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Comments
It's definitely there on the rear part of the oil pan (on the lower side facing toward the back of the car). You may be right about the size of the wrench, but pardon me if I don't verify it as it's 15 deg F out (windchill -1F) and I got my oil change in before the cold came!!
The oil filter is in the font of the engine down low (It's blue in this pic)
side facing toward the back of the car).
So, just as on the 2.2L engine...
You may be right about the size of the wrench, but pardon me if I
don't verify it as it's 15 deg F out (windchill -1F) and I got my oil
change in before the cold came!!
Hey, I just wanted to push back a bit, after you said that I had
probably never done oil changes -- it's one of my favorite hobbies, in
fact :-)
Just to confirm the sequence for Maxx:
1. Unscrew the "15-mm plug" at the rear of the engine's oil
pan. Let the oil drain into a drop pan.
2. Pull the drop pan out -- this will let me access and remove the
filter.
3. Unscrew the filter with a "filter tool", a.k.a. "band wrench".
4. Screw the new filter on (.75 to 1 turn with the tool after
hand-tightening).
5. Screw in the plug.
6. Pour in 4 qts of synthetic (sic!) oil.
Sounds right?
If the list above is right, I finally understand how things are
arranged in Maxx (I had thought there was no plug and I had to unscrew
the filter over the drop pan, which I had hard time imagining how to
do in the space so tight.)
Thank you very much for your answers -- much appreciated!
catch pan, remove the pan from under and place the oil into a container, reach
back under and tighten the oil drain plug and then loosen the filter, then place
the pan under the filter before removing it the rest of the way to catch any spills
as you lower it carefully into the catch pan and invert it there to drain. Note that
the band wrench may only grab the filter a little as the space is tight, but you can
position it right and get the movement enough to loosen it. After the new filter is
back on I fill with oil (usually I find it's more like 4.5 to almost 5 quarts with the
filter change.) Then reset the message center so it reads 100% oil remaining.
The dealer wants $50 just to look at it. I figure it would be a safety issue and sent an email to NHTSA but don't expect anything.
There are a number of references to this problem on the web, but unfortunately there are only 3 (including mine) complaints to NHTSA.
The doors: I agree. In my three Malibus one has to be careful not to be slammed by a door closing when the car faces upward on a hill, non-steep hill. Ditto about
the wind. Doesn't bother me, just confirming your observations.
Could've sworn I've seen Maxx's fitted with roof rails, that look to be OEM.
Would prefer to obtain said rails and then fit with aftermarket cross bars.
Have checked with local dealer and come up empty.
Any body out there have these roof rails installed?
Where can I get them?
battery right away".
See my story here: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0f7d97/43#MSG43
My battery was new in August 2009 and dead in December 2009, after some 2000 miles.
Your cost to replace the battery is around $100, your cost to replace the car (the great Maxx!...) is much higher. Spend those $100.
Any suggestions for what/where/how to check into the problem?
So far, seems to be occurring above 60 mph.
stiffer than the Base Sedans. That impression has only got increased
since then -- yeah, the Sedans (2005) feel pleasanter to ride in,
practically on any road. Part of the difference perception was a
"perception" -- I was getting a bit worried if the suspension in my
Maxx was in a good order.
Finally, I went to Sears today and the folks there thoroughly (very
thoroughly, I saw it all) inspected Maxx's suspension. "In a perfect
shape", they said. A guy there used to work at a Chevy dealership
(where I actually had met him before) -- he told me that Maxxes ride
very differently than the sedans. "They have a sportier suspension
and are very stiff; I took plenty of them on a highway, and they were
just flying along, little beasts -- you'd never guess that by the
looks -- and not leaning much on the turns -- that kind of a
suspension..."
One of the guys who was inspecting the suspension said that he had
actually felt the stiffness even while driving the car over the shop.
FWIW.
Anyway, I am glad that I did not fantasize about the difference in
riding the two kinds of Malibus, and, mostly, that my Maxx's
suspension is in a good shape.
Now that I know that, I will begin liking it more. A little animal,
quite true
That's one of the symptoms in my Maxx. The other is feeling the road
with my own back.
It doesn't bother her at all (I tend to notice noises like this)
My family (including me) notices it unmistakably when driving Maxx instead of Base.
agreed with the post using the word "rattle", but there is no rattle of the kind
you seem to mean. My "rattling" would be better called "the rear wheels
thumping". They are not actually thumping enormously -- just more than I hear
in the Bases. More sound is not surprising by itself: the salon being
essentially open from the driver's place to the rear hatch, there is less
standing in the sound-from-the-wheels' way here than in the Bases, where the
wheels are under the trunk. I still think that a difference in the suspensions
plays a role in the "more thumping heard".
As for the rattles: all my three Malibus are surprisingly (knock-knock)
rattle-free -- the Maxx is no exception: no rattles at all. (For completeness:
one of the Sedans' suspension rattles in cold times of the year, under about
40F.) The spares and jacks are all attached correctly in my cars, of course;
the tire pressure is right and the tires are good (new reares in the Maxx).
Last Saturday, I was backing out of a parking spot when the engine stalled. Turned it on,
made a mental mark -- the first time the engne stalled for me. Drove home all right.
Sunday, pretty much the same thing. Drove home all right. Near the home, drove the car
backward a couple of times -- no stalling. Started to back it up the driveway -- stalled.
Repeated -- stalled. Idled -- stalled. Looked under the hood -- could see nothing
unusual but the engine noticeably shaked in some of my experiments. Looked at the air
filter -- clean, but I replaced it anyway. Turned the engine on, idled -- stalled. A
code reader shows no errors.
Going to a dealer this Friday. Any feedback and/or tips would be appreciated.
Some extra information:
a. I've always felt that Maxx's engine was sluggish compared with the 4-cyls in Bases.
Maxx is a powerful car, but I need to press the gas pedal more than I do it in Bases.
b. It was the first time that I used a certain cheap gasoline purchased around here.
Maxx has eaten about 1/3 of the tank by now. The two base Bu's run on the gas from
the same gas station without a problem.
Hope this helps anybody else.
My question is, does the ignition module have to be replaced...or just a ground strap added?
Has anybody else had that problem? If so, what was the fix? Thank you for your reply.
Thank you for your response to my remote start problem. I unplugged the harness with the 3 wires that goes to the hood latch switch. That is where no matter what I did, the remote start wouldn't work. A service manager at a Chevy dealership said that code faults also prevent the remote start from working.
Nowadays, with the economy so bad, I'm afraid to bring a car in for repair. They surely know how to pad a bill for things that are not needed. (I have a 2007 Pontiac G6 hardtop convertible with 12,000 miles that I took to a local Pontiac dealer for a broken dashboard vent (under warranty). They told me my airfilter was dirty, my induction area was dirty, and my tires were wearing badly. ALL LIES !!! ....... and who told them to look under the hood when they were only supposed to change a part on the dashboard.)
Thanks!