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http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/features/how.cfm
not all tire ships have this type of machine:
the exclusive Road Force Measurement® system applies up to 1,400 pounds (635 kg) against the tire. The loaded roller detects non-balance, radial-force-related vibrations caused by eccentricity and constructional variation of the tire and wheel. Unlike non-contact measurement, the roller samples the entire footprint of the tire including the sidewall’s contribution to ride quality.
I contacted a large Chevrolet dealer about this issue that I'm having with my Maxx yesterday, and they want $80 per hr for diagnostic time. The problem I had the last time I took it in was that it cost me for the diagnostic time, but the dealer couldn't get the car to act up. I paid for the diagnostic time, and was still no closer to figuring it out afterwards...very frustrating when you're on a limited budget, due to being unemployed. I guess I'm gonna have to wait till it takes a major dump on me, and hope to address it under the extended warranty that I have. This is SO damned frustrating...what a P.O.S.!
sorry to hear you are still having problems finding a dealer to work with you....good luck
If the severe vibration is definitely felt on the front, simply swapping the tires to the rear can be a cheap way to isolate if something weird is going on with a tire.
(I suppose if all the tires had the exact same problem then it wouldn't resolve it, but it's worth a try and it's free and safe if you have a reliable tire jack to use)
If the problem still exists after swapping then maybe a wheel bearing is breaking out of the race and later resetting itself (had this happen once on a Dakota and I replaced the sealed hub asm myself). The thing would make a terrible noise and then go quiet after either applying brakes or side thrust in the right way.I definitely could detect it when I got home by pulling sideways on the hub for a while and hear the bearing going south. (but you think the Chevy dealer would have ruled this out).
Bottom line is there is a good chance anything tire related can be ruled out for free with a rotation to the rear. If the problem goes away, then more investigating will be necessary to isolate (some $ if you can't diagnose further yourself with trying things like ABS and traction control and overall tightness of all front end parts too.)
Good luck!
They should be able to help a friend in need (buy 'em a few beers after they help!!)
Everything still works, except the antenna which I accidentally snapped off during a cold winter day. Showing some wear and tear in places, but that is to be expected.
Overall, we continue to be very pleased with this car.
major scheduled maintenance done at 95K....and all fluids replaced....two of my control button LEDs are out...but otherwise.....no problems at all....hope to reach 200K and beyond in it....
I thought I had a thermostat problem myself. i was out for drive, nothing to heavy 80KM or so and temperature gauge fell to the cold line and the electric blower fans came on and stayed on. I too thought it was a Thermostat issue, since I used to replace them on my 1985 Pontiac. However, the thermostat on newer vehicles is differnt than that of older cars. It was said to me that, if the thermostat failed the entire engine would have seized. After that weekend drive, it never happend again, and the temerature gauge worked fine. however, my wife was recenlty in a front end collision and the Insurance Co wrote off the vhicle. But, good news, every one was fine and we replaced the O4 maxx, with you guessed it another MAXX. Anyhow, verify this with your mechanic. But after hearing that, I was satifsied that I didn;t have a thermostat problem. Also, yes the Refill is that resorvoir rear-center-rightish of the engine bay.
In some cases the rack bushings can also go bad, contributing to the problem.
Front Suspension is a major weakness for Malibus, Pontiac G6's, and some Saabs.
To check the factory configuration check the 4 door frames. I cannot remember which one has the history but one of them definitely does.
The Dealer I traded my '04 to told me they had absolutely no trouble reselling it at a good price. They remain popular, for sure.
Base Sedans, I just bought a used 2006 Maxx, not a week ago.
Learning his ways slowly and wishing him many happy and healthy years
ahead. Interesting how things are the same and different between the
Sedans and Maxx.
One of such things -- the engine air filter and its environs.
Almost the same, but the electrical connectors that have to be
disconnected to get to the filter are totally different. While I can
easily disconnect ones in the Sedans, I can't figure out how to do it
with Maxx -- just can't find a place where to put a screwdriver and
unlock the connector. And don't want to break anything, of course.
Anybody have relevant experience to share?
---
To inspect or replace the engine air cleaner/filter, do
the following:
1. Remove the screws that hold the cover
2. Disconnect the electrical connector.
3. Lift off the cover.
---
You can't lift the filter cover high enough without the risk of tearing the wires
unless you disconnect the connector first-- the wires do constrain the range of motion.
I've always disconnected the connector when changing the filter in my sedans.
Thanks again for your advice: I've been watching your postings on Malibu forums for a long time and know that you possess a wealth of experience with Maxx.
My response to your recommendation may sound rough -- sorry for not wording it better, was short on time and wanted to be precise, on the other hand. I do appreciate your advice!
How to check that the radiator fan is working (relay, temp sensor etc)? Is the fan supposed to be running whenever A/C is on?
hhmax
Just picked my Maxx from the dealer 2 days ago and absolutely love it.
My mother bought an 04 Maxx LS about 4-5 months ago and I thought it was a nice vehicle. Then I got jealous, so I started hunting for one as well.
I finally succeeded and bought an 06 Maxx LTZ from a local dealer here in town.
It has moderately high mileage but came with a 12month GM warranty and a dealer 6 year/100,000 powertrain warranty so I feel pretty safe.
Good thing I have the GM warranty too. The 6-disk CD player still needs fixed and it could use either an alignment or balance and rotate tires.
I just wish it wasn't grey!
That's about it for now. I'll try to contribute to the forum as much as possible.
1. The air filter
-----------------
One mechanic told me how to unlock the connector, but I still could
not do it -- looks like a special tool is required there. Tried it
several times, then asked another mechanic at the dealership, who told
me that he never disconnected the wires. "Just unscrew and lift the
cover -- you'll be able to pull the filter out".
It's odd that the manual says one thing and the practice another.
Today, I did it, at last -- as pao and that mechanic suggested.
Carefully, I pulled the filter out and inspected. Even cleaned the
box under it. It feels good -- now I know how to do it.
Thank you, pao, for the good advice!
2. A hole in the rear lift gate
-------------------------------
I am still exploring the car from all angles, and today noticed an odd
hole in the body of the rear lift gate. It doesn't look like a
"manufactured detail", but I would like to ask people to check their
Maxxes and tell me if you happen to have similar holes.
So, lift the gate so that the horizontal "chrome strip" is at your
eyes' level. There are several (5?) screws going up from under the
strip -- move your eyes toward the right-most one. In my Maxx, there
is a horizontal elongated hole there, in the metal crease under the
strip. Do you see anything similar in yours?
There is a small chance that this is how the car is made and the hole
is there for a useful purpose, like water draining.
If this hole is not there by design, I am at a loss how it came to be.
The only explanation I have now is that the gate was repainted, and
prior to that, sanded, with the sander cutting into the thin metal in
the crease.
If so, I'll need to figure out how to patch it.
3. General feelings
-------------------
After a month of owning, I like Maxx very much. It's an extremely
utilitarian car; drives well, is comfortable and feels good. Too bad
it was not selling well and went away.
For fairness sake, I should compare Maxx with my 2005 Base Sedans.
Maxx feels heavier, and its engine makes you aware of more power.
But, oddly, the sedans move smoother and accelerate better --
i.e. with their 145 HP 4-cylinder engine as opposed to the 205-HP V6
in Maxx. "Smoother" means that I and my passenger feel more of road
unevenness in Maxx, compared to the sedans.
On the whole, I like both models a lot.
it could use either an alignment or balance and rotate tires.
Before you do that, consider investing about $120 into a car jack (or
better two) and a good torque wrench and, at least, retorquing the
wheels yourself (with 100 lb*ft, which can be found in the manual).
If you care about your tires and brakes, you will be rotating tires
yourself or retorquing the wheels after somebody else did. It is also
a good thing to have in your background should you happen to get a
flat on the road.
Good luck with your Maxx!
It is possible this is a slight manufacturing defect. I read an article somewhere about the Maxx Hatch. The outer shell is made out of aluminium. They had to develop a new manufacturing process to make the hatch shape because aluminum is difficult material to stamp. As long as the hole is painted it should not cause any problems.
There are 4 slotted drain holes underneath the bottom edge where the inner and outer shell are crimped together.
I'll go check my Maxx for the four drain slots right away, out of curiosity.
As for the hole in my lift gate: yes, it is painted all over and car has 56K on the odometer without me seeing any problem with it. I'll watch that hole, dirt and water, and think if I should patch it (would be not hard). I was very puzzled about the origin; your point about the manufacturing process makes sense.
I once had a Saturn that registered too cool on the temp gauge, mechanic diagnosed it as a thermostat issue. My initial thought on the Maxx was it was the gauge since there was no reading, but when I turned the car off and stepped out I could hear the fan. So is it the thermostat? How cheap are they on Malibus? On the Saturn it was pretty cheap, but that was probably 7 years ago.
Thanks!
as far as oil leaks....havent spilled a drop yet........
They replaced that, we took the car home and all was good for about two weeks, then it started acting up again. I even gave my wife a small hand-held cassette recorder, and she has made an audio recording of three of these "incidents". They sound like you are running over one of those rumble strips that they have along the edge of the highway. The noise is really, really loud, along with the strong vibration in the steering column. She did say that if she tries to apply the brakes to slow down while the car is having one of these fits, that the brake pedal is real stiff. The dealer we bought the car from is cluless, and can't offer any more advice, because they have no fault codes to go on. Anybody have any other suggestions that we could look at? I'm stumped, and the meter is running on my extended warranty, with less than 30,000 miles to go on it.
Thanks!
I have a band filter wrench of the correct size to start the old filter rotating and the
rest of the way by hand after I've already drained the oil at the drain plug. The way it is mounted allows not spilling oil all over the place.
The plastic oil pan I use fits under nice and I first break the drain plug loose and then slide it in place under it. I also love the engine oil reset at the console that warns you in advance how much time remaining for when to change it (based on engine revolutions and outside temp). Depending on your size you may wish to drive onto a 2X6 board under each wheel to gain a little extra room. (try sliding under it first to check before you try to change the oil)
So, there are two things to unscrew under the engine: the plug and the filter?
In a 2.2L Ecotec Malibu, there is one thing to unscrew there -- the plug: the filter
is at the top of the engine. I glanced under Maxx (last fall) and noticed only the
filter -- I thought I would unscrew it and the oil comes out. There is a separate plug there, then? If so, I assume I unscrew it first, let the oil drain -- and then remove the filter?
Being your engine is different than mine I also can''t comment on the room under the car or locations . In my case, with the V6, the filter is under the engine and vertical so little to no oil spills when you unscrew it. Sounds like you've never done this before so maybe a motorhead friend can help the first time. Good luck!!!
(On 2.2L, the plug's head is 15 mm if I remember my wrench choice correctly. It is probably the same on 3.5L -- if it is there at all, which now sounds it is.)