drive it around today to see if it will experience the same problem it had on Friday. I'm almost afraid to though. I've read horror stories where people's car's transmissions don't work under a circumstance but after sitting awhile, they work again. I'm not liking what I'm seeing, where one day its slipping and the next its perfectly normal. The service manager flat out told me that if I can't get the thing to go and have it towed in and they can't duplicate when they try it, I have to pay the tow bill.
Wish me luck. :sick:
Agreed that dealer service is an inconsistant mess. The outfit at one dealer I visit couldn't tighten a loose screw, then was sacked, manager and all, a few months ago. The new management seems to be trying harder, but they are inheriting a lot of skeptical customers.
Agreed that dealer service is an inconsistant mess. The outfit at one dealer I visit couldn't tighten a loose screw, then was sacked, manager and all, a few months ago. The new management seems to be trying harder, but they are inheriting a lot of skeptical customers.
The sad thing was this dealer had a great service manager prior to the 1st of this year. Come the 1st, the dealer's general manager let him go and installed this new stingy guy. With all the problems this car has, and the fact that, not soon after I get one thing fixed something else breaks, I'm just going to see if I can dump it. If not, then I guess I'll have to see if there is another dealership in the area that can shuttle me to work.
I even told them about the TSB that GM has for slipping transmissions, which includes even if it doesn't set a code and they just ignored it. I really hope I get a survey from GM about them. :P
The rear bushings are typical of rubber parts that sometimes don't selflubricate the way it was planned. Sometimes a special type of spray may lube them at the squeak point; sometimes they just need to be replaced.
I have seen the AC control problems mentioned. The idea of an air filter in the AC unit is a question I'm not sure why it was asked. A filter clogs up and needs to be replaced. It can serve as a haven for mold if not replaced. But I don't think your car had one to begin with.
The transmission like symptom I can only recommend a good shop who is used to GM cars to check it. It might be transmission but the first thing is usually engine. The motor having problems can confuse the controls for a transmission. Have the plugs and wires been replaced on the motor? The plugs were probably rated at 100K then and I replace mine at about 60-70K miles. The plug wires break down and don't work causing misfires. Those are regular maintenance items that some people skip thinking there's no problem. But having them working poorly sometimes causes other ignition parts to fail that create the spark. So regular upkeep is necessary on all cars.
The soft brake pedal is a safety item. Do not drive it that way. You are endangering others and yourself. That could be from a vacuum hose off on the motor and that would make the motor run poorly and cause the check engine light to come on.
Has the car had the oil changed and the ball joints greased. That's another item people skip that ends up costing in the end. That might be the source of noise in the rear end if ball joints are dry or worn.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The recirculate uses some inside air and draws in some outside air with it. So recirculate doesn't completely eliminate the outside air with other car's fumes.
There might be a seal around the hood between it and the air intake for the heater/AC below the windshield an the seal is out of place or torn. That could let air from your own engine compartment into the air inlet. That could have an oily or motor smell in it. You might be smelling some of your own motor.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The problem here is that good maintenance now does not undo bad maintenance by the previous owner. Unless a reliable maintenance log was supplied to you by the previous owner you'll never know what the car has been put through.
the bbrakes are another weak spot of this model Malibu. I'm glad you had it towed and didn't drive it. It could be a noumber of things that could have caused the problem. then again it could be a one time occurrence.
Like I mentinoed in my previous post, you are at the point mileage wise where things tend to go. Also the other owners said it was reliable because they ignored some obvious things. I'm sure the coolant was leaking which is a classic sign of the intake manifold gasket problem. Very well documented problem with GM small block V6 engines. You paid $1500 to repair, should have only been $700 or so. You paid $800 for rear brakes. That is excessive if it was just replace rotors and brake pads esp. for this vehicle.
YOu mention you bought it second hand and had no control over what happened to it before you bought it. did you have a mechanic check out the vehicle before you purchased it? Did you do any research on 1998 malibu before you purchased it? These two steps are critical esp. if you are purchasing a vehicle privately and without a warranty.
I'm not trying to berate or belittle you but in the amount of time it took you to write your original post, you could have done some basic research here on Edmunds and read for yourself that the issues you are dealing with are common for this vehicle. I owned a 2001 malibu for a little over 2 years which is why I know your problems are typical. Not a good expereince and needed a bigger car for a growing family. I got out while the gettin' was good.
It is and has been needless to say a very sticky situation from the start. Lesson learned...especially for my husband who wanted to trust his family and did not want to hurt them by heeding my advice and purchase a different vehicle. He wanted to trust their judgment. But hindsight is always 20/20 and it will NEVER happen again without a mechanic in the mix.
We did have it fixed today and it was the EGR valve which was causing a multitude of problems including the brakes. It was messing up the computer in the car and making everything malfunction...we shall see how it does in the next few months. At this point I feel so financially attached to the car that I feel there is practically no way to get rid of it!!! We also replaced the plugs and wires and we hope to have small high-mileage maintenance issues in the future. Which we happily have taken care of all along. We will keep our fingers crossed and get out when we can.
Also the prices we paid on the manifold included some work on the front tie rod (left outer replaced) and some minor issues under the hood. And the work on the rear brakes was extremely extensive...the pads were worn to the metal and the pads had just been replaced two months earlier (the previous owner brought the car to an unreliable mechanic). There was more damage than just the obvious brake pad and clip issues. It's been over a year and I can not remember all that was included on the brake work.
I Will Keep Everyone Posted...Thank you everyone for all your info and advice...landrarodg
Was the trans oil changed at some time with just a drain and replacement filter? That's the only thing I can think that should be checked or changed before 100K.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
As you mentioned, you are financially attached to this vehicle now. I hope the worst is behind you. I can't imagin e anythign else going wrong. YOu did what any of us would do when buying from a family member, you took their word. Next time take it to a mechanic and get their opinion.
You are probably looking at changing the coolant (not unless it was changed when they did the manifold gasket) and transmission fluid next.
Good luck.
35,000 miles, bought it new, no problems...yet.
Only if you want to play Hondamatic with your tranny.
I drain and replaced filter at 35 K on my 03 leSabre.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
change automatic transaxle fluid and filter at 50K miles if the vehicle is driven under one or more of the following conditions:
in heavy city traffic where the outside temperature regularly reaches 90 degrees or higher
in hilly or mountainous terrain
when doing frequent trailer towing
uses such as found in a taxi, police or delivery service
if you do not use your vehicle under any of these condition, the fluid and filter do not need to be changed
page 6-9 on of the 2004 owners manual
I have over 76K on my car and will have it done at the 100k service....
I drain my own. My service manager recommended each 36K mi on my 98 LeSabre and 03 LeSabre knowing they weren't going to do it. That's what he does with his own cars. I consider 3 years or 36000 miles as the max I'll go. I drop the pan, catch the old oil, replace the filter for about $30 including a new Purolator filter from PepBoys and 6 quarts of Valvoline Dextron III. The filter probably should go to 72 K before changing. Suit yourself.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
This forum has saved me from paying a lot of money to have the whole trany pulled apart and a spendy part replaced. Special thanks to E2 Helper. You have been a steadfast and informed presence for us all.
By the way, I had place some small, but extraordinarily powerful, rare earth (neodymium) magnets (bought them on Ebay) on the OUTSIDE of the trany pan shortly after buying the car new. The mechanic showed me a significant build up of metalic particles (all tolled about one eighth the mass of a dime) on the INSIDE of the trany pan where the magnets had been placed, when he had it off.
2004 Maxx LS
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
of course its always better to do more than less....dont quite understand why a service manager would go against his own manufacturers recommended service intervals...obviously a reason for it.....maybe experience with the particular car, maybe wanting to get more business, who knows...
I do almost 30K a year on a car and routinely do oil and other basic maintenance....but major servicing has always been by recommended intervals....96 Bronco 168K on it and still strong...04 Malibu Maxx LT.....78K on it....and not problem one....
Bottom pan removal 6.9 qt, complete overhaul 9.5 qt, dry 12.9 qt.
You likely know that to check level you need to remove the transmission plug with engine running but that procedure is too detailed to provide here.
I have a 2006 Malibu. Ever since I purchased the car last February, it has had the same problem. I have taken it to the dealership multiple times with no solution and I'm frustrated beyond belief. I do believe, however that I have been able to figure out all the symptoms as time goes on.
Here's the scenario. I am just starting my car in a parking lot and attempt to immediately put it into drive, it will not go any faster than 40mph thereafter. It will act as if it was in neutral the entire time, which is extremely dangerous since I have to merge on the highway a lot. The only way I can fix the issue is by putting the car into reverse, backing up a little bit, and then put it back into drive again.
For this issue to occur, the car must be in the following conditions.
-the car has been turned off more than 15 minutes prior to ignition
-the car must immediately go into drive (no backing out of a parking spot)
-the car must not immediately accelerate and stay in the 5-10mph range for at least 20 seconds.
I have taken the car multiple times to the dealership but since it never throws any kind of code, they don't know what to do. In fact, they have only been able to replicate the situation once (which I believe is due to the fact that I recently figured out the "immediately accelerate" condition and the service center parking lot is nothing but hills. So far they have updated the codes and replaced the solenoid but all I end up doing now is taking it to the shop and gettting a rental car every couple of months when I have the energy to deal with the problem. I'm pretty sure this could be fixed by changing a part, but the problem is, what part?
Oh, and just in case you want to know, the car is an automatic. From the information that passengers in my car have given me that have driven manual cars, they seem to think it is not neutral that it is stuck at but rather a particular gear (but they can't seem to agree if it is high or low gear that it is stuck at).
I'm running out of options and patience. Anyone have any ideas? :confuse:
My car is a 2005 Maxx LS. I looked for a TSB related to slipping transmissions (at the Chevy website) on the Maxx and couldn't find it. Any more details on the slipping transmission TSB and does it apply to my vehicle? Thanks!
I drove the car back and forth to work (about 8 miles) for a couple weeks and the transmission was shifting nicely. The first longer trip that I took on a very hot day, I noticed the 1-2 shift produced a slight "shudder" after the car was driven about 15 miles. Traffic was rather heavy and I notice that if I accelerated slowly the shift was very smooth, but if I accelerated more aggressively the "shudder" appeared with part throttle. A WOT 1-2 shift was very rough. If I back off the throttle very briefly to let the car shift, there's no problem. The car shows no signs of leaks, anywhere, and the maintenance record shows that the trans fluid and filter was changed at 45000 miles.
I'm taking the car in for a fluid and filter change, without mentioning the problem to the service tech. I want to see if changing the filter and fluid will yield any potential mechanical problems. Since this is an electronic transmission, is it possible that there is something other than a mechanical (possibly clutch problem) causing these symptoms? I don't want a less than honest repair shop charging for a trans rebuild when it's something less expensive to repair. Any help appreciated. By the way, the car continues to run perfectly as I drive back and forth to work, or short trips of less that 12 miles.
What I was thinking of was Code P01870, worn valve body, but that is just a guess.
Take it to a good independent transmission shop for a diagnosis, a chain shop will just sell you a rebuilt transmission. Good Luck
Just recently I saw a post from a long time trans. Tech, he now states the cause of the worn valve body housing is a worn oil pump stator bushing. No enough oil getting to the valve body, I am going to follow up on that.
Like I stated before only a good independent trans. Tech can diagnosis your problem. A lot of things in the trans have changed since the OD units were installed, a whole lot of new problems.